Back to results
US 5,088,363 AGranted
Method and apparatus for an automatic sawmill
AssigneeAaron U. Jones
InventorsAaron U. Jones, Vincent M. Howard, Edward A. Kohler, Mark L. Carter, Edward A. Komori, Ralph Wijesinghe, Ronald W. McGeehee
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In an automatic sawmill, logs are first sawn horizontally into pieces that are respectively deposited flat side down on a bed plate and conveyed through multiple, close spaced horizontal bandsaws located above the bed plate. Sawn cants are positioned by clamps to have their waney edges removed by a flying saw after clamp retraction.
Claims38
A method of sawing logs comprising:
- gripping a log at ends thereof and sawing the same lengthways into two sections each having the same length as the log,
- rotating the log to deposit a first of said sections flat side down,
- sawing the first section into further horizontal pieces with respect to a predetermined level on which said flat side rests,
- further rotating the second of said sections and depositing the second section flat side down, and
- sawing said second section into further horizontal pieces with respect to a predetermined level on which the flat side of the second section rests.
2 more elements
A method of charging a sawmill carriage comprising:
- depositing a plurality of logs seriatim onto a V-shaped charger base,
- gripping each of said logs and moving the same substantially vertically to a sawing level where said logs can be gripped by a horizontally offset carriage,
- measuring each log, wherein each end of a log is moved vertically to said sawing level in accordance with the measurement made,
- sawing said logs horizontally by moving a log into a horizontal saw to open a face between portions of said log, and
- depositing a portion of said log from said carriage face down onto a horizontal bed plate for further sawing with reference to said bed plate.
2 more elements
In a sawmill for receiving and sawing a plurality of logs, a log handling apparatus comprising:
- measuring means for measuring said logs,
- a charger means comprising a pair of independently operable grapples for engaging a single log at spaced locations therealong, portions of the grapple arms engaging bottom portions of the log, and moving said log from a first stationary position to a sawing level, including differential vertical movement of said grapples in response to measurement of said single log by said measuring means and in accordance with a predetermined lumber output that can be cut from said log, said lumber output being responsive to the measurement by said measuring means,
- at least one horizontally movable log carriage provided with a pair of dog arms swingable in a horizontal plane and respectively carrying dogs for engaging ends of said single log as carried by said grapples to said sawing level, and for removing said log from said grapples by said carriage,
- said carriage having a movable frame horizontally offset from the location of a line between said grapples, and from which said arms swing in cantilever fashion to engage said log,
- a saw disposed proximate the path of said carriage and including a horizontally positioned blade for horizontally sawing said single log into first and second pieces as said carriage moves said log relative to said saw,
- horizontal log piece receiving means, and
- means for rotating said dogs after sawing of said single log by said saw for depositing a first piece flat side down onto said receiving means while the second piece remains engaged between said dogs.
4 more elements
In a sawmill, apparatus comprising:
- conveying means for successively receiving sawn cants,
- pairs of differentially operable clamping members for engaging said cants from said conveying means and for positioning said cants forwardly,
- movable saw means including multiple saw members for sawing said cants as positioned by said clamping members into lumber including cutting the wane therefrom with said cants in stationary position,
- traveler means for carrying said cants towards the movable saw means with said clamping members in engaging relation with cants carried by said traveler means,
- cam means for raising said clamping members above a said cant to engage a said cant with forward movement thereof, and
- holding means located between said multiple saw members for engaging the cants positioned by said clamping members enabling removal of said clamping members followed by sawing by said movable saw means,
- said clamping members being biased toward a said cant further enabling said removal of said clamping members.
4 more elements
In a sawmill for receiving and sawing a plurality of logs, a log charger comprising:
- a log charger base formed from a plurality of parallel spaced substantially rigid braces provided with upwardly oriented V-shaped slots for receiving a single log at a time, including a pair of spaced braces with substantially aligned slots located at a first predetermined level, and a third brace intermediate said pair of braces, said third brace having a slot at a level lower than said first predetermined level,
- means for dropping a single log by gravity onto said braces whereby a curved log will become aligned at a predetermined angle relative to the horizontal by virtue of encountering the relative heights of said braces as the log falls, and
- means for removing said single log upwardly from said base.
In a sawmill for receiving and sawing a plurality of logs, a log handling apparatus comprising:
- measuring means for measuring said logs, and
- a charger means comprising a pair of independently operable grapples, said grapples having curved opposed arms for engaging a single log at spaced locations therealong wherein portions of the arms engage bottom portions of said log, and moving said log from a first stationary position to a sawing level, including differential vertical movement of said grapples in response to measurement of said single log by said measuring means and in accordance with a predetermined lumber output that can be cut from said log, said lumber output being determined by the measurement of said measuring means.
In a sawmill for receiving and sawing a plurality of logs,
- a horizontally movable log carriage provided with a pair of dog arms respectively carrying dogs for engaging ends of a log and for moving said log horizontally,
- a saw disposed proximate the path of said carriage and including a blade for horizontally sawing said log into first and second pieces as said carriage moves said log relative to said saw,
- horizontal log piece receiving means, and
- means for rotating said dogs after sawing of said log by said saw for depositing a first piece flat side down onto said receiving means while the second piece remains engaged between said dogs.
1 more element
In a sawmill, apparatus for sawing log pieces horizontally, comprising:
- a horizontal bed plate,
- means for moving log pieces on said bed plate, and
- a plurality of band saws disposed above said bed plate and having blades positioned in horizontal planes above and parallel to said bed plate, the path of said blades being entirely above said bed plate,
- said band saws being closely spaced along the length of said bed plate for successively engaging a log piece on said bed plate as driven by said moving means.
1 more element
In a sawmill, apparatus comprising:
- conveying means for successively receiving sawn cants,
- pairs of differentially operable clamping members for engaging said cants from said conveying means and for positioning said cants forwardly, said clamping members comprising cant grippers for releasably engaging said cants from above,
- moveable saw means including multiple saw members for sawing said cants as positioned by said clamping members into lumber including cutting the wane therefrom with said cants in stationary position, and
- holding means located between said multiple saw members for engaging the cants positioned by said clamping members enabling removal of said clamping members followed by sawing by said moveable saw means.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.