US 5,201,351 A · Edger for a conventional sawmill

Abstract

An edger for use with a conventional sawmill, including upper and lower chippers or cutters for forming the upper and lower edges of a board to be removed from a log, mechanical or optical sizers for automatically determining the location of the upper and lower edges of the board, and a control mechanism, responsive to the sizers, for positioning the cutters. The cutters have horizontal or vertical motors with associated blades, and the motors are mounted on carriages which ride up and down on a mast, positioned by a hydraulic cylinder. Mechanical sizing wheels are mounted on separate carriages, and the wheels are urged to contact the log's surface to determine extreme points of narrowness thereof. The extreme motion points of the sizing wheels are recorded by frictionally secured pistons which are sensed by metallic sensors which are input to the control mechanism. An electric eye causes the sizing wheels to move toward and away from the log. During each forward pass of the log toward the saw, the cutters cut the top and bottom edges off the board that the saw will remove from the log, while the sizers profile the log or locate the minimum width points to be used during the succeeding pass of the log to position the cutters. The single channel or double "H-beam" mast has machined sidewalls to which flanges are attached upon which the carriages slide vertically. Linear slide bearings can also attach the carriages to the mast.

Claims25

Dependent claims

An edger for use with a conventional sawmill, said edger comprising:

(a) upper and lower cutting means for forming the upper and lower edges, respectively, of a board to be removed from a log, each said cutting means comprising:
i. a rotatable blade;
ii. rotation means for rotating the blade;
and,
iii. positioning means for moving the blade upwardly and downwardly with respect to the log and for positioning the blade for cutting the respective edge of the board when the blade is placed in contact with the log;
(b) sizing means for automatically determining the location of the upper and lower edges of the board to be removed from the log;
(c) control means, responsive to said sizing means, for controlling the moving and positioning of the blade of each said cutting means by each said positioning means.

4 more elements

An edger for use with a conventional sawmill, said edger comprising:

(a) a front mast;
(b) upper and lower cutting means for forming the upper and lower edges, respectively, of a board to be removed from a log, each said cutting means comprising:
i. a rotatable blade;
ii. a front carriage mounted for movement on the front mast toward and away from the log;
iii. a motor mounted on the front carriage, said motor including a shaft for rotating the blade;
and,
iv. a hydraulic cylinder operably connected between the front mast and the front carriage for moving the front carriage toward and away from the log;
(c) a rear mast;
(d) upper and lower sizing means for automatically determining the location of the upper and lower edges of the board to be removed from the log, each said sizing means comprising:
i. a rear carriage mounted for upward and downward movement on the rear mast;
ii. a sizing wheel mounted on the rear carriage for contact with the surface of the log;
iii. an air cylinder operably connected between the rear mast and the rear carriage for moving the rear carriage toward and away from the log;
iv. position extremum recording means responsive to the movement of the rear carriage for recording the extreme movement of the rear carriage toward the log, said position extremum recording means comprising:
1. a piston operably urged toward the log by the movement of the rear carriage toward the log;
and,
2. sensor means for detecting the position of the piston of the position extremum recording means;
(e) sensing means for detecting the passage of the log between the sizing wheels of the upper and lower sizing means;
(f) first control means, responsive to the sensing means, for operably causing each respective air cylinder to move each respective rear carriage toward and away from the log;
and,
(g) second control means, responsive to each said sensor means of each said sizing means, for controlling the movement of each said front carriage toward and away from the log.

17 more elements

An edger for use in a conventional sawmill, said edger comprising:

(a) a vertically upright mast;
(b) upper and lower cutting means for forming the upper and lower edges, respectively, of a board to be removed from a log, each said cutting means comprising:
i. a rotatable blade;
ii. a carriage;
iii. sliding attachment means for slidably mounting said carriage on said mast for upward and downward movement thereupon;
iv. rotation means, mounted on said carriage, for rotating the blade;
and
v. positioning means for moving the carriage upwardly and downwardly with respect to the log and for positioning the blade for cutting the respective edge of the board when the blade is placed in contact with the log.

5 more elements

An edger for use with a conventional sawmill, said edger comprising:

(a) a front and a rear vertically upright mast;
(b) front upper and front lower cutting means on said front mast for forming the upper and lower edges, respectively, of a board to be removed from a log, and rear cutting means on said rear mast for dividing said board into separate board portions, each said cutting means on said front and rear masts comprising:
i. a rotatable blade;
ii. a carriage;
iii. sliding attachment means for slidably mounting said carriage on said mast for upward and downward movement thereupon;
iv. rotation means, mounted on said carriage, for rotating the blade;
and
v. positioning means for moving the carriage upwardly and downwardly with respect to the log and for positioning the blade for cutting the respective edge of the board when th blade is placed in contact with the log.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Edger for a conventional sawmill

Life of this patent

Edger for a conventional sawmill

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims25