Stave machine and method of stave manufacture

The method of forming a tapered planar article from a rectangular blank consisting of the steps of,

• depositing blanks on a first conveyor equipped with lugs for individually propelling said blanks and for supporting same against laterally directed loads,
• biasing each of said blanks in a first lateral direction crosswise of the conveyor centerline,
• asymmetrically supporting the leading end and the trailing end of each of said blanks on said conveyor resulting in said blank being skewed,
• presenting one side of the skewed blank to a cutter head to cut a first side of said blank inclined to said blank major axis,
• depositing said blanks on a second conveyor equipped with lugs for individually propelling said blanks and for supporting same against laterally directed loads,
• biasing each of said blanks in a second lateral direction crosswise of said conveyor centerline,
• asymmetrically supporting the leading end and the trailing end of each of said blanks on said second conveyor resulting in said blanks being skewed, and
• presenting a remaining side of said skewed blank to a second cutter head to cut a second side of said blank also inclined to said blank major axis.

A machine for forming tapered staves from rectangular wooden blanks comprising,

• first and second conveyors in series and each equipped with lugs for propelling said blanks, each of the lugs on said first conveyor equipped with a foot to support the trailing end of blanks against loads laterally imparted in a first direction, each of said lugs on said second conveyor equipped with a foot to support the trailing end of said blanks against loads laterally imparted in a second direction,
• biasing means located adjacent said first and second conveyors and imparting said laterally imparted loads,
• fences located adjacent said first and second conveyors to support the remaining ends of said blanks against said laterally imparted loads in said first and second direction, said fences offset from the said conveyors resulting in skewing of said blanks on said conveyors, and
• cutter heads located adjacent said first and said second conveyors to cut off side portions of the skewed blanks.