Position control apparatus and method for controlling the movement of a block in a woodworking machine

A position control apparatus to transfer elongate blocks from a side-by-side relationship to an end-to-end relationship, the apparatus comprising:

• an elongate first conveyor for conveying boards, the first conveyor having upstream and downstream ends;
• an elongate support structure having upstream and downstream ends with the upstream end of the support structure adjacent to the downstream end of the first conveyor and forming an extension of the first conveyor;
• an elongate second conveyor extending transversely of the support structure and having upstream and downstream ends with the upstream end of the second conveyor proximal to the downstream end of the support structure;
• an elongate third conveyor having a lower gripping surface overlying the support structure and having an upstream end overlying the downstream end of the first conveyor and a downstream end overlying the upstream end of the second conveyor;
• and
• a powered adjuster connected to the third conveyor and operable on actuation to shift the third conveyor toward and away from the second conveyor for the purpose of gripping and releasing boards.

A finger jointer for joining boards together automatically, comprising:

• an elongate support structure for supporting boards deposited thereon;
• an elongate lug conveyor with upstream and downstream ends and lugs distributed along the length of the lug conveyor, the upstream end forming a continuation of the support structure;
• and
• at least one shaper disposed along the lug conveyor;
• an elongate power-operated loading conveyor overlying the support structure and at least a portion of the lug conveyor having an upstream end and a downstream end and operable to convey boards along the support structure by engaging upper surfaces of the boards;
• a selectively operable feeder for intermittently feeding boards onto the support structure with the boards then being gripped between the loading conveyor and the support structure;
• a control system to control the timing of operation of the feeder to place boards onto the support structure at intervals so that the loading conveyor conveys each board to the lug conveyor to arrive just in front of a lug;
• and
• a pressing station adjacent to the downstream end of the lug conveyor.

A method of loading blocks into a woodworking machine comprising:

• arranging blocks side-by-side on a first conveyor;
• advancing the first conveyor so that a leading block is delivered to a predetermined position underneath, but not touching, a second conveyor;
• and
• changing the path of the second conveyor at a selected time to contact it with the underlying leading block;
• and
• moving the leading block into the machine with second conveyor.