Active sawguide assembly and method
AssigneeCAE Inc.
InventorsRonald W. McGehee, Jeffrey T. Burns, Rory M. Mitchell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sawguide assembly includes a set of sawguides positioned adjacent to one another to create an array of laterally-abutting sawguides. A sawguide biasing assembly biases the sawguides against one another. The array is supported for movement along a lateral path generally parallel to the axis of the arbor. A lateral driver is used to move the entire array in unison along the lateral path. A sawguide array skewing assembly couples the sawguides to one another so that the sawguides can be pivoted in unison about their respective pivot axes by a skewing driver.
Claims20
An active sawguide assembly, used to position a plurality of saws along a saw drive arbor, the saw drive arbor defining a saw axis, comprising:
- a set of sawguides positioned adjacent to one another to create an array of laterally-abutting sawguides, each said sawguide having a pivot axis and a guide face;
- a sawguide biasing assembly biasing the sawguides against one another;
- an array support supporting the array for movement along a lateral path generally parallel to the saw axis;
- a lateral driver operably coupled to the array for selective movement of the entire array in unison along the lateral path;
- and
- a sawguide array skewing assembly operably coupling the sawguides to one another so that when pivoted, the entire array of sawguides pivots in unison about their respective pivot axes, such that said guide faces are skewed relative to said array support and said plurality of saws are skewed relative to said saw axis said skewing assembly comprising a skewing driver, coupled to the sawguide array, operable to pivot said sawguides about their pivot axes.
An active sawguide assembly, used to position a plurality of saws along a saw drive arbor, the saw drive arbor defining a saw axis, comprising:
- a set of sawguides positioned adjacent to one another to create an array of laterally-abutting sawguides;
- each said sawguide having a guide face, a blade engaging portion and a mounting portion, the mounting portions having generally flat, abutting surfaces which slide over one another;
- an elongate shaft, defining a shaft axis, the array being mounted to the shaft, the shaft and the array therewith being movable along a lateral path generally parallel to the saw axis;
- a sawguide biasing assembly biasing the sawguides against one another;
- the sawguide biasing assembly comprising a steering block in contact with the sawguides at said one end of the sawguides, the steering block being pinned to the shaft for pivotal movement about a steering block axis, and a biasing cylinder, mounted to and movable with the shaft, applying a compression force to the sawguide array so to force the sawguide array against the steering block;
- a shaft driver which laterally drives the shaft and the array therewith along the shaft axis for selective movement of the entire array in unison along the shaft axis;
- a track having a channel formed therein, said channel oriented parallel to the saw axis;
- a sawguide array skewing assembly operably coupling the sawguides to one another so that the pivotal movement of one said sawguide about a pivot axis causes substantially the same pivotal movement of each of the sawguides so that said sawguides pivot in unison about a set of parallel pivot axes, such that said guide faces are skewed relative to said elongate shaft and said plurality of saws are skewed relative to said saw axis said skewing assembly comprising a pin for each said sawguide, said pins defining said pivot axes, said pins extending from the sawguides and into the channel, a pivot cylinder secured to and movable with the shaft, and a pivot shaft extending from the pivot cylinder, connected to the steering block and movable to pivot said steering block and sawguides therewith about their pivot axes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.