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US 7,712,494 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for profiling a log for use in building timber or log homes
OwnerMartin Janzeninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A log profiler for sawing surfaces into and along the length of a log may be characterized as including a saw carriage selectively translatable along a track, a pair of log holders on the track for holding the log suspended over and along the track and adapted to selectively rotate the log about its long axis, a linear double-acting saw blade mounted on a blade carriage, the blade translatable linearly along the blade carriage relative to both the blade carriage and saw carriage, the blade carriage selectively rotatable and selectively elevatable relative to the saw carriage.
Claims25
A log profiler for sawing surfaces into and along the length of a log;
- the profiler comprising:
- an elongate frame having opposite first and second ends,
- a track rigidly mounted onto said frame from said first end to said second end,
- a saw carriage mounted onto said track for selective translation of said carriage longitudinally in both forward and reverse directions along said track and defining a sawing cavity over said track,
- a double-acting saw blade mounted on a feed for selective translation therealong, said feed mounted on a blade carriage, said blade carriage rotatably mounted for rotation of said blade and feed about a transverse axis and vertically translatable in said saw carriage, said blade carriage mounted in said cavity so as to dispose said blade across said cavity and laterally across said track and so that rotation of said blade carriage rotates said blade and said feed about said transverse axis extending along the length of said blade relative to a log mounted parallel to said track and journalled through said cavity, wherein said double-acting saw blade is adapted to saw the log in both said forward and reverse directions,
- first and second log holders rotatably mounted, respectively, at said first and second ends of said frame and aligned with said track and selectively positionable relative to said track so that the log is held clamped between said log holders and substantially horizontally parallel to said track in a cutting path of said blade, said log holders said rotatably mounted so as to be selectively rotatable about an axis of rotation of said log, said log holders adapted for mounting to the opposite ends of the log at substantially the centroids of said opposite ends so that rotation of said log about said axis of rotation rotates the log about substantially a centroidal longitudinal axis of the log,
- a log rotation drive mounted at said first log holder for selectively rotating the log about said axis of rotation by a desired angle for canting the log or dovetail jointing the ends of the log so that translation of said saw carriage along said track when said blade is positioned for cutting engagement with the log cuts the log along said cutting path to thereby cant the log when said saw carriage is translated the length of the log, or to position the log about its longitudinal axis for cutting compound dovetail-joint ends in the log, wherein when cutting said compound dovetail-joint ends said blade carriage and log are positioned to angle said blade at a compound angle relative to the log by rotation of the log to a first angle of said compound angle and by rotation of said blade about said lateral axis so as to incline said blade to a second angle of said compound angle, wherein said first and second angles are orthogonal to one another, so that a compound angle joint saw cut is made at said compound angle as said saw is translated on said feed inwardly from an end being jointed.
4 more elements
A method of profiling and compound-angle jointing a log comprising the steps of:
- a) providing:
- (i) an elongate frame having opposite first and second ends
- (ii) a track rigidly mounted onto said frame from said first end to said second end
- (iii) a saw carriage mounted onto said track for selective translation of said carriage longitudinally in both forward and reverse directions along said track and defining a sawing cavity over said track,
- (iv) a double-acting saw blade mounted on a feed for selective translation therealong, said feed mounted on a blade carriage, said blade carriage rotatably mounted for rotation of said blade and said feed about a transverse axis and vertically translatable in said saw carriage, said blade carriage mounted in said cavity so as to dispose said blade across said cavity and laterally across said track and so that rotation of said blade carriage rotates said blade and said feed about said transverse axis extending along the length of said blade relative to a log mounted parallel to said track and journalled through said cavity, wherein said double-acting saw blade is adapted to saw the log in both said forward and reverse directions,
- (v) first and second log holders rotatably mounted, respectively, at said first and second ends of said frame and aligned with said track and selectively positionable relative to said track so that the log is held clamped between said log holders and substantially horizontally parallel to said track in a cutting path of said blade, said log holders said rotatably mounted so as to be selectively rotatable about an axis of rotation of said log, said log holders adapted for mounting to the opposite ends of the log at substantially the centroids thereof so that rotation of said log about said axis of rotation rotates the log about substantially a centroidal longitudinal axis of the log,
- (vi) a log rotation drive mounted at said first log holder for selectively rotating the log about said axis of rotation by about a desired angle for canting the log or dovetail jointing the ends of the log so that translation of said saw carriage along said track when said blade is positioned for cutting engagement with the log cuts the log along said cutting path to thereby cant the log when said saw carriage is translated the length of the log, or to position the log about its longitudinal axis for cutting compound dovetail-joint ends in the log, wherein when cutting said compound dovetail-joint ends said blade carriage and log are positioned to angle said blade at a compound angle relative to the log by rotation of the log to a first angle of said compound angle and by rotation of said blade about said lateral axis so as to incline said blade to a second angle of said compound angle, wherein said first and second angles are orthogonal to one another, so that a compound angle joint saw cut is made at said compound angle as said saw is translated on said feed inwardly from an end being jointed,
- b) determining a desired cant profile for the log,
- c) rotating the log to an angular orientation about said axis of rotation corresponding to said desired cant profile so that sawing by said saw blade along said cutting path produces said desired cant profile,
- d) determining said first and second angles and corresponding angular orientations of said log about said axis of rotation and said saw blade about said transverse axis,
- e) positioning said log and said saw blade for sawing along said first and second angles to thereby saw a compound angle joint in an end of the log,
- f) actuating said saw blade so as to saw the log and simultaneously translating said saw blade to translate said saw blade longitudinally relative to the log and to simultaneously translate said saw blade on said feed inclined or otherwise selectively oriented relative to the log so as to follow said first and second angles to produce said compound-angle joint in said end of the log.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.