US 7,712,495 B1Granted

Machine for forming a point on wooden stakes

OwnerMarlin J. Hurstinventor

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Abstract

A wooden stake sharpening machine moves a conical cutting head along a linear path into engagement with a clamped wooden stake blank to affect sharpening thereof. A walking beam conveying apparatus moves a wooden stake blank into position from a supply bin where a clamping apparatus holds the stake blank in place while the cutting head moves onto the stake to form a point thereon. The drive mechanism moves the conveyor in coordination with the linear movement of the cutting apparatus, which trips a switch to actuate the clamping mechanism as the cutting head moves toward engagement with the stake blank. The conveyor then moves the sharpened stake toward a collection area while moving another stake blank into position for sharpening as the cutting apparatus is retracted away from the stake, thus providing an automated stake sharpening machine with a minimal number of moving parts.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A machine for forming a point on wooden stakes, comprising:

a frame;
a supply bin supported on said frame for holding a quantity of unsharpened wooden stake blanks;
a conveyor system supported on said frame to move said stake blanks from said supply bin in a direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of said stake blanks onto a sharpening station where said stake blanks are formed with said point, said conveyor system further being operable to leave said stake blanks in a stationary position at said sharpening station before moving sharpened stakes in said transverse direction from said sharpening station to a delivery station after said point has been formed;
a clamping apparatus supported on said frame to clamp said stake blank at said sharpening station while said stake blank is in said stationary position;
a cutterhead mounted on said frame for axial movement with respect to said stake blank toward and away from said sharpening station for engagement with said stake blank clamped onto said sharpening station to form said point thereon while being held in said stationary position, said cutterhead forming said point while said stake blank is in transit from said supply bin to said delivery station;
and
a drive mechanism supported on said frame for powering the operation and movement of said cutterhead, the operation of said conveyor, and the operation of said clamping apparatus.

4 more elements

In a stake sharpening machine having a frame, a conveyor supported on said frame and being operable to move stake blanks to be sharpened into sharpened stakes, a cutterhead engagable with said stake blanks to form a point thereon to create said sharpened stakes, and a clamping apparatus for restraining movement of said stake blank while engaged with said cutterhead to form said point thereon, the improvement comprising:

said cutterhead being mounted on said frame for reciprocal movement along an axial direction said cutterhead moved relative to said stake blank into engagement with said stake blank while said stake blank is being clamped by said clamping apparatus at a sharpening station as said stake blank is being conveyed from a supply station to a delivery station along a direction that is transverse to a longitudinal axis of said stake blanks.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.