Wood mat and apparatus and method for assembling same

A method of assembling a rectangular wood mat comprising top, middle and bottom layers of elongate timbers in which the timbers of each layer lie parallel to one another across the mat, the timbers of the middle layer lying at right angles to the timbers of the top and bottom layers so that the timbers of the middle layer intersect a plurality of the timbers of the top and bottom layers at a plurality of respective intersecting locations;

• the method comprising;
• supporting the top, middle and bottom layers of timbers on a work support with said intersecting locations arranged in lateral rows;
• providing a drilling array arranged to drill holes through the layers of timbers at the respective intersecting locations in one of the lateral rows of the intersecting locations;
• providing a fastener array comprising a plurality of fastener mounting devices operable to mount respective fasteners within the holes formed by the drilling array in one of the lateral rows of the intersecting locations;
• simultaneously displacing the work support relative to the drilling array and the fastening array in a longitudinal direction substantially perpendicular to the lateral rows;
• operating the drilling array when the drilling array is successively aligned with each lateral row of the intersecting locations at each row of the intersecting locations to form the holes at selected ones of the intersecting locations of the timbers;
• and operating the fastener array when the fastening array is successively aligned with each lateral row of the intersecting locations at each row of the intersecting locations so as to compressively join the plurality of layers of timbers with one another with the fasteners at the selected ones of the intersecting locations of the timbers.