Cutting – By endless band or chain knife – Including plural cutting zones
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-19
2001-05-15
Dexter, Clark F. (Department: 3724)
Cutting
By endless band or chain knife
Including plural cutting zones
C083S808000, C083S813000, C083S819000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230602
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to lumber cutting machinery, and in particular, to a band resaw which is capable of making two or more slices in a cant in a single pass of the cant through the resaw to cut two or more boards simultaneously from the cant The wood and lumber industry has long cut cants into boards for use as flooring, pallet members, fencing, or the like. Depending on the size of the cant being cut, and the thickness of the resulting boards, a cant can be cut into two or more individual boards. Cants previously were cut with gang rip saws. Currently, band resaws are being used more frequently to cut cants into boards. With the currently available band resaws, only a single board is cut from a cant as the cant passes through the resaw. Therefore, to cut the cant into multiple boards, the resaws must be connected together in tandem, or the cant must be returned to the entrance of the resaw after each pass through the resaw. The first option, connecting several resaws together in tandem such that the output of one resaw leads directly to the input of another resaw, can take up a considerable amount of space. This requires a large building to house the resaw. The second option, delivering the cant back to the entrance of the resaw, requires machinery to deliver the cant from the resaw output back to the resaw input, and additional personnel to man the machinery.
Further, when boards are cut from cants one at a time, there is a possibility of miscuts. As boards are cut from cants, tension in the cants is released. This can cause the cant to warp, buck, or curl before the next board is cut from the cant. The resulting warp in the cant can prevent the machinery from cutting boards of equal or constant thickness. If boards of a specific thickness are required for an order, this warping of the cant can result in rejected boards.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a resaw which will make two or more slices in a cant to cut two or more boards from a cant in a single pass through the resaw.
Another object is to provide such a resaw in which a single head cuts a cant into at least two boards.
A further object is to provide such a resaw in which the thickness of the boards cut by the resaw can be selectively varied.
These and other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the following description and accompanying drawings.
Briefly stated, a band resaw is provided which can simultaneously make two or more slices in a cant to cut two or more boards from the cant in a single pass through the resaw. The resaw has frame, an inlet and an outlet defining a path of travel for a cant through the resaw, a head mounted to the frame, and a band blade mounted thereon. The band blade is mounted to the head to define a first blade portion and a second blade portion which are spaced apart from each other. The head is mounted on the frame such that the first and second blade portions are driven generally perpendicularly across the path of travel of the cant. Thus, when the cant is forced through the head, the blades will make two slices in the cant to simultaneously cut at least two boards from the cant. The head includes a first outer wheel, a second outer wheel, a first inner wheel and a second inner wheel. The centers of the inner wheels are offset from the centers of the outer wheels along a plane perpendicular to the path of travel. The band blade is threaded about the wheels such that the first blade portion moves in a first direction and the second blade portion moves in a second opposite direction.
The resaw frame includes a mounting beam extending perpendicularly to the path of travel of the cant. The inner and outer wheels are operably mounted to the mounting beam, and the mounting beam is mounted to the frame to be movable perpendicularly to the path of travel of the cant. At least one adjustment post is provided to move the mounting beam, and hence the head, relative to the conveyor. The adjustment post is mounted to the frame to be movable relative to the frame. Preferably, there are two adjustment posts which are moved in unison to move the mounting beam, and hence to alter the position of the head. The adjustment posts are drivingly received in gear boxes mounted to the frame. The gear boxes in turn are operated by a crank. Where there are two adjustment posts and two gear boxes, the gear boxes are interconnected so that the two posts will be driven in unison. Operation of the crank will move the mounting beam, and hence the head.
The inner wheels can be moved relative to the outer wheels by a second adjustment mechanism to selectively vary the distance between the two portions of the band blade. The second adjustment mechanism includes at least one inner head adjustment bar mounted to the mounting beam to be movable perpendicularly to the mounting beam. An inner wheel bracket is mounted to the end of the inner head adjustment bar, and the inner wheels are operatively mounted to the inner wheel bracket. The inner wheels can be mounted to an inner wheel mounting plate. The inner wheel mounting plate, then, is connected to the inner wheel racket. Preferably, there are two adjustment posts to which the inner wheels are operatively connected. The two inner wheel adjustment posts are driven in unison. Crank driven gear boxes can, for example, be used to drive the inner wheel adjustment posts.
When the inner wheels are moved relative to the outer wheels, the distance between the two outer wheels will need to be changed. Additionally, the ability to change the distance between the outer wheels facilitates mounting and dismounting of the band blade. The second outer wheel, thus, is movable in a path parallel to the first and second blades to be movable toward and away from the first outer wheel. The second outer wheel is mounted to a mounting bracket. The mounting bracket, in turn, is movably mounted to the mounting beam. The bracket includes a plate to which the second outer wheel is mounted and two spaced apart legs which extend over opposite sides of the mounting beam. First and second pistons are mounted on opposite sides of the mounting beam, and the mounting legs, in turn, are connected to the pistons.
The resaw can be provided with a second head to enable the resaw to simultaneously make four or more slices in the cant to cut four or more boards from the cant. To make the four or more slices simultaneously, the first and second heads are substantially in the same plane. The second head is substantially identical to the first head and includes a pair of inner wheels and a pair of outer wheels about which a band blade is mounted. The inner wheels and outer wheels are movable relative to each other in the same manner as are the inner and outer wheels of the first head.
The two head resaw includes a third adjustment mechanism to selectively alter the position of the first and second heads relative to each other. The second head includes a mounting beam to which its wheels are operatively mounted. The resaw includes a pair of legs extending from the first head mounting beam to the second head mounting beam. Adjustment posts extend from the legs to which the second head mounting beam is connected. These adjustment posts are driven in a path parallel to the axis of the legs to move the second head toward or away from the first head. The adjustment posts can, for example, be received by gear boxes which are preferably interconnected. The gear boxes can then be operated to move the second head relative to the first head.
In a further embodiment, one or both of the heads can include a further set of wheels about which further band blades are mounted. Thus, the resaw can have three or four band blades to enable the resaw to simultaneously make six or eight slices through a cant as the cant passes through the resaw. The second set of wheels for the head incl
Dexter Clark F.
Polster Lieder Woodruff & Lucchesi
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