Woodworking – Slicer – Hopper feed
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-05
2001-09-18
Bray, W Donald (Department: 3725)
Woodworking
Slicer
Hopper feed
C144S162100, C144S176000, C144S185000, C144S174000, C144S373000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06289954
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to machinery for the conversion of wood products into viable base construction materials and more specifically, the invention relates to a planing machine to convert small diameter, short logs, or split logs into construction materials without generating waste.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Currently available log processing machines, grind, crush, chip, or chop logs, severely degrading their wood fibers and their strength. The methods used in industry to produce veneers is limited to the use of logs of substantial size. Smaller logs are wasted because they cannot be processed with existing machinery.
The instant invention is designed to exploit the valuable physical characteristics of veneered wood which is commercially produced by slicing thin veneer sheets from wooden logs. The rotary planing table and feed chutes of the instant invention were designed to slice short, small diameter, split logs into thin sheets of veneer without creating waste. The veneer strips can thereafter be split and cut to uniform shapes for processing into laminated veneer building products, such products are inherently superior to their solid wood counterparts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention consists of a substantial support structure comprised of four or more outer legs which support a central structure consisting of a low speed, high torque, hydraulic motor, or equivalent, which drives a central drive shaft to which a planing table is rotatably attached to its distal end. Four or more feed chutes are radially attached to the outer supports so that their open bottom ends can guide the logs to be sliced over the eight blades radially arranged on the planing table. The design is such that the planing table rotates beneath the lower ends of the chutes and by so doing causes the cutting blades to cut very thin slices from the logs in the chutes. The slices pass through the planing table by way of narrow slots beneath the cutting edges of the blades and fall to a conveyer belt or other removal means for transfer to other areas for further processing. The capacity of the rotary table planing machine is determined by the number of log feed chutes, the number of planing (veneering) blades built into the rotary planing table, the size of the logs and the rotational speed of the rotary planing table. Output volume is directly related to the thickness of the veneer slats produced.
Having only one moving part, the rotating planing table, reliability is maximized and by separating the feeding of logs into the top and the removal of veneer strips from the bottom of the machine, congestion is avoided. Both the feeding of logs and the removal of veneer can be automated.
The rotary planing table is simple to operate. The table is turned at a constant pre-selected rate by a variable speed, piston type hydraulic drive motor, or equivalent. An equivalent, alternative embodiment consists of a rotary drum type slicing device whereby wood products, small logs, split logs, bamboo culms, etc. are fed via vertical chutes to the cutting blades rotating below. The drum may be extended to provide additional cutting stations, and additional chutes can be attached radially to further increase output. Slightly offsetting the added cutting station radially and/or using an odd number of cutting blades will reduce cutting torque and machine shock by staggering blade impact forces.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1799814 (1931-04-01), Hommel
patent: 2349034 (1944-05-01), Elmendorf
patent: 2727542 (1955-12-01), Fischer
patent: 2796094 (1957-06-01), Himmelheber et al.
patent: 6152200 (2000-11-01), Smothers
Bray W Donald
Lukasik Frank A.
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