Woodworking – Process – Mechanical cutting or shaping
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-29
2003-04-08
Bray, W. Donald (Department: 3725)
Woodworking
Process
Mechanical cutting or shaping
C144S218000, C144S039000, C144S235000, C144S369000, C428S107000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06543497
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is related to the field of wood flake production.
More specifically, the invention is related to a wood flake having a first, concave surface and a second, convex surface delimiting between them the essentially wedge-shaped flake, the surfaces converging in an imaginary tip outside the flake, the tip being located on a centerline extending between the surfaces, and outside the flake by a centerline section.
Still more specifically, the invention is, further, related to a method of producing an essentially wedge-shaped wood flake, in which the flake is chipped from the wood by means of a rotating chipping tool, such that it comprises a first, concave surface and a second, convex surface delimiting between them the flake.
The invention, moreover, is related to a method of profiling a log, in which longitudinally extending corners are chipped from the log and side planks are sawn from the log, the side planks having a narrow surface configurated by one of the side surfaces of the corner, a saw cut being executed along the other side surface prior to chipping out the corner.
Moreover, the invention is related to an apparatus for producing an essentially wedge-shaped flake in which the flake is chipped from the wood by means of a rotating chipping tool, such that it comprises a first, concave surface and a second, convex surface delimiting between them the flake.
Further, the invention is related to an apparatus for profiling a log, comprising a chipping tool for chipping longitudinally extending corners from the log, means for sawing side planks from the log, the side planks having a narrow surface configurated by one of the side surfaces of the corner, a saw being provided for executing a saw cut along the other side surface prior to the chipping of a corner.
Finally, the invention is related to uses of the afore-mentioned wood flake, the afore-mentioned method as well as the afore-mentioned apparatus.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the technology of wood processing it is generally known to partially or entirely chip wood by means of so-called chipping tools. Chipping tools are conventionally rotating tools having chipping knives along their periphery. Chipping tools are conventionally mounted stationarily and the wood to be partially or entirely chipped is guided along the chipping head in an axial direction of the wood.
Due to these circumstances, the wood flakes so generated have a wing-type shape with an essentially wedge-shaped cross-section. The wood flakes are delimited on their two large surfaces by a concave and a convex side, respectively, wherein these sides extend from a thick end of the wood flake towards a narrow end or, speaking in terms of a cross-sectional view, towards a tip in which the two surfaces converge tangentially.
Wood flakes are a valuable raw material for various industrial areas. Among these are the cellulose industry, the paper industry but also manufacturers of wood materials and so-called composite components, i.e. planks, boards and beams produced by gluing together wood flakes.
These wood flake processing industries accept wood flakes according to a specific classification. Wood flakes of medium size are highly preferred because when the wood flakes are too large, they are difficult to process and, if the wood flakes are too small or too thin, then during the production of cellulose, paper, wood materials or composite components losses occur or insufficiently stable structures are obtained.
The classification of wood flakes supplied is the decisive criterion for the price which the wood processing industry is prepared to pay for such wood flakes. Therefore, within the wood processing industry there is an important demand that, during the production of wood flakes as much as possible such wood flakes shall be produced which within the classification of the wood flake processing industry given will achieve the highest price.
If wood flakes are produced by means of a rotating chipping tool, as described above in more detail, they have a thinly terminating end along their wedge-shaped cross-section. This thin end is a disadvantage for the further processing of such wood flakes because the thin end will either entirely be dissoluted within the pulp or will result in less stable areas during the production of composite components.
In practice, wood flakes are produced by either entirely chipping wood into wood flakes or by chipping wood flakes out of the wood.
A partial chipping of wood, for example, takes place in the course of the so-called profiling of logs. This term is to be understood to mean an all-side processing of the initially raw log for giving it a predetermined cross-sectional shape (profile) so that the profiled log during subsequent sawing may easily be dissected into boards and beams. A corresponding method together with an appropriate apparatus is, for example, disclosed in DE 29 28 949 A.
According to these prior art methods and apparatuses, the logs are worked by means of so-called corner millers prior to the profiling which, in an axial direction mill corners from the log so that the log, having been flattened before or being flattened thereafter, assumes a profile from which so-called side planks may be sawn away.
DE 37 02 980 C2 discloses a corresponding method together with an appropriate apparatus. According to the prior art method a first, for example horizontal saw cut of a predetermined depth is applied first from one side of the log, wherein in that case the axis of rotation of the saw blade extends vertically. After the application of the saw cut or (when a combined tool head is utilized) simultaneously thereto a partial area of the wood above the saw cut is chipped away, wherein the rotational axis of a chipping tool or, respectively, in a combined tool head the common rotational axis, extends vertically. The area chipped away does not extend as far in a horizontal direction into the log as the first saw cut is deep. Thereafter, in a further working step the residual area above the horizontal saw cut is chipped away, namely by means of a chipping tool, the rotational axis of which extends horizontally in the given example. Thereafter or together with the chipping away process step a second, vertical saw cut is applied in which the bottom of the groove so generated lies with its center where the first, horizontal saw cut was terminated within the wood. As a result, an area is worked out of the log being similar to a corner, however, being stepped at the bottom of the corner. It is important to note at this instance that never one of the two chipping tools engages an area that had been sawn before. In this prior art method, so-called “comma chips” are exclusively generated likewise as was described above.
EP 0 770 461 A2 discloses a method and an apparatus for dissecting logs into small wood products. According to this method the log is profiled in that first the corners are entirely sawn away by means of circular saw blades having axes being oriented 90° with respect to each other. During the sawing out wood strips are generated that have to be removed from the profiling installation and have to be chipped in a separate chipping machine.
EP 0 775 558 A1 discloses a method for working logs. According to this method a band saw is first guided longitudinally through the log, the saw cut being positioned such that it separates a side plank from the log. A separator element follows the saw blade along the sawn gap so as to keep the side plank being still integrally connected to the log in a distance from the remaining wood piece. A combined edging tool follows the separator element which, as already described above, consists of a chipper and a circular saw blade connected therewith. By means of this tool, the corner area above the narrow side of the side plank to be produced is chipped away and, concurrently, the narrow side of the side plank is worked by the circular saw blade in a high surface quality. Within the chipping tool the chipping knives and the circular saw blade have t
Bray W. Donald
Weingarten Schurgin, Gagnebin & Lebovici LLP
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