Patent ID: 6752256
Filing Date: 2004-06-22
Classification: B27N

Abstract:
A system for improving wood strand orientation in a wood strand orienter having a plurality of axially-spaced, parallel orienter shafts positioned in a first plane, each shaft bearing a plurality of axially spaced orienter disks, the system comprising:a) a plurality of axially-spaced, parallel pre-orienting shafts positioned in a second plane above and substantially parallel to said first plane, said pre-orienting shafts substantially parallel to said orienter shafts; and b) a plurality of wheels mounted on each one of said pre-orienting shafts, each one of said wheels having a hub and a plurality of finger members extending radially outwardly from said hub, each one of said wheels positioned between two adjacent orienter disks to extend downwardly into a volume defined between the two adjacent orienter disks; wherein one wheel is positioned between each pair of adjacent ones of said disks, said wheel positioned closer to one of said adjacent disks than to the other.