MACHINE FOR REMOVING THICKENED ROOT PORTIONS ON TIMBER

Abstract: A machine for removing the thickened root portion of a log, comprising a combined holding/rotating means (1) for receiving and elevating the log from the conveyor (2) with the root end (3') of the log (3) projecting freely outwardly from the holding means (1) and for rotating the log. A cutter unit (4) that is adapted to be raised and lowered is arranged adjacent to the holding means (1) with its axis of rotation disposed in the longitudinal direction of the log (3) for working contact against the root end (3') of the log (3). The holding/rotating means comprises an upper (1a) and a lower (1b) member, wherein at least the lower member (1b) is adapted to be raised and lowered for elevating the root end (3') of the log (3) into contact against the upper holder member (1a), in which position the log (3) is rotated and milled off by the cutter unit (4) while the top end (3'') of the log remains supported by the conveyor (2). The machine can be controlled manually, but preferably drive means (5 and 6) are provided for raising and lowering the upper and lower holder members (1a, 1b) on arms (7, 8) that can be raised and lowered and are pivotally mounted on a frame (9), said drive means being automatically controlled by means of suitable sensor equipment.

Description: Machine for removing thickened root portions on timber. The present invention relates to a machine for removing the thickened root portion on a/ log, and is of the type recited in the preamble of the appurtenant patent claim 1. A number of different machines for removing the thickened root portions on timber before the logs are taken for sawing are known in the prior art. The type of machine recited in the preamble of the main claim is disclosed in Norwegian Patent Application No. 78 3582. With this machine, the entire log must be supported and lifted up from the timber conveyor while simultaneously being rotated before being milled off by the cutter unit. The holding and rotating means must therefore have a long expanse of support in the longitudinal direction of the log so that the log will not tip when it is being raised, i.e., at least two support points spaced a sufficient distance apart must be provided. ■* The cutter unit is then pressed upwardly against the underside of the root end of the log, which projects freely outwardly from the holding and rotating means, and as the log rotates the thickened root portion is milled off, after which the cutter unit and the holding and rotating means are lowered and the log is returned to the conveyor for further transport. A new log is then led forth to the machine, and a visual or automatic inspection determines whether the new log needs to be milled off and whether the machine needs to be actuated for removing any thickened portions at the root end. The.object of the present invention is to provide a machine of this type in which the holding and rotating means are simplified and extend over a substantially shorter expanse than on the prior art apparatus. This is obtained according to the invention by means of the characterizing features recited in the characterizing clause of the appurtenant independent claim 1, and in the character¬ izing clauses of the succeeding dependent claims. OMPI On the machine of the invention, the combined holding and rotating means may consist of an upper and a lower pair of rollers for lifting, retaining and rotating the log, the pairs of rollers engaging with the log as close to the root end of the log and as close to the cutter unit as possible while the top end of the log remains resting on the conveyor, which at least on a portion thereof in the vicinity of but spaced from the holding means exhibits lateral restricting means. Said lateral restricting means may be provided by designing the conveyor as a V-shaped apparatus, or by providing upwardly projecting side walls or arms which will ensure that the end of the log, during rotation, will not twist free of the conveyor in a lateral direction. Because the log, during rotation and cutting, is supported at points that are located as far as possible apart from each other, the cranking or twisting movement imparted to the root end of the log, when the log is curved, will be less severe than when the log is supported at two points located closer together, for example at the mid-portion of the log. Therefore, the cutter unit will mill off relatively less wood from the thickened root portion owing to the reduced twist or cranking movement. The machine is simple to mount and install and it is com¬ pactly constructed, which makes it easy to adapt the machine to existing chain/hook conveyors for timber. It can also easily be installed on inclined timber chain conveyors, because the machine does not have to stand strictly horizon- tal. On the machine of the invention, the cutter unit is elevated such that it works agains -.-.the top surface of the log, thereby providing ample space for the wood chips to accumulate beneath the machine and for the arrangement of means for removing the wood chips in the area beneath the cutter unit and the root end of the log. In a preferred embodiment, the holding means is constructed OMPI IPO to permit either lateral or longitudinal introduction of logs into the machine. This permits very flexible placement of the machine either on new assemblies or on existing systems. 5 An exemplary embodiment of the invention will be described in greater detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 shows the machine of the invention as seen from the 10 inlet end, Figure 2 shows the machine in side view, and Figure 3 is a schematic drawing of the main components of the • j 5 machine as seen from the side, wherein the roof end of the log has been elevated from the conveyor and is ready for milling off of the thickened root portion. The machine for removing the thickened root portion of a log 2 0 comprises a combined holding and rotating means 1 for receiv¬ ing and lifting a log 3 up from a conveyor 2,.the machine having been installed along the conveyor path. The root end 3 1 of the log 3 projects outwardly from the holding means 1, which also rotates the log 3. A cutter unit .4 adapted to be 5 raised and lowered is disposed adjacent to the holding means 1 with its axis of rotation extending in the longitudinal direction of the log 3, for working contact against the root end 3 1 of the log. The holding/rotating means comprises an upper member la and a lower member lb, and at least the lower 0 member lb is adapted to be raised and lowered for elevating the root end 3* of the log 3 into contact with the upper holder member la, in which position the log 3 is rotated and simultaneously milled off by the cutter unit 4, while the top end 3" of the log, which is situated farther forward in 5 the direction of transport, remains supported by the conveyor 2. The conveyor 2 in the example shown (Figure 1) is formed with a V-shaped cross section which prevents the top end 3" of the log from twisting out of the conveyor as the log rotates in connection with the milling off of the thickened root portion. The lower holder member lb is offset in relation to the upper holder member la in a direction toward the cutter unit 4. Therefore, the log 3 will slope naturally from the holder members la,lb at the root end 3 1 of the log downwardly to the top end 3" of the log that rests on the conveyor 2. In the illustrated embodiment, both of the holder members la, lb can be raised and lowered in relation to each other while at the same time the holding/rotating means 1 as a unit can be raised and lowered, as mentioned above. This is obtained in that the upper and lower holder members la,lb are supported on respective arms 7,8, both of which can be raised and lowered by means of drive means 5,6. Both of the arms 7,8 are pivotally mounted on a frame 9, and the lower arm 7 is adapted to be raised to a desired height independently of the movement of the upper arm 8. The drive means 5,6 are pressure cylinders, i.e., a pressure cylinder 5 is arranged between the lower arm 7 and the frame 9 for raising and lowering the holding/ rotating means 1, and a pressure cylinder 6 is arranged between the two arms 7,8 for pivoting these arms and the upper and lower holder members la,lb carried thereon into engagement and rotational contact against the root end 3' of the log 3. The cutter unit 4 is arranged on an arm 10 that also is pivotally mounted on the frame 9, and a pressure cylinder 11 is arranged between the cutter unit arm 10 and the frame 9 for pivoting the cutter unit 4 into contact with and away from the root end 3* of the log 3. To limit the milling action of the cutter unit 4 on the thickened root end 3' , an " annular stop means 4' is provided at one end of the cutter unit, at the end situated closest " QRE_£ OMPI to the holder means 1. The stop means 4 • has a radius that is equal to or larger than the radius of the cutter unit 4, so that when the stop means 4' .comes into contact against a section of the log having a diameter equal to or less than the diameter of the milled root portion 3' , f rther cutting will be prevented by the stop means coming into contact against the log surface. For the sake ' of simplicity, the connections for the pressur¬ izing medium for the pressure cylinders 5,6 and 11 and the control panel for these are not illustrated in the drawing. The machine can be actuated and operated manually, but this is preferably done automatically by means of known per se sensor means, which may be electronic and/or mechanical or optionally optical, which transmit signals to the control panel for the drive means and automatically start and stop the cylinders depending on the configuration of the log 3 passing through the machine on the conveyor 2. In connection with the sensing of the root end 3' of a passing log 3 and subsequent actuation of the holder/rotating means 1 for raising and rotating the log and milling off the thickened root portions at the root end 3' , the part of the conveyor 2 which guides the logs 3 into the machine must simultaneously be stopped or delayed to prevent the next log from entering the machine until the milling off of the root end of the pre¬ ceding log has been completed and the preceding log 3 has been lowered onto the conveyor 2 and transported further. As mentioned above, the machine can be utilized in conjunction with an existing conveyor or timber chain/hook conveyor, with axial passage of the logs 3 through the machine. In addition, with the embodiment of the machine illustrated in the drawings, the logs 3 can also be introduced laterally into the machine, where they are then retained and milled off before being transported out of the machine in the .axial direction. OMPI IPO In this manner, a number of mounting combinations are obtain¬ able, either to save- space or to adapt the system to the conditions at the work site. Figure 1 shows a motor 12 mounted on the arm 10 of the cutter unit 4, whose drive disk via a V-belt or chain 12' is connected to a corresponding disk 4' on the cutter unit 4. The holder members la,lb on the holding/rotating means 1 may for example be provided by pairs of rollers which are brought into contact against the top and bottom surfaces of the log 3 for retaining and rotating the log when the arms 7,8 have been pivoted toward each other for retaining and rotating the log and for raising the log up from the conveyor 2. One or both pairs of rollers can be driven by a motor for rotating the log, but in the illustrated example in Figure 1 only one motor 13 is shown on the lower arm 7, with a belt or chain drive 13' connected to the rollers for turning them. The illustrated rollers on the holder members la,lb constitute one practical way of forming these members, but other forms that are suitable for retaining and imparting rotation to the log 3 could also be utilized without departing from the scope of the present invention. OMPI

Claims: Patent Claims, 1. A machine for removing thickened root portions on logs, comprising a combined holding/rotating means (1) for receiving and elevating the log from a conveyor path (2) such that the root end (3'1 of the log (3). projects freely outwardly from the holding means (1) and for imparting rotation to the log, and a cutter unit (4) adapted to be raised and lowered that is arranged adjacent to the holding means (1) with its axis of rotation disposed in the longitudinal direction of the log (3) for working contact against the root end (3') of the log, wherein said holding/rotating means comprise upper (la) and lower (lb members that can be moved toward and away from each other, characterized in that the entire holding/ rotating means (1) is situated closely adjacent to the cutter unit (4)_, and that the lower holder member (lb) is adapted to be raised and lowered for elevating the root end (3') of the log (3). into contact against the upper hdlder member (la) while the top end (3"). of the log remains supported by the conveyor (2) , in which inclined position the log (3) is then rotated by said holding/rotating means and is simultaneously milled off by the cutter unit (4) . 2. A machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower holder member (lb), in its entirety is offset in relation to the upper holder member (la) in a direction toward the cutter unit (4) . 3. A machine according to claims 1 or 2, wherein both holder members (la,lb) are adapted to be raised and lowered toward and away from each other and both are disposed on respective arras (7,8) that are raised and lowered by respective drive means (5,6) , and wherein both arms are pivotally mounted on a frame (9). with their axis of rotation disposed in the longitudinal direction of the log (3) , characterized in that the lower arm (7) is adapted to be raised and lowered to the desired height independently of the O PI movement of the upper arm (8) , wherein a pressure cylinder (5) is disposed between the lower arm (7) and the frame (9) and a second pressure cylinder (6) is disposed between the two arms (7,8) for pivoting the arms and the upper and lower holder members (la,lbl carried thereon into engaging and rotational contact with the root end (3') of the log (3) . 4. A machine according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by an annular stop means (4 1 ) at an end of the cutter unit (4) situated closest to the holding means (1) , wherein the radius of said stop means (4 1 ). is equal to or larger than the radius of the cutter unit (4) . OMPI

Inventors: FLESSUM JOHN, FLESSUM, JOHN
Applicants: FLESSUM JOHN, FLESSUM, JOHN
Application year: 1983
Main classification: B27L11
IPC codes: B27L1