Slicer apparatus for woodwork

Abstract: A woodwork slicer apparatus (1) is disclosed for slicing a thick veneer, which is pressed and advanced by a material feeding belt (4) to a table (3) surface. The material feeding belt, driven by power, is arranged so as to oppose a table (3) which includes a knife (2). The relief face (2a) of the knife is disposed so as to oppose a surface (22). There is a space (t) between the relief face and the surface (22) that is substantially the same as the thickness of the veneer to be sliced. Further, a guide (23) which is fixed by a fixing means (31) so as to be in contact with the surface (22), is provided. For the above reasons, the veneer to be sliced is prevented from being cracked and is guided into a feeding direction along with the guide.

Description: The present invention relates to a woodwork slicer apparatus for slicing a woodwork material, and more particularly to a slicer apparatus suitable specifically for producing thick veneers, according to the preamble of claim 1. The thick veneers are used as package material, fruit box, fence, flooring, surface lumbers, edge lumbers, or the like, which are attached to laminated lumbers, lumbers with inferior quality, or the like. A conventional slicer apparatus for woodwork has a guide on the opposite side to the relief face of a knife. Because the space between the knife and the relief face is rather larger than a thickness of a veneer to be sliced, such a problem existed in that a crack may occur in the veneer when the thickness of a veneer to be sliced is approximately 3 mm to 13 mm. US-A-3,783,917 discloses a woodwork slicer apparatus according to the preamble of the claim 1. However, this apparatus provides a large clearance for the veneers just sliced. Thus the veneers are not guided after being sliced by the knife of this known apparatus. Therefore, since the veneers are not guided just after being sliced, cracks are occuring in the veneers, in particular if the veneers are thick. Another kind of known woodwork slicer apparatus is disclosed in DE-C-4 876. This apparatus includes a roller which is arranged opposite to a knife piece. Veneers just sliced before are guided through the slot between this roller and the knife piece and the space between the roller and a wedged shaped portion in the neighbourhood of the roller is not able to support and guide veneers just sliced before enough to avoid the cracking of thicker veneers. Prior art document CA-A-1,227,961 discloses a woodwork slicer apparatus which is adapted to receive thin veneers. A fixing piece for holding a knife is in opposite to a confronting member which is fixedly supported. The slot which is defined between these parts is not variable. It is an object of the present invention to provide a slicer apparatus according to claim 1, which prevents the veneer to be sliced from being cracked, and guides the veneer smoothly to a feeding direction. When veneers are sliced by the slicer apparatus according to this invention, the relief face of a knife is arranged so as to oppose a support member. Since the space between the relief face of the knife and the support member is about the same as the thickness of a veneer to be sliced, the above-mentioned object can be achieved by preventing the sliced veneer from separating from the relief face of the knife. Further, according to this invention, because a guide is fixed by a fixing means in contact with the support member, the sliced veneer is guided along with the support member and the guide. The above-mentioned object can thus be obtained. Hereinafter, the present invention is described by means of a preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a slicer apparatus for woodwork of an embodiment according to the present invention; FIG. 2. is a section view taken on line X-X of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a section view illustrating a use condition of the slicer apparatus for woodwork, an elevator being omitted; FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged schematic illustration showing attachment of a knife and a nose bar of FIG. 2; FIG. 5 is a section view taken on line Y-Y of FIG. 4, showing mainly attachment of the nose bar of a nose bar portion; FIG. 6 is a section view taken on line Z-Z of FIG. 4, showing attachment of a support member and a guide of the nose bar portion. An embodiment according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a slicer apparatus for woodwork 1 comprises a table 3 which has a knife 2. The knife 2 is arranged so as to oppose a material feeding belt 4, which is driven by power. A material 5 is pressed and advanced onto the surface of the table 3 by the material feeding belt 4. Thus, a veneer 6 is sliced. A frame 7 is arranged under the table 3, which bears on the knife 2 at the center of the table 3. The knife 2 has an oblique angle of approximately 80° and a tool angle of about 15° in relation to a feeding material. The table 3 is provided with a nose bar 8, which is arranged parallel to the knife 2. The nose bar 8 and the knife 2 have a difference in height, which can be set at any thickness required for slicing the veneer 6. (For example, a thickness can be adjusted by fixing a back table 21 and traveling a front table 20 up and down.) Furthermore, expect for locations where the knife 2 and the nose bar 8 the table 3 are arranged, a number of table rollers 9, where the back surface of the material contacts, are so lined on the feeding surface of the table 3 as to have a common plane. Ruler rollers 10 are arranged longitudinally on one side of the table 3, as if to form a straight line. The edge of the material 5 strikes against the ruler rollers 10. As shown in FIG. 1, an elevator 13 is supported by columns 11, which stand on the frame 7. The elevator 13 moves up and down by a feed screw 12. Pressure rollers 14 are provided at the back of a feed belt 4 of the elevator 13 so that the center of the pressure rollers 14 corresponds to that of the table rollers 9. The shaft of each pressure roller 14 (not shown) is pushed downward by a spring (not shown) of a known spring cushion. The pressure rollers 14 provide pressure required for the feeding belt 4. Furthermore, a drive roller 16 is provided at the front of the elevator 13 and a driven roller 17 at the back. Both rollers 16, 17 are supported by the elevator 13. The feed belt 14 is fitted over endlessly the drive roller 16 and the driven roller 17. The rotation of a speed reduction motor 18 is transmitted to the drive roller 16. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the table 3 is provided with a nose bar portion A attached to the front table 20 and a nose bar portion B attached to back table 21. The nose bar portion A comprises, for example, the nose bar 8, a support member 22 and a guide 23. A mark portion 8a of the nose bar 8 is formed by such hard materials as high-speed steel or stellite. The height of nose bar 8 is adjusted by an adjusting screw 33, which is fitted into a female screw arranged in a step portion 20a of the front table 20. The nose bar 8 is fixed, by a fixing means, such as a bolt 25, to the front table 20, through an adjusting long hole 24. Numeral 26 indicates a relief groove. The support member 22 is fixed to the nose bar 8, with its end in with the end of the nose bar 8, so as to oppose the relief face 2a of the knife 2. A space t between the relief face 2a of the knife 2 and the support member 22 is of thickness t', which is approximately equal to a thickness of the veneer to be sliced. The reason for the substantially equal thickness (t≒t') is that the tip of the knife 2 is raised a little and warped when the veneer 6 is sliced. The face of the support member 22, which opposes the relief face 2a, may be formed so as to be parallel to the relief face 2a. However, it is desirable that a angle formed by the relief face 2a and the face of the support member 22 be slightly widened in a direction where the veneer 6 is to be sliced. The relief face 2a of the knife 2 is the portion where the veneer to be sliced is contacted. That is, the height of the support member 22 is adjusted by an adjusting bolt 27, which is fitted into a female screw arranged in the support member 22. The support member 22 is fixed, by a fixing means, such as a bolt 29, to the nose bar 8, through an adjusting long hole 28. Numeral 30 indicates an adjusting screw for adjusting the support member 22 horizontally. The guide 23 is fixed by a fixing means, such as a bolt 31, to the support member 22 through an aperture arranged on the guide 23. The support member 22 serves to prevent the veneer 6 to be sliced from being warped. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, when a veneer 6 is sliced by the slicer apparatus 1 according to the present invention, the relief face 2a of the knife 2 is opposed to the support member 22 so that the space between the two opposing faces is substantially the same as a thickness of the veneer 6 to be sliced. For which reason, the veneer 6 is prevented, by the relief face 2a of the knife 2 and the support member 22, from being separated from the relief face 2a of the knife 2. Thus, no cracks appear in the veneer 6, which is guided by the support member 22 and the guide 23 to a feeding direction. As also shown in FIG. 3, the inclination of the support member 22, where the veneer 6 is sliced, is almost the same as that of the guide 23. This contributes to a smooth feeding of the veneer 6 from the support member 22 to the guide 23, and prevents the veneer 6 from being separated from the relief face 2a of the knife 2. In the nose bar portion B, the knife 2 is fixed, by a fixing means, such as a bolt 32, through an aperture arranged in the knife, to the back table 21. Therefore, when a thick veneer 6 is sliced by the slicer apparatus for woodwork 1, a large quantity of pressure is applied to the material feeding belt 4 to drive the speed reduction motor 18. When the material 5 is inserted between the material feeding belt 4 and the table rollers 9, the material 5 is pressed not only against the table rollers 9 by the material feeding belt 4, but also against the ruler rollers 10 by the oblique angle of the knife 2. Because of the rolling contact between the material 5 and the table rollers 9 and between the material 5 and the ruler rollers 10, the material 5 encounters less resistance while it is traveling. As a result, the material 5 is reliably advanced at a fixed speed to the knife 2. The veneer 6, whose thickness is adjusted by the space between the knife 2 and the nose bar 8, is thus sliced. At this time, the support member 22 and the guide 23 contact the under face of the veneer 6 to be sliced, and guide the veneer 6 backwards, while they deter any warping caused by the fact that the veneer 6 tends to be warped downwards by the cutting of the knife 2. Accordingly, the veneer 6 is prevented from being cracked in its underface by a warp and being twisted. A smooth-faced veneer 6 with no cracks or torsion can thus be produced. Although not shown in the FIGS., a microwave heating apparatus may be installed before the slicer apparatus for woodwork of the present invention. The microwave heating apparatus softens the material by irradiating the material with microwave before it is advanced to the material surface of the slicer apparatus. This makes it easy for the slicer apparatus to slice the material. Other methods of softening the material are boiling and boiling with steam. When veneers are sliced by the slicer apparatus of this invention, the relief face of the knife is arranged so as to oppose the support member. Since the space between the relief face of the knife and the support member is about the same as the thickness of the veneer to be sliced, the sliced veneer is prevented from being separated from the relief face of the knife. Thus cracks in the veneer can be prevented. Because of the guide, which is fixed by a fixing means in contact with the support member, a veneer to be sliced is guided in the feeding direction along with the support member and the guide. Furthermore, the material encounters less resistance while it is traveling, because of the table rollers, which are provided on the entire feeding surface except where the knife and the nose bar are disposed, and the ruler rollers, which are arranged on one side of the table rollers. Thus, thick veneers are sliced efficiently.

Claims: A woodwork slicer apparatus for slicing a woodwork material (5) into thick veneers, comprising: a) a table (3) including an opening with a knife (2) at one side thereof, b) a nose bar (8) arranged on said table (3) parallel to said knife (2), c) driven feeding belt (4) arranged so as to oppose said table surface, advancing said woodwork material (5) and pressing it onto a surface of said table (3), characterized by the following features: e) a support member (22) is arranged opposite to a relief face (2a) of said knife (2); f) said support member (22) is fixed to said nose bar (8) in contact with the end of said nose bar (8); g) a space is provided between said relief face (2a) of said knife (2) and said support member (22); h) the width of said space is substantially the same as the thickness (t) of a veneer (6) to be sliced; and i) the support member (22) is at least adjustable in the vertical direction relative to an infeed surface of said table (3). An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said table (3) comprises a front table (20) and a back table (21), said nose bar (8) is arranged on said front table (20) and said knife (2) is arranged on said back table (21) which is separated from the front table. An apparatus according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that said support member is further adjustable in the horizontal direction. An apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that fixing means (32) are arranged fixing said knife (2) substantially horizontally, said knife (2) comprising a reverse surface which is substantially flat. An apparatus (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the relief face (2a) of said knife (2) and the face of said support member (22) which oppose each other are substantially parallel. An apparatus (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a guide (23) is fixed by fixing means (31) so as to be in contact with said support member (22). An apparatus (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that table rollers (9) are arranged on the entire material feeding surface of said table (3) except where said knife (2) and said nose bar (8) are disposed. An apparatus (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that ruler rollers (10) are arranged on one side of said table rollers (9) so that the end of the woodwork material (5) is able to contact said ruler rollers (10). An apparatus (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the inclination of a guide surface of the support member (22), where said veneer (6) is to be sliced, is substantially the same as that of a guide (23). An apparatus (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the space has a width in the range from 3 mm to 13 mm. An apparatus (1) according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that said nose bar (8) and said knife (2) have a difference in height with respect to the surface of said table (3). An apparatus (1) according to claim 8 or one of claims 9 to 11 when dependent on claim 8, characterized in that said knife (2) has an oblique angle so that said material (5) is pressed against the ruler rollers (10). An apparatus (1) according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that a heating apparatus is installed before said slicer apparatus, such as a microwave heating apparatus or a steam heating apparatus or the like. An apparatus (1) according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that an angle between the relief face (2a) and the face of the support member (22) is slightly widened in the slicing direction. An apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that said nose bar (8) is adjustably and/or detachably fixed to said support member (22).

Inventors: IKEDA SHIGERU, MOCHIZUKI TOSHIHEI, IKEDA, SHIGERU, MOCHIZUKI, TOSHIHEI
Applicants: MARUNAKA TEKKOSHO INC, MARUNAKA TEKKOSHO INC.
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B27L5
IPC codes: B27L5