Patent ID: 7644742

Claim:
A woodworking machine for shaping a molding, comprising: a frame; a shuttle mounted on the frame; a spaced apart pair of robotic grippers mounted on the shuttle, the grippers being adapted for gripping and releasing an elongated blank strip of molding; a hollow, cylindrical cartridge having opposing end caps, the end caps having openings defined therein dimensioned and configured for supporting the blank strip of molding when the molding is inserted through the cartridge, the cartridge being rotatably mounted on the frame; a table mounted on the frame, the table being movable both vertically and laterally relative to the cartridge; a cutter assembly having a plurality of cutters, the cutter assembly being mounted on the table, the table and cutter assembly being movable so that the cutters are positioned to cut through the cartridge and the blank strip of molding when the molding is inserted through the cartridge; and an electronic control system having means for cyclically actuating the robotic grippers to grip the blank strip of molding, move the shuttle and robotic grippers to advance the molding through the cartridge in indexed increments, actuate the cutter assembly to rotate the cutters, move the table and cutter assembly so that the cutters engage the cartridge and the blank strip of molding within the cartridge to form simultaneous, spaced apart cuts in the blank strip, retract the table and cutter assembly from the cartridge, and repeat the cycle.