Patent ID: 8813947

Claim:
A wood veneer handling system comprising: a frame; a diverter body coupled to the frame, the diverter body comprising top and bottom portions, first and second end portions and first and second side portions; a plurality of veneer transporting diverter belts coupled to a diverter body and supported for travel in a veneer flow direction along the bottom portion of the diverter body from the first end portion of the diverter body toward the second end portion of this diverter body, and operable to move pieces of veneer held in engagement with the belts along the bottom portion of the diverter body in a veneer flow path in the veneer flow direction with the travel of the belts, the belts being spaced apart transversely relative to the veneer flow direction; at least one set of plural spaced apart veneer engaging diverters, the one set of veneer engaging diverters being rotatably coupled to the diverter body for rotating about a first diverter axis that is transverse to the veneer flow direction, the first diverter axis being positioned above the veneer flow path, wherein each veneer engaging diverter comprises at least one diverter projection rotatable into, stoppable within, and rotatable out of the veneer flow path, the diverter projection rotating in the veneer flow direction in the veneer flow path, the diverter projection being operable such that, when the diverter projection is stopped in the veneer flow path and engages a piece of veneer traveling in the veneer flow direction, the diverter projection diverts the engaged piece of veneer from the belts and out of the veneer flow path; and wherein the diverter projection comprises a veneer engaging surface that does not lie entirely in a single plane.