US1494174A - Automatic lumber feeder - Google Patents

Description

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F. L. LANE AUTOMATIC LUMBER FEEDER Filed June 5. 1922 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 NWN:

May 13 B924.

F. L. LANE AUTOMATIC LUMBER FEEDER Filed June 5, i922 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 N Gl MW E3 E924o Lg F. L. LANE AUTOMAT I C LUMBER FEEDER Filed June 5, 1922 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 www@ @www May is, am. www@ l F. L. LANE AUTOMATI C LUMBER FEEDER Filed June 5. 1922 8 sheetssheet s Je l May 113 1924. 3,494,174

F. L. LANE AUTOMAT I C LUMBER FEEDER Filed June 3. 1922 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 diff/@55: UQM.

May 13 1924. www@ F. L. LANE AUTOMAT IC LUMBER FEEDER Filed June 5 1922 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 may m 19% m4494174 F. L. LANE AUTOMATIC LUMBER FEEDER Filed June 3 1922 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 /"Qll, I E@ 25 Patented Talley i3, i222.

tenia stares saisie,-

FRANKLIN L. LN'E, OF BELOIT, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO l?. B. YATES MACHINE CQ.,

F BELOIT, WISCONSIN, ACORPORATON-OF W'ISCONSIN.

AUTOMATIC LUMBER FEEDER. Application filed June S, 1922. Serial No. 565,770.

To all whom t may concern: throughout the several views of which like Be it known that l, FRANKLIN L. LANE, reference characters refer to the same parts.` a citizen of the United States, residing in ln these drawings: 55 y.the city of Beloit, county of Rock, State of Figure `1 is a side elevation of one`em- Wisconsin, have invented certain new and bodiinent of the inventioni useful Improvements in. Automatic Lumber Figure 2 is a plan view of the same mech- Feederaioi which the following is a speciu anism;

iicatiomf Figure 3 is a fragmntaryenlarged side @il i My present invention concerns a novel elevation of a portion of the machine; l0 type and style of ower-driven feeding ap- Figure 4 is a plan view ofthat part of i pliancf or table or advancing lumber to the machine shown in Fi ure 3; planing or other machines, whereby theends Figure 5 is a,longitu inal vertical secof the boards are maintained butted totion through the part of the mechanism 65 gether or in contact and a sin le continuous shown in Figures 3 and 4U; line oi end to end abutted cards is fed Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 to the planer -se that the latter may operate showing the feeder handling thinner lumto maximum advantage andcapacity. ber;

The table is designed and intended to ac- Figure 7 is a fragmentary vertical eross- 70 commode-te a number of boards at a time, section through the feed table; enabling the operator to have ample op- Figure 8 is a similar longitudinal secportunityfto so turn the individual boards tion; i over or end for end as he places them on Figures. 9 and 1() are othervertical crossthe table that-the highest grade. of nished sections; l lumber is easilyattainable. Figure 1l is an end view of the feeding One prime objectoi the invention is the table; and provision of a `feeding table oi this kind Flgure 12 is a verticalcross-section showwhich willfeed the boards positively and ing a modified form of construction.

with lcertainty even though they may be Referrin to these drawings, it will be kso* I Warped oftwisd @y have other'irregulariperceived t at the machine comprises a suba@ tia@ stantial and rigid frame having a plural- Another purpose of the invention is to ityof legs 21, 2l at ca h Side Supporting 'a supply a feeding appliance which may be pair of parallel, longitudinal I-beams 22, fed from either, or'both Sides, whereby there 22 crossconnected together at intervals by e5 maybe no loss of' time in delivering the short, transverse I- beams 23, 23,these several 3e beards from anew loaded truck just assoon fratrie elements being suitably bolted `or asthe preceding one becomes unloaded. riveted together. t.

This is easily accomplished by feeding Along one lengthwise ed e of this frame, alternateiy from trucks or dollies on oppoa slightly-inclined, woo en, .metal-faced yno site sides ofthe table. I side-guide 24 and a similar, horizontal shelf 40 An additional aim oi- .the invention is tc or ledge 2,5 are mounted on aplurality of provide arr appliance ot this type which appropriate supporting brackets 26, carried is rugged and capable of satisfactorily with by the corresponding longitudinal l-beam 22. standing the more or less rough usage to The machine also has a lurality of longie5 which it is subjected without becoming damtudinally uted rollers 2 disposed crossaged or 'injured and without interruption wise the frame and mounted on shafts roof oilicent service. tatable in bearings 28 on the -frame 'mem- To the accomplishment' of these and otherv bers 22, such feed rollers being rotated by desirable objects l have invented the new means described hereinafter. rterm oi feeding table, preferred and desir- These power-driven feed-rollers are de` 5o able `,einbodiinents of the invention being signed to accommodate a'plurality of boards illustrated in the accompanyinr drawings restin on top of one another and to feed forming e part ot this speci cation and out te lowerniost one, and then `the or feeding operation to guide or direct them properly to the planing machine, two different or interchangeable structures are employed depending upon the widths of boards handled.

This structure comprises three shoes 29,

31 and 32 fitting around the top flanges titl .proximately,

of and adapted to slide on the u per faces of the three cross-beams 23 of t e frame, each of such shoes, as is indicated in Figures 7 and 8, having a rack 33 fixed thereto by cap screws 34, the teeth thereof on its bottom face being in mesh with those of the companion gear 35, all three gears being carried by a longitudinally-dis osed shaft 36 rotatable in bearing mem rs 37 fastened to the lower flanges of the cross I-beams 23.

This shaft at its end toward the planer or matcher, not shown, is fitted with a handwheel 38 and at its other end with a notched or ratchet wheel 39 with the teeth of which a paiwl 4l is designed to coact to prevent unintentional turning of the shaft.

Such pawl or dog is carried by a lengthwise arranged shaft 42 oscillatory in suitable bearings 43 and supplied at its opposite end near the hand wheel 38, with an operating handle 44, thus enabling the pawl to be released from either end of the feeding table.

As shaft 36 is turned by either the handwheel 38 or the ratchet-wheel 39, the three shoes or slides 29, 3l and 32 will move equally and simultaneously in the same di-' rection toward or from the side fence or guide 24.

lVhen relatively wide boards are being fed it. is customary to mount a vertical roller 45 ou the foremost shoe or slide 29. whereby each board as it is advanced by the poweractuated tluted or roughened rollers 27 will engage such guide-roller 45 and be forced over by it toward or into contact with the side-guide. i,

For narrower boards, however, this antifriction. demonntable roller is desir-ably replaced by a relatively-long, horizontal, wooden, metal-covered side-fence 46 removably supported on the three reciprocatory or adjustable shoes 29, 31 and 32 by means of suitable brackets or supports 47 fitting in sockets of the shoesfand under such circumstances lthe boards piled on one another are accommodated between these spaced apparallel members-24 and 46. the distance between which is subject to control for different widths of boards.

At 48 the frame has a pointed. opstanding rod or pin by means of which they boards i' maybe jacked individually Afrom thel trucks on to the. feeding-table.

mesma At its planer or matcher end, the feedingtable is fittedY with a casting having two, vertical, side- walls 49 and 51 above the correspoinling longitudinal I-beains 22 of the traine. such walls being connected together b v a cross-wall 52 Figure 6) carrying a table :33, the top face ot which is about on a level with the tops ol the fluted, power driven feed-rollers already n'ientioned and two others 54 and 55 on shafts 56 and 57, respectively, rotatable in bearings in the sidewalls.

An inclined gate ory abutment 58 is adjustable upland down in sloping guideways 59. 50 in the inner faces of the side-walls of the casting` the gate bridging or spanning the space between such walls, and being equipped with an index or pointer 61 cooperating with an upright scale 62 to indicate or designate the adjustment of the gate or the thicknesses of boards it is designed to accommodate beneath it in its different positions of adjustment.

To govern or regulate the position of such gate, I provide a cross-shaft 63 revoluble in bearings in the side-walls, the shaft having two pinions 64 fast thereon and in mesh with the teeth of two racks 65 slidingly mounted on the gate, each such rack having a round hole ei'tended longitudinally therethrough and receiving an inclined rod 66 at its top end at 67 to a lug 68 of the gate and provided at. its protruding, lower. threaded end with a nut 69 and associated lock-nut 71, a short, coiled, shock-absorbing spring 72 being accommodated in a cavity in the under sideof each lug and interposed between such lug and the top end of the'corresponding rack, whereby the gate is supported by the pair of adjustable racks through their springs.

The shaft extends through one side-wall,

where it is equipped with a notched handwheel 73 by which it, may be turned to adjust or var v the position ot' the gate, the hand-wheel being normally locked in its de sired osition by a hinged or pivoted dog or pawl '1734 niacting with its notches.

A comparatively-heavy yoke 75 is hinged at. its opposite ends at 76 to this gate. such yoke having a smooth` usually-inclined wall 77 against which the. boards are' adapted 'to strike. and also having a smooth-faced. cylindrical. revoluble roller 78.'the shaft 79 of which is mounted in appropriate. l'iearings in the end walls of the yoke.

Two rods 81 hinged to the ends of the yoke extend up through apertured ears 82 at the top of the gate, and above these the rods have coil springs 83 encircling them and resting on the ears, the weight of the yoke under certain circumstances being borne by such springs through nuts R4 on the upper threaded ends of the rods,

maarre When no boards are under the roller 78, the weight of the latter and its yoke will be carried by the gate through the rod and spring connections, and as the position of the gate is adjusted, that of the yoke and its roller will also occur.

An upper, power-rotated, tinted roller adapted to bear on the top surface of the lumber is mounted l in a relatively-heavy yoke 86 rookingly hung on a shaft or rod 87 extended between and supported by the sidewalls, such yoke also carrying an intermediate, power-driven shaft 88 geared to the shaft of the roller through correlated spur gears 89 and 90. the height or position of the yoke and its roughened roller being governed by two links 91 and 92 pivoted thereto and to tw"`ariiis 93 and 94, respectively, fixed to a cross-shaft 95 revolubly mounted in and extended through one of, the side-walls, the exposed end of such shaft having an arm 96 rigid therewithl pivoted to a rod 97 extended lengthwise through a passage in a slidinglvmounted rack 98, the teeth of which are in coactive relation with those of a pinion 99 on a short shaft 101 fitted with a convenient` notched hand-wheel 102 supplied with a hinged, locking dog or pawl 103.

Between nuts 104 on the screw-threaded upper end of the rod 97 and the corresponding end of the rack, a shook-absorbing spring 105 is interposed, whereby the tinted roller has a certain amount of freedom of movement up and down, that is toward and from l the lumber beneath it.

ln order to indicate lthe adjustment of slieh roller, the yoke has a pointer 106 (Figari-3) 'traversing a curved, graduated scale 107 on the outside of the side-wall.

The main drive-shaft 111 revoluble in a bearing, not shown, on the frame work and in a bearing 112 in a standard 113 (Figure 2) is suppliedwith a drive-pulley 114 designed to be connected to the drive-shaft of the planing-machine with which the feeding-table is associated, whereby a predetermined higher speed of lumberv feed of the table over that of the in-feed illers' of the planing-machine will be maintained under all normal conditions. r

Shaft 111 also has another pulley 115 close to the feeder, and a drivebelt 116 extends around such pulley, a second pulley 117 on a shaft 118, a third pulley 119 on shaft 88, and a slack take-up or tightening pulley 121 on an arm 122 voutstanding from a yshort cross-shaft 123 provided with a. weighted arm 124 tending to tighten the belt by its action on this pulley.

The two fluted rollers 54 and 55 are revolved from shaft 118 by a gear 125 on the latter in mesh with gears 126 and 127 on the shafts of the two rollers, all this gearing bein' suitably enclosed for lsafety purposes.

haft 56 has a pulley 128 which rotates by means of the interconnected belt pulleys 129, 130, 131, 13e, 13a. isn, ist, is?`r` 138, y139, 141, 142 and 143 whereby all the fluted rollers are rotated in the proper direction simultaneously.

To enable the workman to control the operation of the feeding-table and also to govern the action of the planer or matcher with which the table is coupled up. a crossshaft 144, mounted in bearings at that end of the table remote from the planing machine, isl equipped with a handle 145 by means of which it may be rocked, and the other end of the shaft has a bifurcated arm 146 keyed or otherwise fastened thereto, the arm being hinged-to va long, horizontal link 147pivoted at its otherelnd to a handle 148 on ashaft 149 connected by suitable means 150 to the power control mechanism of the planer, whereby by actuating either handle the operation of the planer may be regulated and controlled.

ln order that the feeding-table may be easily rendered operative and inoperative` means are provided for governing the action of pulley 121 on the drive-belt 116 and accordingly a depending arm 151 on shaft 123 is connected-by a long link 152 to a handle 153 loose on shaft 144 whereby by manipulating such handle the position of the pulley may be varied to slaoken and tighten the driving-belt sufficiently to control the operation of the feeding-table as a whole.

The appropriate side member 45 or 46 having been applied to the feeding-table and adjusted to proper position for the width of boards to be fed to the planer, the boards are placed individually in succession on the flnted rollers, the latter accommodating a pluralityv of such boards, say two or three, at a time in superposed relation.

These rollers feed out the undermost board beneath the heavy voke and its roller, beneath the gate, and the other top fiuted roller beyond the gate between the infeed rollers of the planen,v

The board on top of such lowermost one is carried along by it until its front en strikes the abutment-7 7 (Figure 5) thus arresting further forward travel of such board.

and any others which may be resting on it for the time being. v

Or, in some cases with thin boa-rds. such second board passes under the roller 78 and is held back by the gate itself.

As soon as the lowermost board has been fed out, the next one drops into place and is fed forward under the gate being assisted in its initial movement by the somewhatweighted roller 78.

The mounting for thel yoke 77 and its roller 78 permits these parte` to rise and descend as occasion requires and during d ne ' end to end passin such downward movements a satisfactory cushioning or shock-absorbing e'ect occurs by reason of the supportinv springs 83.

The gate itself can yied upwardly to some extent to compensate for boards of varying thicknesses, thus eliminating any clogging of the machine by reason ofthe passage of wedge-shaped boards beneath the ate.

g Rollers and 85 to the rear of the gate are effective in assisting the advance of the boards one by one in endwise abutting relation, the feed-rollers of the feeding-table being operated at a sufficiently faster speed than those of the planer to assure a continuous single line stream of lboa-rds bearing into the planer, which action is facilitate by reason of the ability of the operator to deliver the boards on to the feeding-table rollers from trucks on either side of the table.

It will be noted also that by properly positioning the element 45 or 46, as the case may be, a suicient distance from the sidefence 24 yboards of random widths may be accommodated and properly fed by this feeding-table.

This invention is not limited and restricted to the precise and exact structural features shown and described since these are capable of more or less radical changes without departure from the heart a-nd essence of the invention and without the sacrifice of any of its substantial benefits and advantages.

l claim:

1. In a feeding-table of the character described, the combination of a frame, means on said frame adaptedto receive a plurality of superposed boards and to advance them, a gate downwardly inclined in the direction of the feed of the boards beneath which the boards are adapted to be fed individually by said means, a mounting for said gate giving it freedom of movement toward and from the board beneath it, a roller carried by and in front of said gate and designed to bear on the boards a-nd to hold their front ends down to facilitate their passage beneath the gate, and a mounting for said roller on. said ate permitting the roller to rise and descend.

2. In a feeding-table of the character described, the combination of a frame, means on said frame adapted to receive a plurality of superposed boards and to feed them, a gate beneath which the boards are adapted to be fed individually by said feeding means, a pressure-roller on said gate adapted to bear on the boards and to hold their ends down to facilitate the introduction of the. lowermost board beneath the gate. and a member on said gate having an abut meal wall in advance of said gate and anfansi maarre which the ends of the boards are adapted to strike to prevent their forward feed until the proper moment.

3. In a feedin -table of the character described, the com ination of a frame, means on said frame adapted to receive a plurality of superposed boards and to feed them, a gate beneath which the boards are ada ted to be fed individually by said fee ing means, a pressure-roller on and in advance of said gate adapted to bear on the boards and to hold their ends down to facilitate the introduction of the lowermost one beneath the gate, a-nd a yoke hinged to said gate hav` ing an abutment wall against which the ends of the boards are adapted to strike to prevent their forward feed until the proper moment, said pressure-roller being mounted on said yoke.

4. In a lumber feeding-table of the character described, the combination of a frame, power-driven means on said frame adapted to accommodate a plurality of superposed boards and to feed them forwardly, a slidingly-mounted gate beneath which the lowermost boards are adapted to be -fed individually by said feeding means, a pair of racks slidingly associated with said gate, a shaft, a pair of gears on said shaft in mesh with said racks, a handle b which said shaft and gears may be turned;7 to adjust the position of said ate, rods on which said gate is mounted s idingly accommodated in passages through said racks, and spring cushions between said gate and racks.

5. In a lumber feeding-table of the character described, the combination of a frame, power-driven means on said frame adapted to accommodate a plurality of superposed boards and to 'feed them forwardly, a slidingly-mounted gate beneath which the lowermost boards are adapted to be fed indi vidually by said feeding means, a pair of racks slidingly associated with said gate, a shaft, a pair of gears on said shaft in mesh with said racks, a handle by which said shaft and gears may be turned to adjust the position of said gate, rods on which said gate is mounted s idingly accommodated in passages through said racks, sprin cushions between said gate and racks, an a revoluble pressure-roller movably mounted on said gate and ada ted by its downward pressure on the boar s to facilitate the entrance of their front ends beneath said gate.

6. ln a lumber feeding-table of the character described, the combination of a fraine` power-driven means on said frame 'adapted to accommodate a plurality of superposed boards and to feed them forwardly, a slidingly-mountcd gate beneath which the lowerniost boards are adapted to be fed individually by said feeding means. a pair of racks slidingly associated with said gate, a

Etf-5 lill) f @meme iii! the former, and a pressure roller revoubly w mounted. in said hinged mounting and adopted by its ownwerd pressure on the boards to acilitete the entrance of their front ends beneath seid gebe.

n witness whereof I heve hereunto set 15 my hand end Seel.

Femmine L. LANE. [L e]

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