US1907564A - Automatic take-off and trap for a sawing machine - Google Patents

Description

May 9, 1933. A. D. OSBORN ET AL AUTOMATIC TAKE-OFF AND TRAP FOR A SAWING MACHINE Filed July 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l Attorney 5 m mm aw m 0 AS .2 mm, mu NW v Q Q Qw N Q aw R 1 kw \N TI NQ uh m 3 fi ,u. Q K :2 Q Q J I Y \m. 80 x Q 9% a Y N V U\.\ ooooooo T %e 0000 0000000 1 .Mm o o o oo% oMMMM y 1933- A. D. OSBORN ET 1. 1,907,564

AUTOMATIC TAKE-OFF AND TRAP FOR A SAWING MACHINE Filed July 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Samuel M Taylor ow fix Auomeys Patented May 9, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALBERT D. OSBORN AND SAIYIUEL IVI. TAYLOR, OF LOYALTON, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNORS T SMOOTH SAW EQUIPMENT COMPANY, GE LOYALTON, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORA- TION OF NEVADA AUTOMATIC TAKE-OFF AND TEA FOR A SAWING MACHINE Application filed July 25,

sawing machines commonly called cutoffs.

The man'that runs the machine is known as a cutoff man and his duty is to cut and grade the lumber to different lengths.

There is another person employed on this machine called the swamper, whose duty it is to take away and sort the different lengths of cuts, and to keep-the table clear of blocks or short trims, as the cutofi' man cuts them.

It is a fact that the cutoff man can out no 2e faster than the swamper can take the cuts away from the saw, because the cuts will overlap each other if they are not taken away as fast as they are cut. If the cuts are allowed to overlap, there is great danger of one of 525 the cuts getting on the back of the saw, in

which case the saw will throw the piece of wood back with such force that great bodily injury is often suffered by the person being struck with the piece thus thrown. There ...au have been many deaths caused from such accidents; therefore, a cutolf man can not cut any faster than the swamper will take the pieces away from the saw.

Also, the cutoff man must be very careful 2.5 not to bump or knock the swampers hand as he reaches for each cut, otherwise the swampers hand may be forced into contact with the saw resulting in the loss of fingers or the hand. It is especially dangerous when the e swamper is reaching for a small block or trim, which may be only an inch or so long, making it necessary for the swampers hand to be .very close to the saw.

It is also common for the cutoff man and the swamper to talk to each other, thus increasing the risk to themselves, and causing a great time loss to their employer. It is an object of this invention to separate the men to such a distance that they can not talk 59 to eachother, and to provide an automatic 1932. Serial no. sea-53o.

take-off means which will act to instantly lengths, thus allowing the swampe-r to devote his entire time to sorting the cuts.

A further object is to provide an automatic takeoff for a sawing or cutoff machine which will automatically remove the cuts clear of the machine as rapidly as produced, so that the cutoff man may devote his entire time and attention to grading and cutting and need not give attention to the swamper, thus eliminating any chance of accident. I

In actual operation, this invention has in.- creased the amount of lumber cut by more than 20% and has enabled the cutoff man to out better grades as his attention is never distracted from his work. 7

A further object is to provide an automatic take-off device which may be mounted upon a standard sawing or cutoff machine.

A further object is toprovide an automatic takeoff device with anendless belt conveyer means having the upper run thereof positioned in a plane slightly below that of the carriage and having means for elevating the lower run of the endless belt over the saw driving means.

A further object is to provide a trap means which may be adjusted to sort out any predetermined lengths of trim.

A further object is to provide a trap which is pivotally mounted upon the machine and yieldingly retained at a predetermined height by a suitable springmeans.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for mounting the automatic takeoff and trap means upon the'fra-me of the cutoff machine, whereby these means may be easily removed therefrom.

ther objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the nature of the same is more fully understood from the following description and drawings, wherein is set'forth what is now considered to be apreferred embodiment. It should be understood, however, that this particular embodiment of the invention is chosen'priir cipally for the purpose of exemplification and that variations therefrom in details of construction or arrangement of the parts may accordingly be effected and yet remain within the spirit and scope of the invention as the same is set forth in the appended claims. 7 r

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a' plan View of a sawing or cutoff machine illustrating the invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a side view of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the lines 33 of Figure 1;

V Figure 4 is a fragmental View illustrating the trap mounting and also the means for tightening the endless belt conveyer.

Figure 5 illustrates the automatic take-off means swung to a verticalposition to expose the drive mechanism of the saw.

I A preferred construction of our invention as disclosed in the drawings may include a common form of sawing or cutoff machine 1 having a suitable frame 2 upon which is movably mounted a carriage 3. The carriage may be movably mounted upon the frame as by means of a wheel 4 mounted upon each end of the axles 5, which axles are mounted in journals 6 secured to the cross beam 7 of the carriage. Frame 2 is provided w1th cross beams 8 upon which are mounted suitable rails 9 along which rails the wheels 4 roll. By this arrangement, the carriage may be easily moved back and forth across the saw frame. Adjacent one end of the carriage is operatively mounted a circular saw 10 by means of mandrel 11 journaled in bearings 12 mounted upon a raised portion 13 of frame 2. Any suitable means may be provided for driving the saw such as pulley 14 suitably keyed upon the mandrel 11, belt 15 and an electric motor 16 provided with a drive pulley17 over which belt 15 runs. As above stated the sawing or cutoff machine is of common form which is in general use and therefore no claimfor this type of machine is made herein. I

An automatic takeoff 18 may be mounted upon the raised portion 13 of the sawing'machine or the frame 2 of the sawing'machine may be arranged to directly support the takeoff means. In those cases where the takeoff means 18 is mounted upon frame 2, it is preferable to mount the takeoff so that it may be'readily swung or lifted out of its normal position to a position as illustrated in Fig. 5 in order that the drive means for the saw and other parts of the cutoff machine may be readily accessible.

' As illustrated in the drawings one suitable means for mounting the takeofl upon the sawing machine frame isby means of hinges 19 pivotally connecting one side of the takeoff with frame 2 whereby the takeoff may be Figure 5.

swung or lifted to the position illustrated in To normally retain the takeoff in its operative position as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 any suitable latch means may be provided or as illustrated clearly in Figures 1 and 5, two slotted brackets 20 may be suitably secured to the side of the take-off opposite to the hinged side and a stud or bolt 21 may be mounted in frame 2 in position to engage the slots of said brackets whereby by means of nuts 22 the brackets and thereby the take-off will be securely fastened to the frame of the sawing machine.

The automatic take-off is mounted upon the sawing machine so that the receiving end thereof is adjacent the cutoff side of the saw, namely, that side of the saw from which the cut boards leave and arranged so that the top surface of the take-off may be in a plane slightly below the plane of the carriage in order that the take-off will not-interfere with the board during the sawing operation.

The automatic take-off may include a frame -Scomprising side rails 24 and cross members 25 and a suitable takeoff conveyer 26 preferably of the endless belt type. The take-off conveyer 26 may be operatively mounted in frame 23' by means of a roller 27 positioned adjacent the cutoff side of saw 10 and journaled upon a suitable shaft 28 extending between the side rail 24 and'by means of a driven roller 28 spaced from roller 27.

The driven roller 28 is suitably keyed upon the drive shaft 29 and each end of shaft 29 is journaled in a bearing 30 slidably mounted in each side rail 24. The drive shaft 29 is extended and suitably keyed thereon is the pulley 31 which may be driven by a suitable means such as by the motor 32 and belt 33. The upper run of the take-off conveyer travels in a direction away from the saw'to take the cuts away from the saw as rapidly as cut. The lower run of the take-off conveyer in some cases must be elevated over the drive pulley 14 and belt 15 of the saw and for this purpose the auxiliary rollers 34 are operatively mounted upon the side rails 24 and positiond to lift the lower run of thetakeoff conveyer clear of the saw drive means. Means may be provided for tightening the take-off conveyer which means may include a slotted bracket 35 adjustably bolted to each side rail 24 by means of bolts 36, while-the flanged end 37 of each bracket isprovided with a jack screw 38. A look nut- 39 may be provided for locking the jack screw in adjusted position. The jack'screws 38 abut against slidable bearings 30 to retain the bearings in adjusted position. A quick adjustment of the conveyer may be accomplished by loosening the bolts 36 and sliding the slotted brackets 35 until the jack screws engage their respective bearings whereupon the bolts are tightened to lock the. brackets.

cut.

If the conveyer requires further tightening the jack screws may be operated to force the drive roller further from the roller 27 and locked in adjusted position by lock nuts The take-off may be provided with a trap means for segregating or sorting out the waste ends or trims from the cuts. This trap means may include a trap frame 40 pivot-ally and slidably mounted upon each side rail 24, and a spring means 41 for yieldingly retaining the trap in operative position. Any suitable means may be provided for so mounting the trap frame but we prefer to provide each side of the trap frame with an elongated slot 42 through which extendsapivotbolt The pivot bolt 43 does not actto tightly clamp the trap frame to the side rails but acts'to permit the trap frame to freely slide and pivot thereabout. To prevent the trap frame from pivoting due to the action of spring 41 beyond a predetermining point a stop means 44 may be suitably mounted upon each side rail 24. It is desirable to regulate the size of the trap, that is, the distance between the discharge end of the take-off conveyer and the cross bar 45 of the trap frame, so as to regulate the size of waste blocks or trims which are to be sorted from the run of cuts and for this purpose each side rail 40 may be provided with a series of adjusting holes 46 into any one of which a stop screw 47 may be screwthreaded. The action of springv 41 acts to yieldingly hold the trap frame against'the stop screws 47. In some cases, it is desirable to provide the cross bar 45 with an anti-friction trap roller 48 and in which case the take-off conveyer will ride smoothly on to and overthe trap roller 48.

If desired the pivot bolts 43 may be tightened to firmly lock the trap frame to theside' rails 24 but we prefer to leave the pivot bolts loose enough to permit the trap frame to pivot or slide about the pivot bolt and yieldingly retained against the stops 44 and 47 by the spring 41.

In operation, the cutoff man places the board such as 50 upon the carriage 3 and gauges the length of cut by suitable stops such as the stop means 51 adjustably mounted upon the gauging table 52, and then moves the carriage to feedthe board into-the saw 10 whereupon the cut 53 is severed fromthe board. Upon completion of the severing operation the carriage is returned to its initial position and the board gauged for another As soon as the cut is severed from the board the take-off conveyer immediately transfers the cut to the receivingtable 54 where the swamperreceivesand sorts the cuts according to length. Y

Where the endof the board is defective or where a knotted sectionof the board is to be eliminated the cuto-fi man will saw off a short section of the board to trim off such defective sections and as these waste sections or trims are'taken away from the saw by the take-off conveyer they are automatically sorted out by the trapwhich permits these waste trims to fall between the discharge end of the takeoff conveyer and the trap roller 48. V

In Figure 3, a piece of waste trim 55 is illustrated as being sorted out by the trap and by means of chute 56 may be carried to any suitable waste bin or pile. By so automatically sorting the trims from the cuts the swamper may devote his entire time to the sorting and piling of the cuts in accordance to length. v

The takeoff conveyer removes the swamper to a safe distance from the saw and rapidly and automatically removes the cuts and trims from the vicinity of the rotating saw so that the swamper need never have his hands close enough to the saw, to get out so that the swampers duty is made relatively safe where before the swamper was alwa s in danger of serious accident. Also, t e swamper is removed far enough from the cutoff man so that they can not conveniently talk to each other thus materially increasing their efficiency, and as each can thus devote his entire time to their respective duties the possibility of an accident is practically eliminated. V

Having fully described the invention, it is to be understood that it is not to be limited to the details herein set forth but the invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

cular saw operatively mountedupon one end of said mandrel, a drive means for the mandrel, a takeoff conveyer mounted upon said frame over and traveling in the same direction as the axis of said mandrel and arranged so that the'receiving end of the conveyer registerswith-at least part of the face ofthe saw and parallel to one face thereof, and a drive means for operating the conveyer, 2. A sawing machine including a frame,

a saw mandrel journaled upon the frame, a

circular saw operatively mounted upon one end of said mandrel, a drive pulley mounted upon said mandrel, a takeoff conveyer mounted upon said frame directly over and extending in the same direction as the axis of said mandrel, means for elevating the lower run of the conveyer over the saw mandrel drive pulley, and a drive means for operating the conveyer. 7 p 4 Y 3. A sawing machine including a frame, a saw mandrel journaled upon the frame, a

circular saw operatively mounted upon one:3

end of said mandrel, a drive means for the saw mandrel, a takeofl conveyer mounted upon said frame over and traveling in the same direction as the axis'of said mandrel and arranged so that the receiving end of the conveyer registers with at least part of the face of the saw and parallel to one face thereof, a drive means for operating the conveyer, and a carriage mounted to travel upon said frame parallel and in close proximity to the other face of saidsaw.

- 4. A. sawing machine including a frame, a saw mandrel journaled upon the frame, a circular saw operatively mounted upon one end of said mandrel, a drive means for the saw mandrel, a carriage mounted to travel upon said frame parallel and in close proximity to one face of the saw, a takeoff conveyer mounted upon said frame over and traveling in the same direction as the axis of the mandrel and arranged so that the receiving end of the conveyer registers with at least part of the face of the saw and parallel to the other face thereof, said takeofi conveyer having the upper run operating in plane slightly below the plane of the top surface of said carriage, means for elevating the lower run of the conveyer over the sawmandrel drive means, and a drive means for operating the conveyer.

5. A sawing machine including a frame, a saw mandrel journaled upon the frame, a

circular saw operatively mounted upon one end of the mandrel, a drive means for the mandrel, a takeoff conveyer mounted upon said frame over and traveling in the same direction as the axis of the mandrel and arranged so that the receiving end of the conveyer registers with at least part of the face of the saw and parallel to one face thereof, a drive means for operating the conveyer, and a trap means mounted upon said frame and spaced a predetermined distance from the discharge end of said conveyer.

6. An automatic takeoff and trap for a sawing machine including a frame, a takeoff conveyer operatively mounted insaid frame, a trap mounted uponsaid frame and having an engaging surface spaced from and substantially coincident with' the plane of the upper surface of said conveyer, a hinge means for mounting said frame to the sawing machine, andmeans for locking said frame tosaid machine. 7

7:An automatic takeoff and trap for a sawing machine including a main frame adapted'to be mounted upon the sawing machine, a takeoff conveyer operatively mounted in said main frame and having its receiv- 'ing end ad acent the sawof sa1d machine,

means for driving said conveyer, a trap frame slidably mounted upon said main frame and havingan engaging surface substantially coincident with the plane of the upper surface of said conveyer, a stop means adapted to be mounted upon the sawing machine, a takeoff conveyer operatively mounted in said frame and havingits receiving endadjacent the saw of said machine, means for. driving said conveyer, a trap frame pivotaly-mounted upon said main frame and having an engaging surface substantially coincident with the plane of the upper surface of said conveyer, a stop means mounted upon said main frame and positioned to be engaged by'said trap frame for limiting the height to which the engaging surface of said trap frame maybe elevated, and means for yieldin'gly urging the trap frame against said stop means. 7 i

9. An automatic takeoff and trap for a sawing machine including a main frame adapted to be mounted upon the sawing machine, a takeoff conveyer operatively mounted in said main frame and having its receiving'end adjacent the saw of said machine, means for driving said conveyer, a trap frame pivotally and. slidably mounted upon saidmain frame and having an engaging surface substantially coincident with the plane of the upper surface of said conveyer, a stop means mounted upon said main frame and positioned to be engaged by said trap frame for limiting the height to which the engaging surface of said trap frame may be elevated. a second stop means mounted upon said main frame and positioned to be engaged by said trap frame forpredetermining the distance between the trap frame engaging surface and the discharge end of said conveyer. and means for yieldingly urging the trap frame against said stops.

10. An automatic takeoff and trap for a sawing machine including a main frame adapted to lee-mounted upon the sawing 'machine, a takeoff conveyer operatively mounted in said main frame and having its receiving end adjacent the saw of said machine, means for driving said conveyer, a trap frame slidably mounted upon said main frame, a trap roller journaled upon sald trap frame,

sawing machine including a main frame adapted to be mounted upon the sawing machine, a takeoff conveyer operatively mounted in said main frame and having its receiving end adjacent the saw of said machine, means for driving said conveyer, a trap frame pivotally mounted upon said main frame, a trap roller journaled upon said trap frame, a trap frame stop means mounted upon said main frame for limiting the height to which said trap roller may be elevated, and a spring means for yieldingly urging the trap frame against said stop.

12-. An automatic takeoff and trap for a sawing machine including a main frame adapted to be mounted upon the sawing machine, a takeoff conveyer operatively mounted in said main frame and having its receiving end adjacent the saw of said machine, means for driving said conveyer, a trap frame pivotally and slidably mounted upon said main frame, a trap roller journaled upon said trap frame, a stop means mounted upon said main frame and positioned to be engaged by said trap frame for limiting the height to which said trap roller may be elevated, a second stop means mounted upon said main frame and positioned to be engaged by said trap frame for predetermining the distance between the trap roller and the discharge end of said conveyer, and a spring means for yieldingly urging the trap frame against said stops.

13. A sawing machine including frame, a saw opera-tively mounted therein, a drive means for said saw, a carriage, an endless belt takeoff conveyer mounted upon said frame with one end adjacent the takeoff side of the saw and having the upper run of the conveyer slightly below the top surface of said carriage, means for elevating the lower run of said conveyer over said saw drive means, means for driving said conveyer, a trap frame pivotally and slidably mounted upon said frame and having an engaging surface substantially coincident with the plane of the upper surface of said conveyer, a stop means mounted upon said frame and positioned to be engaged by said trap frame for limiting the height to which the engaging surface of said trap frame may be elevated, a second stop means mounted upon said frame and positioned to be engaged by said trap frame for predetermining the distance between the trap frame engaging surface and the discharge end of said conveyer, and means for yieldingly urging the trap frame against said stops.

Signed at Loyalton, California this 11 day of July, 1932.

ALBERT D. OSBOR'N. SAMUEL M. TAYLOR.

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