Method and apparatus for trimming timber by means of mutually adjustable parallel cutting members

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR EDGE-TRIMMING TIMBER, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: TWO POWER OPERATED CUTTING MEANS ARRANGED SIDE BY SIDE, ONE OF SAID MEANS BEING STATIONARY AND THE OTHER BEING ADJUSTABLE FOR VARYING THE SPACE BETWEEN THEM IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE PIECES OF TIMBER OF DIFFERENT WIDTHS; AN ELONGATED BENCH FOR SUPPORTING THE PIECE OF TIMBER TO BE TRIMMED; AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF TIMBER ALIGNMENT JAWS TRANSVERSELY MOVABLE IN RELATION TO AND DISPOSED ALONG SAID BENCH; A SHAFT EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG THE BENCH AND HAVING A NUMBER OF GEAR WHEELS MOUNTED FOR FREE ROTATION THEREON AND CORRESPONDING TO THE NUMBER OF PAIRS OF JAWS; A RACK CONNECTING EACH JAW OF EACH OF SAID PAIRS, THE RACKS IN EACH JAW PAIR ENGAGING DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED TEETH OF THE GEAR WHEEL ALLOTTED TO SAID PAIR; AT LEAST TWO FIXED GEAR WHEELS DISPOSED ALONG SAID SHAFT, A FIXED RACK EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY TO SAID BENCH, SAID FIXED RACK BEING ENGAGED BY SAID FIRST GEAR WHEELS; MEANS FOR EXERTING A FORCE AGAINST THE SYSTEM COMPRISING SAID PAIRS OF JAWS TOGETHER WITH THE CORRESPONDING RACKS AND SHAFT, FOR MOVING SAID SYSTEM TRANSVERSALLY TO SAID BENCH IN ORDER TO PLACE ONE EDGE OF THE ALIGNED PIECE OF TIMBER TO BE TRIMMED IN A PREDETERMINED RELATIONSHIP TO THE CUTTING PLANE OF SAID STATIONARY CUTTING MEANS; SENSING MEANS FOR DETERMINING THE WIDTH AT AT LEAST ONE POINT ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE PIECE OF TIMBER WHEN ALIGNED; MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE ADJUSTABLE CUTTING MEANS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SENSED WIDTH; MEANS FOR LONGITUDINALLY ADVANCING THE PIECE OF TIMBER THROUGH SAID CUTTING MEANS; AND MEANS MAINTAINING THE PIECE OF TIMBER IN THE ALIGNED POSITION DURING SAID LONGITUDINAL ADVANCEMENT.