Sawmill

Claim 1

A machine for cutting a log into boards, said machine comprising a pair of chippers mounted in axially movable and keyed relation on a vertical shaft, means for rotating said shaft and chippers at proper chipping speed, each said chipper including cutting edges defining circular paths which will produce simultaneously first vertical and horizontal surfaces on the said log, means for moving said chippers to and maintaining them at determinable vertical positions on said shaft, a reciprocable horizontal carriage, means for securing a log thereon, means for lateral adjustment of said carriage so that the said log will be engaged by the cutting edges of said chippers as the log passes thereby to produce said vertical and horizontal surfaces, a vertically positioned saw whose faces are parallel to the axis of said shaft and the direction of movement of said carriage, said saw located beyond said chippers so that an advancing log will first engage said chippers and then engage said saw, the cutting edges of said chippers being disposed within the planes defined by the parallel faces of said saw whereby as a board is cut from said log said first vertical surfaces are replaced by saw produced vertical surfaces.

Claim 8

The method of cutting boards from a log comprising the steps of securing the log to a moveable table, moving the log forward along an accurately defined straight path to be engaged sequentially by chipping and sawing means, chipping in a circular horizontal direction only into the moving log at two only spaced vertical positions to create simultaneously two longitudinal notches defined by two spaced narrow upper and lower non-vertical surfaces and two spaced aligned vertical walls extending from the outer surface of the log inwardly and intersecting the inner edges of said narrow non-vertical surfaces, continuing the movement of said log into engagement with a vertical saw so located that the line of intersection of said non-vertical surfaces and their respective adjacent vertical walls will be intermediate the sides of the cut to be made by said vertical saw, then returning the log longitudinally to its original position, moving the log laterally toward said chippers and then repeating the aforesaid steps whereby the vertical walls produced by said chipping operation will immediately thereafter be trimmed by said saw and said non-vertical surfaces will be unchanged.

Claim 9

The method of cutting boards from a log comprising the steps of securing the log to a moveable table, moving the log forward along an accurately defined straight path to be engaged sequentially by chipping and sawing means, chipping in a circular horizontal direction only into the moving log at two only spaced vertical positions to create simultaneously two longitudinal notches defined by two spaced narrow upper and lower non-vertical surfaces and two spaced aligned vertical walls extending from the outer surface of the log inwardly and intersecting the inner edges of said narrow non-vertical surfaces, continuing the movement of said log into engagement with a vertical saw so located that the line of intersection of said non-vertical surfaces and their respective adjacent vertical walls will be intermediate the sides of the cut to be made by said vertical saw, then returning the log longitudinally to its original position, moving the log laterally toward said chippers and then repeating the aforesaid steps whereby the vertical walls produced by said chipping operation will immediately thereafter be trimmed by said saw and said non-vertical surfaces will be unchanged.

Claim 10

The method of cutting boards from a log mounted on a reciprocating carriage comprising the steps of first progressively chipping away sufficient wood on the side of a log moving on said carriage along a fixed path to produce a first vertical longitudinal surface, continuing movement of said log along said fixed path to engage a vertical saw positioned to trim said first vertical surface and thereby to create a new continuous saw finished surface, returning said log on said carriage to starting position, moving said log laterally toward said chippers, moving said carriage and log along said fixed path and simultaneously chipping away upper and lower portions of said log to create two parallel longitudinal notches, each notch defined by a narrow non-vertical face whose outer edge intersects the said first vertical saw finished surface and by a vertical surface, each said vertical surface intersecting the inner edge of its related said non-vertical face and the outer surface of said log, continuing the movement of said carriage and log along said fixed path to again engage said saw to cut a first board from said log and simultaneously to trim each vertical surface of said notches to create a second continuous saw finished vertical surface which is wider than the said previously created vertical saw finished surface, and returning said carriage and log to starting position and repeating the last mentioned chipping and sawing operations.

Claim 11

The method of cutting boards from a log mounted on a reciprocating carriage comprising the steps of first progressively chipping away sufficient wood on the side of a log moving on said carriage along a fixed path to produce a first vertical longitudinal surface, continuing movement of said log along said fixed path to engage a vertical saw positioned to trim said first vertical surface and thereby to create a new continuous saw finished surface, returning said log on said carriage to starting position, moving said log laterally toward said chippers, moving said carriage and log along said fixed path and simultaneously chipping away upper and lower portions of said log to create two parallel longitudinal notches, each notch defined by a narrow non-vertical face whose outer edge intersects the said first vertical saw finished surface and by a vertical surface, each said vertical surface intersecting the inner edge of its related said non-vertical face and the outer surface of said log, continuing the movement of said carriage and log along said fixed path to again engage said saw to cut a first board from said log and simultaneously to trim each vertical surface of said notches to create a second continuous saw finished vertical surface which is wider than the said previously created vertical saw finished surface, and returning said carriage and log to starting position and repeating the last mentioned chipping and sawing operations.