Macmillan Bloedel Limited

Trus Joist Macmillan Limited

Derek Barnes

Mark Trelawny Churchland

Robert M Knudson

Roger Wayne Kozak

John Edward Ens

James K Welsh

Arnold W Herndier

Robert L Pike

Walter W Schilling

Thomas Howard Murphy

Alfred W Redekop

Jan A Dessens

George N Rosenberg

Lorne E Caddo

Bradley J Crittenden

Frank L Laytner

Strand dimension of selected strands in a layup of strands is determined by obtaining a pixel image, analyzing the pixel image to define candidate strands to be measured and their location within the image and reprocessing the image to find the opposite end points of the candidate strands and their end edges by finding areas of appropriate dimension and substantially free of edge pixels to define a strand to be examined ('magic' strand) and then determining the length and/or width of the 'magic' strand.

Strand dimension sensing

The orientation of strands relative to a selected axis is determined by analyzing a digitized grey scale image to select edge pixels therefrom that may define the edges of strands segmenting the image into a plurality of subimages and processing one of the subimages by defining pixel lines merging the pixel lines to form lines and culling selected one of the lines in the subimage. The subimage is then combined to co-terminus other of the subimages to form a combined subimage which is processed in the same manner by merging pixel lines to form lines and culling selected line in the combined subimage. This process is repeated by combining further subimages and processing until substantially all of the image has been processed to provide the plurality of strand lines defining strand edges and then determining the orientation of the strand lines relative to the axis.

Strand orientation sensing

Consolidated composite wood products are produced by waferizing wet wood to produce wet green strands and processing the wet green strands by application of adhesive and formation of a lay-up mat for consolidation prior to drying. The lay-up mat is dried in mat form under conditions that maintain the applied adhesive to condition it for the subsequent consolidation step wherein heat and pressure are applied to form a consolidated composite wood product. Preferably, the mat will be formed by orienting the strands to have their longitudinal axes substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the product and then the product will be remaned to produce lumber products with the longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the product.

Manufacture of consolidated composite wood products

A strand orienter formed by a plurality of substantially planar parallel partition walls further includes a plurality of shafts extending substantially perpendicular to the partition walls, each mounting wipers in the passages in position to wipe strands that may tend to plug the orienter from the passages and off the upper edges of the partition walls over substantially the full length of these upper edges and thereby prevent plugging of the orienter.

Vane orienter with wipers

An orienter is formed by a plurality of decks including a upper deck, a bottom deck and at least one intermediate deck stacked one above the other, substantially vertically extending passages are defined in each of the decks, the width of the passages of the bottom deck is preselected to a width Y.sub.B sufficiently small to ensure the orientation of the strands to the desired mean orientation and relative to a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the width have passages measured. The width of the passages above the lower deck are made progressively larger in accordance with the following formula: 2.sup.n-1 Y.sub.B where n is the number of decks above the mat and Y.sub.B is the width of the passages through the bottom deck. The side passages in all the decks are substantially aligned vertically, with both the passages in the top deck bisected in two equal passages in the deck immediately therebelow.

Short strand orienter

A vane typed orienter is formed by a plurality of spaced parallel shafts having radial extending axially spaced disks mounted thereon. Passages are formed between the disks and adjacent disks on adjacent shafts define sides of such passages. A vane element is provided to complete the wall formed by a pair of adjacent disks forming one wall of a passage and at least substantially fills the lower gap formed between the peripheries of the adjacent disks forming the one wall.

Vane type orienter

A strand preorienter is formed by a plurality of spaced parallel preorienter shafts each having a plurality of preorienter discs mounted thereon in axially spaced relationship. The preorienter discs on adjacent shafts overlap and form preorienter partition walls which defined opposite sides of preorienter passages through which the strands fall onto an orienter having orienter passages that align the strands as required. The preorienter passages are significantly wider than the orienter passages and have their outlets positioned immediately above the orienter.

Orienter

Consolidated composite wood products having modulus of elasticity (MOE) equivalent to a MOE of at least 2.3 mm psi at a wood content density of 35 lbs/cu.ft is formed by a laminate of wood elements formed by slicing (veneer or strands) substantially free from surface and internal damage such as checking, splitting, tension breaks, etc. These wood elements have a thickness in the range of 0.005 to 0.1 inches, a width greater than 0.25 inches and a length measured in the grain direction of at least 8 inches aligned in the composite product with their grain direction within 10.degree. of the longitudinal axis of the composite product.

High strength composite products and method of making same

Finger jointed lumber is produced from discrete green lumber pieces each formed with a first set of fingers on one end and a second set of fingers at the other end. The first set of fingers is dried by rapidly applying heat substantially solely through the first set of fingers in a first drying station. The second set of fingers is then rapidly dried in a second drying station. A thermo-setting adhesive is applied to the second set of fingers of each lumber piece while still hot and the second set of fingers on one piece and the first fingers on an adjacent lumber piece are mated and crowded together to form a joint. The adhesive is significantly cured by residual heat in the mating ends before significant moisture migrates back to the fingers from the bodies of the mating lumber pieces and interferes with the curing of the adhesive.

Finger jointing green lumber

A method and apparatus for tapered peeling of veneer to form a curved veneer and clipping the curved veneer into discreet sheets by adjusting the angular relationship of the clipping knife to the axis of rotation of the bolt being peeled thereby to clip the veneer along lines substantially radial to the curvature of the veneer adjacent to the point of clipping. In the preferred arrangement two clippers are used in series and their angular relationship adjusted relative to the axis of rotation of the bolt to produce a veneer sheet with substantially parallel sides and to remove a substantially triangular piece between adjacent clipped sheets.

Curve veneer clipper

Substitute lumber pieces having strengths and densities substantially equivalent to lumber are cut from single layer panels of over about 1 and normally less than 4 inches thickness made from wood wafers. The wafers are oriented with their lengths having a mean deviation to the longitudinal length of the panel measured in the major plane of the panel in the range of 0 to 10 degrees and a mean deviation measured in a minimum longitudinal plane perpendicular to the major plane from 0 to about 5 degrees and have an average effective length of at least 8 inches (200 mm), and preferably an average thickness less than 0.15 inches (4 mm) and a width of at least 0.25 inches (6 mm). Lumber is made by cutting the panel longitudinally. Preferably the panels are formed to have a substantially uniform density profile throughout their thicknesses.

Waferboard lumber

A method and apparatus for peeling a tapered block by setting the cutting edge of the peeling knife on an angle comensurate with the taper of the block. In one embodiment, the angle remains substantially constant throughout the peeling operation so that the resulting core is tapered. In another embodiment, the angle continuously changes and the veneer is cut thicker at one side than at the other whereby to produce a tapered veneer and result in a substantially right cylindrical core when the peeling operation is completed.

Method and apparatus for peeling veneer

A waferboard panel is made from long wafers to have the same strength properties as plywood. The panel comprises at least three layers of wood wafers having an initial aggregate specific gravity, less than about 0.6 oven dry weight with volume at 12% moisture content, the panel having face layers on outside surfaces and at least one core layer. The wafers in the face layers have a mean orientation not greater than about 10.degree., and lengths of at least about 6 inches, preferably 12 inches. Average widths of the wafers in the face layers are in the range of about 0.3 to 2.0 inches and the panel has an oven dry wood density in the range of about 28 to 45 lbs. per cu. ft. with an MOR to density ratio of at least about 120 and an MOE (M) to density ratio of at least about 40.

Long wafer waferboard panels

An apparatus is disclosed for blending wood strands with a liquid resin. A process is also disclosed for continuously blending wood strands with a liquid resin. The apparatus overcomes some of the problems that exist with present day blenders because it avoids clogging spray nozzles and allows complete coating of the strands with a minimum amount of resin. The apparatus forms a substantially constant flow of wood strands into a first falling curtain of separated wood strands, the first curtain having a predetermined substantially constant width, a first liquid spray including at least one spray nozzle located on each side of the first falling curtain of separated wood strands away from the first falling curtain, adapted to spray liquid resin droplets for the width of the first curtain, but not substantially beyond; collector for collecting the first sprayed wood strands and forming them into a second falling curtain of separated wood strands, the second curtain having a predetermined width, and a second liquid spray including at least one spray nozzle located on each side of the second falling curtain of separated wood strands away from the second falling curtain, adapted to spray liquid resin droplets for the width of the second curtain but not substantially beyond.

Apparatus for blending wood strands with a liquid resin

A process is disclosed for making long wood strands. Long wood strands are required in structural lumber products and in order to obtain maximum strength should be split along the grain. A method of splitting a log into longitudinal-grain wood strands is disclosed comprising the steps of radially splitting the log substantially along the grain of the log into a plurality of sector shaped segments, said radial splitting including pushing the log axially through at least one sector splitter ring, and further splitting the sector shaped segments substantially along the grain of the segments, said further splitting including feeding each of the sector shaped segments through two rows of intermeshing counter rotating discs, pulling each of the segments between the rows of discs and simultaneously splitting each of the segments into a plurality of longitudinal-grain wood strands.

Growing community of inventors

Vancouver, Canada

Derek Barnes