Spindleless veneer lathe

Abstract

A veneer lathe having a fixed roller, a slidably positionable pressure roller and a slidably positionable following roller. A following roller positioning means selectably positions the following roller with respect to the fixed and pressure rollers in response to a following roller position control signal. The rollers are rotated against a block positioned between the rollers, thereby rotating the block with respect to a knife, which peels veneer from the block. The pressure roller is slidably positionable in a first plane, and the following roller is slidably positionable into a selected location in a second plane, thereby affording precise control over peeling of the block. A knife positioning means controllably advances the knife into the rotating block in response to a knife position control signal. A knife angling means controllably positions the knife at a selectably variable angle with respect to the rotating block in response to a knife angle control signal. Pressure and following roller position sensing means sense the positions of the pressure and following rollers respectively and produce pressure and following roller position output signals representative thereof. A signal processing means (i.e. a computer) receives the output signals and produces the following roller position control signal, the knife position control signal and the knife angle control signal as functions of the output signals.