Spike stick and lath placer

Abstract

A device for placing spacing sticks or lath onto an upper surface of a lumber stack includes a stick holder for holding, in gravity fed abutment, a singulated array of parallel, adjacent, elongate spacing sticks or lath, a stick presenter for receiving a lower-most spacing stick or lath, gravity fed from the array of spacing sticks or lath held in the holder, and for presenting the lower-most spacing stick or lath into alignment beneath a selectively actuable stick spiker, wherein the stick spiker includes at least one spike having a longitudinal driving axis, a driver for selectively driving the spike along the longitudinal driving axis between a retracted position and all extended position so as to penetrate, when in the extended position, the spike into releasable engagement with the spacing stick or lath when in the alignment, the spacing stick or lath positioned in the alignment when positioned adjacent and beneath the at least one spike when in the retracted position so as to intersect the longitudinal driving axis with the spacing stick or lath, a stick lowerer for lowering the stick spiker, and for lowering the spacing stick or lath when releasably engaged with the stick spiking means, into proximity with the upper surface of the lumber stack, a stick stripper for stripping the spacing stick or lath from the stick spiker when the spike is retracted from the extended position into the retracted position so as to register the spacing stick or lath with the upper surface of the lumber stack.