Sawing machine body assembly

Abstract

A sawing machine, a sawing machine kit, and a method of securing one or more components to a sawing machine includes securing one or more components between two or more metal plates, and securing the plates directly to a machine body or further to the machine body by a plurality of mounting brackets. The components may include one or more of a toe board, a log carrier, and a log turner. These components may be hydraulically actuated, and hydraulic or other actuation systems may be attached to the sides of the metal sheets or placed between the metal sheets. Compared with the prior art, the method has the advantages that the material consumption is reduced, the assembly is convenient, and the manufacturing and transportation cost is saved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sawing machine and a method for assembling and fixing components on the sawing machine. Background Art

[0002] A sawing machine has a bed for fixing a log during cutting. The sawing machine generally has two guide rails parallel to a first axis. A carriage assembly of the sawing machine is movably fixed on the bed of the sawing machine. The bed of the sawing machine receives a log, such that the log extends longitudinally along the length of the bed of the sawing machine. The carriage assembly of the sawing machine supports a saw head, a sawing machine, a saw controller, and a saw lubrication device. A saw is mounted on the saw head, and the saw is used for milling the log into lumber. The carriage moves along the guide rails on the bed. The guide rails can be fixed in place by crossbeams.

[0003] The bed of the sawing machine may include several components to facilitate the safe cutting of logs. These components are fixed on the bed of the sawing machine and can interact with the log when the log is placed on the crossbeam of the bed. Some of these components include a log turner, a toe board, and a log carriage. The log turner is used to grasp and rotate the log on the bed so as to correctly position it for cutting. The toe board can compensate for the natural taper of the log, such that the sawn boards do not have a taper. The log carriage provides a surface against which the log can lean so as to prevent the log from accidentally moving or rolling.

[0004] Current sawing machines can attach components to the guide rails connected to the bed or can mount components on the crossbeams. The sawing machine must use thick metal plates as crossbeams to bear all the weights / forces of the log and the components. These thick plates are heavy and may need to be welded in place. Welding is costly and requires professional skills for assembling the sawing machine and may also result in accidental failures. In addition, the thick plates increase the costs of materials and manufacturing as well as the cost of transportation. Moreover, the requirements for welding reduce the convenience of assembly.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need in the art for an assembly for fixing components on the bed of a sawing machine without using heavy metal plates. In addition, there is a need in the art for a method for fixing components without welding or similar difficult methods. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The sawing machine of the present invention has: a machine body, the machine body having a first guide rail and a second guide rail positioned parallel to each other; a carriage movable horizontally along the machine body; a saw head attached to the carriage; and a cross beam having a first end and a second end, the first end being attached to the first guide rail, the second end being attached to the second guide rail, the cross beam including a laminated board component, the laminated board component including two or more rigid boards horizontally extending from the first end to the second end. One or more components of the sawing machine are fixed between the two or more horizontally extending rigid boards by component fasteners, wherein the component fasteners also fasten the two or more horizontally extending rigid boards to each other.

[0007] One or more components of the sawing machine can be supported and stabilized by the horizontally extending rigid boards, and one or more components of the sawing machine can move within the horizontally extending rigid boards. These components can be one or more of a toe board component, a log carriage component, and a log turner component.

[0008] In the case where the component is a toe board component, the toe board component can have a toe board and a hydraulic component, the hydraulic component including a top end and a bottom end, the top end being fixed to a top fastener, the top fastener being fixed to the two or more rigid boards, and (the bottom end being fixed to) a bottom fastener, the bottom fastener being fixed to the toe board. The toe board component can further include a vertically extending slot, and the top fastener is received in and passes through the slot to allow a vertically slidable relationship to be formed between the slot and the top fastener. The sizes of the slot and the top fastener can prevent the toe board from moving horizontally. The size of the laminated board component can prevent the toe board from moving horizontally.

[0009] The component can be a log carriage component, the log carriage component having a log carriage and a hydraulic component, the hydraulic component having a top end and a bottom end, the top end being fixed to the top of the log carriage, the bottom end being fixed to the two or more rigid boards. The size of the laminated board can prevent the log carriage from moving horizontally.

[0010] The component can be a log turner component, the log turner component including a log turning chain and a motor, the motor being fixed to the two or more rigid boards, the motor providing structural integrity to the laminated board component.

[0011] The horizontally extending rigid boards can be fixed to the guide rails with rigid brackets. The two or more horizontally extending rigid boards can be made of steel. The fasteners can be bolts and nuts. Spacers attached to the fasteners can fit tightly into the space between the laminated boards and provide structural integrity to the components of the laminated boards.

[0012] The present invention also teaches a method of securing one or more components to a sawmill as claimed in claims 1 to 14, the method comprising fastening two or more horizontally extending rigid plates to the bed of the sawmill and securing one or more components of the sawmill between the two or more horizontally extending rigid plates. One or more components of the sawmill may be supported and stabilized by the horizontally extending rigid plates; and one or more components of the sawmill may move freely within the horizontally extending rigid plates.

[0013] The method may also secure and support the rigid plates. The fastening may be any fastening means known in the art, such as bolts and nuts, rivets, wall panel hooks, or combinations thereof.

[0014] In addition, the present invention also teaches a kit for constructing the sawmill of the present invention.

[0015] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of securing one or more components to a sawmill. Sawmill components may be internally clamped or secured within two or more horizontally extending rigid plates. In some embodiments, the plates are made of steel. In some embodiments, the components may be secured within the horizontally extending rigid plates using any fastening means known in the art, such as bolts and nuts, rivets, wall panel hooks, or combinations thereof.

[0016] In some embodiments, the two or more horizontally extending rigid plates are substantially the same. In some embodiments, the one or more components include one or more of a toe board, a log carriage, and a log turner. In some embodiments, each of the one or more components is actuated by a hydraulic system. In some embodiments, the hydraulic system is secured to the horizontally extending rigid plates. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Reference is now made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the present application are shown:

[0018] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary laminated plate assembly that includes a hydraulically actuated log carriage and a toe board.

[0019] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a top plan view of the laminated plate assembly of

[0020] Figure 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary laminated plate assembly that includes a hydraulically actuated log turner.

[0021] Figure 4 is Figure 3 a top view of the laminated plate assembly of

[0022] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the sawing machine of the present invention, which includes Figures 1 to 4 components. Detailed implementation

[0023] Now look at Figure 1 , the figure shows an example component assembly, which includes a toe board assembly and a log carriage assembly, both of which are fixed on a laminated board. The board can be made of any suitable material known in the art. In some examples, the board can be made of metal. In some examples, the board can be made of reinforced resin. In a preferred example, the board is made of steel, stainless steel, aluminum or metal alloy.

[0024] The laminated board can be attached to the bracket 16, and the bracket 16 can be directly attached to the bed 42 of the sawing machine 44 (see Figure 5 ). Additionally, the laminated board can also be directly attached to the bed 42 of the sawing machine 44. This modular and easy-to-assemble design can cut the metal into thin sheets instead of large pieces of metal that require welding. The laminated board can be made of any suitable material known in the art.

[0025] The laminated boards 18 and 20 are fixed with component fasteners such as bolts 8 and nuts 10, and may include washers or other spacers 22. Figure 1 is an example component. It is understood by those skilled in the art that the laminated boards 18 and 20 can be fixed with other component fasteners such as rivets or screws. In some examples, the component can be fixed to the board by adhesives, welding, etc.

[0026] The spacers attached to the component fasteners tightly occupy the space between the laminated boards, thus providing further structural integrity for the laminated board assembly.

[0027] The hydraulic component 2 is attached to the toe board, which has a bottom part 4 and a top part 6. Both parts 4 and 6 of the toe board are fixed between two laminated boards 18 and 20, and these two laminated boards can be substantially similar or symmetrical.

[0028] This component is used to support and guide the toe boards 4, 6. The top fasteners 13 and 15 fix the top of the hydraulic component 2 to the laminated boards 18 and 20. The bottom fasteners 21 and 23 fix the bottom of the hydraulic component 2 to the bottom part 4 of the toe board. Hydraulic pipelines (not shown) are attached to the hydraulic component 2, and the operator can start the hydraulic system to raise and lower the toe boards 4, 6. Raising and lowering the toe boards 4, 6 can enable the wood milling machine to quickly and easily adjust the height of the log being milled to take into account the taper of the log (one end of the log is smaller than the other end), so that the milled wooden board is not tapered.

[0029] The top part 6 has slots 17 and 19. These slots allow the top fasteners 13 and 15 to fix the top of the hydraulic component 2 to the laminated plates 18 and 20 without restricting or interfering with the raising and lowering of the toe boards 4, 6. Thus, the top fasteners 13 and 15 have multiple functions. First, they fix the hydraulic component 2 to the laminated plates 18 and 20 (see Figure 2 ). Second, they help maintain the integrity and strength of the beam structure of the laminated plates 18 and 20 ( Figure 2 ). Third, they can prevent unnecessary rotation or horizontal movement of the toe boards 4, 6. The toe boards may include rollers (40; see Figure 5 ) to facilitate the movement / rolling of the log on the bed 42.

[0030] The second hydraulic component 12 is attached to the log carriage 14 in a similar manner, and the log carriage 14 is also fixed between the two laminated plates 18 and 20. The top end of the hydraulic component 12 is attached to the protrusion 27, which is fixed on or near the top of the log carriage 14. The lower part of the hydraulic component 12 is attached to the plate 25. The plate 25 is in turn fixed to the laminated plates 18 and 20 with bolts 8 and nuts 10. Thus, this component serves to support and guide the log carriage 14.

[0031] Hydraulic lines (not shown) are attached to the hydraulic component 12, and the operator can activate the hydraulic system to raise and lower the log carriage 14. The raising and lowering of the log carriage 14 enables the wood milling machine to quickly and easily adjust the height of the log carriage 14 so that it can be high enough to fix the log in place, but low enough to avoid the band saw or chain saw during milling.

[0032] Although Figure 1 the components shown are those with toe boards 4, 6 and log carriage 14, those skilled in the art can understand that the components can include any single part or any combination of parts

[0033] Now referring to Figure 2 , the figure clearly shows how the laminated plates 18 and 20 are fixed using bolts 8, nuts 10 and spacers 22. In addition, the toe board 6 and the log carriage 14 are fixed within the laminated plates 18 and 20, thus providing stability and support and increasing the strength of the components. The toe board 6 and the log carriage 14 can slide vertically within the range of the hydraulic components while being horizontally fixed between the laminated plates 18 and 20.

[0034] Now referring to Figure 3 , the figure shows an example component assembly, which includes a log flipper assembly fixed to the laminated plates 36 and 38. The function of this component is to support and stabilize the log flipper 26.

[0035] The log turner 28 is equipped with a rotating chain 26 that can grasp the log and make it roll when the log stays on the board. The log turner 28 is attached to the hydraulic assembly 24 and the motor 30, and the hydraulic assembly 24 is housed within the laminated boards 36 and 38. The laminated boards 36 and 38 are fixed with bolts 8 and nuts 10, and may also include washers or other spacers 22. The laminated boards 36 and 38 can be fixed by other means such as rivets or screws. In some examples, the assembly can be fixed to the board by adhesives, welding, etc.

[0036] Now refer to Figure 4 , the body of the motor 30 is fixed to the laminated board 26, the base of the log turner 28, and the laminated board 36. This exemplary embodiment can also use spacers 22 to ensure that internal components (such as the hydraulic assembly 24 or the log turner 26) withstand appropriate pressure. The motor 30 actuates the log turner 26 to rotate the log, thereby selecting and changing the cutting surface (e.g., the top surface).

[0037] By fixing the motor 30 to the laminated board 26, the base of the log turner 28, and the laminated board 20, the motor 30 can serve both as a spacer between the laminated boards 36 and 38 and as a structure and support for the laminated boards 26 and 20 when the laminated boards 26 and 20 act as crossbeams.

[0038] Figure 5 Various embodiments of the present invention installed in the saw bed 42 are shown. The bed 42 has two guide rails 32, 34. Three sets of two laminated boards extend between the guide rails 32, 34 and are attached to the guide rails 32, 34. The hydraulic assembly 2 located between the first set of two laminated boards 18 and 20 is attached to a toe board having a bottom portion 4 and a top portion 6. Both portions 4 and 6 of the toe board are fixed between the two laminated boards 26 and 20. The carriage 46 equipped with the saw head 48 moves along the bed 42 to mill the log into lumber.

[0039] The log carriage 14, which is also located between the first set of two laminated boards 18 and 20, is attached to the hydraulic assembly 12.

[0040] The log turner 28 is located between the second set of two laminated boards 36 and 38. The body of the motor 30 is fixed to the laminated board 26, the base of the log turner 28, and the laminated board 36.

[0041] Advantages

[0042] The board assembly has multiple functions. First, the assembly can be used as a crossbeam to fix the parallel guide rails together, thus keeping the bed 42 intact. Second, the assembly can serve as a firm support for the log to be milled. Third, the assembly can be used to support and guide the toe board 6 and support and guide the log carriage 14 ( Figure 1), and support and stabilize the log turner 26.

[0043] In addition, the top fasteners 13 and 15 of the toe board assembly can fix the laminated boards 18 and 20 to help maintain the crossbeam structure of the laminated boards 18 and 20 ( Figure 2 ).

[0044] In addition, the bolts 8, nuts 10 and spacers 22 of the log carrier assembly can also fix the laminated boards 18 and 20 and the plate 25 to help maintain the crossbeam structure of the laminated boards 18 and 20 ( Figure 2 ).

[0045] In addition, the assembly of bolts 8 and nuts 10 that fix the toe board 6, the log carrier 14 and the motor of the log turner 26 now also becomes a part of the crossbeam structure for strengthening the laminated crossbeam boards within the bed 42 ( Figure 4 ).

[0046] The present invention also has some other advantages. The laminated boards have sufficient strength to support each component and any log, while being very light in weight. In addition, the laminated boards are assembled using easy-to-use component fasteners and any fastening methods known in the art, which means that the customer or user can easily move the boards and attach them to the brackets or the saw bed. This assembly design means that the user does not need to weld the boards to the bed, and also means that the individual boards can be transported flat rather than assembled. The reduction in transportation costs and the simplicity of do-it-yourself assembly make it an option that attracts consumers to purchase personal saws. The laminated boards are easier to manufacture, reducing the manufacturing cost and further saving costs for consumers. The laminated boards are lighter, which can reduce transportation costs and further save costs.

[0047] Although only one embodiment of the present invention is shown and described herein, it is understood that various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0048] Unless otherwise defined, all technical terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0049] The scope of the claims should not be limited to the preferred embodiments listed in the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the entire description.

Claims

1. A sawing machine, comprising: A machine body having a first guide rail and a second guide rail positioned parallel to each other, A carriage moving horizontally along the machine body, A saw head attached to the carriage, A cross beam having a first end and a second end, the first end being attached to the first guide rail and the second end being attached to the second guide rail, the cross beam comprising a laminated plate assembly, the laminated plate assembly comprising: Two or more rigid plates extending horizontally from the first end to the second end, and At least one bolt, For one or more components of the sawing machine, the one or more components being fixed between the two or more horizontally extending rigid plates by the at least one bolt, wherein the at least one bolt also fastens the two or more horizontally extending rigid plates to each other.

2. The sawing machine according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one bolt supports and stabilizes the horizontally extending rigid plates; and the one or more components can move within the horizontally extending rigid plates.

3. The sawing machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The one or more components include one or more of the following: Toe board assembly; Log carriage assembly; And Log turner assembly.

4. The sawing machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The one or more components include a toe board assembly, the toe board assembly further comprising a toe board operated by a hydraulic assembly, the hydraulic assembly including a top end and a bottom end, the top end being fixed to a top fastener, the top fastener being fixed to each of the two or more rigid plates, and a bottom fastener, the bottom fastener being fixed to the toe board.

5. The sawing machine according to claim 4, wherein, The toe board assembly further includes a vertically extending slot passing through the toe board, the top fastener being received in and passing through the slot to allow a vertically slidable relationship to be formed between the toe board and the top fastener, Preferably wherein, The dimensions of the slot and the top fastener prevent the toe board from moving horizontally.

6. The sawing machine according to any one of claims 4 to 5, wherein, The two or more rigid plates are positioned to prevent the toe board from moving horizontally.

7. The sawing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The one or more components include a log carriage assembly, the log carriage assembly including a log carriage operated by the hydraulic assembly, the top end being fixed to the top of the log carriage, the bottom end being fixed to each of the two or more rigid plates, Preferably wherein, The two or more rigid plates are positioned to prevent the log carriage from moving horizontally.

8. The sawing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The one or more components include a log turner assembly, the log turner assembly including a log turning chain, a chain rod and a motor, the motor being fixed to the two or more rigid plates, the motor providing structural integrity to the laminated plate assembly.

9. The sawing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, The horizontally extending rigid plates are fastened to the guide rails with rigid brackets.

10. The sawing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein The two or more horizontally extending rigid plates are made of steel.

11. The sawing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the at least one bolt further includes a spacer attached to the at least one bolt, the spacer being in close fit with the space between the laminated plates and providing structural integrity to the laminated plate assembly.

12. The sawing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the at least one bolt further comprises a spacer attached to the component fastener, the size of the spacer preventing horizontal movement of the one or more components.

13. A method for fixing one or more components to a sawing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising: fixing two or more horizontally extending rigid plates to the bed of the sawing machine with at least one bolt; fixing one or more components for the sawing machine between the two or more horizontally extending rigid plates with at least one bolt, wherein: at least one bolt for one or more components of the sawing machine supports and stabilizes the two or more horizontally extending rigid plates; and one or more components for the sawing machine are capable of moving freely within the two or more horizontally extending rigid plates, preferably wherein the fixing also fixes and supports the rigid plates.

14. A kit for constructing a sawing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising a bed, a carriage, a saw head, a cross beam, one or more components and at least one bolt.

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