WOOD SPLITTING MACHINE

Abstract

TITLE: WOOD SPLITTING MACHINE The present invention relates to a wood splitting machine (1) intended to produce plates (2) which can be used to form shingles, characterized in that it comprises holding means (5) for a quarter of a log of wood (6) to be split and two blades (10) movable in translation relative to said holding means, said two blades being placed in separate planes, the angle between said two planes being adapted to correspond to an angle between two substantially flat faces (12) of the quarter of the log to be split, so that the mobility of said two blades makes it possible to split plates on said two substantially flat faces, when the quarter of the log is placed in the splitting machine. Abstract figure: Figure 2

Description

Title of the invention: WOOD SPLITTING MACHINE Field of invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a wood splitting machine, intended to produce plates which can be used to form shingles.

[0002] Shingles are typically used to cover roofs or walls of homes. This method of covering is very old and very effective, both in terms of the waterproofing it provides and in terms of thermal insulation. Shingles can also be called "shingles".

[0003] A shingle is made from a wooden plate split from a block of wood, then worked, in particular to give it a beveled shape. Different types of wood can be used, for example oak, chestnut, beech, or fir. Prior art

[0004] The traditional shingle manufacturing process begins by cutting a log into blocks, also called stacks, of the desired length for the shingles. The length of the shingles depends on the end use. For example, it is between 30 cm and 60 cm.

[0005] The log is then cut into quarters, which will serve as the basis for splitting the wooden slabs. Splitting the quarters can be done using different methods, which depend on regional traditions. The quarters are stripped of their bark and the heart of the tree is generally removed.

[0006] The wooden slabs are then split by hand, using a splitting iron (coulter) and a mallet (wooden mallet). To obtain good quality shingles, the splitting planes are chosen to best follow the grain of the wood.

[0007] The general direction of the wood fibers is called "wood grain." This direction depends on the type of wood in question. For a number of woods traditionally used to make shingles, the wood grain corresponds to the radius of the log. In other words, in this case, the closer a piece of wood is split to the radius, the better the quality of the shingle will be. Consequently, in the traditional process, the pieces of wood are generally split alternately on the two flat longitudinal faces of the quarter log. This alternation makes it possible to follow the wood grain as closely as possible.

[0008] Such a manual splitting system is still widely used for obtaining shingles.

[0009] The wooden boards are then worked to give them a beveled shape on the back part, and thus form shingles. The beveled shape allows, during stacking the shingles, to reduce the excess thickness at the overlaps. The objective is to ensure, at the time of installation, a uniform and as flat as possible overlap.

[0010] The wooden panels can also be reworked in width, in order to improve the parallelism of the shingles and to facilitate their installation.

[0011] As an alternative to the traditional manual process, document EP0080408 proposes a machine for manufacturing shingles from wooden logs. The machine comprises a blade pivotally mounted on a support, around an axis close to its cutting edge and substantially parallel to it. The blade, via its support, is driven in an alternating back and forth translational movement. This movement takes place in a plane which determines a line of impact of the cutting edge of the blade on the log, in order to obtain wooden plates.

[0012] One disadvantage of the traditional process is that it is done manually. It must be carried out by skilled workers, and productivity is quite low. These parameters increase the cost of shingles.

[0013] A disadvantage of the method described in document EP0080408 is that the wooden boards are all split parallel to each other. When the grain of the wood used corresponds to its radius, this method therefore does not allow the grain of the wood to be followed. The wood fibers can then be cut when the boards are split, which can cause water to flow into the fiber bundles, thus causing the shingles to deteriorate more quickly.

[0014] There is therefore a need for a wood splitting machine, intended to produce plates that can be used to form shingles, which makes it possible to automate, at least partially, the splitting of the plates, while following the grain of the wood as closely as possible. The objectives are to improve productivity and reduce cost, while obtaining good quality shingles. Statement of the invention

[0015] These objectives, as well as others which will become more clearly apparent hereinafter, are achieved by means of a wood splitting machine intended to produce plates which can be used to form shingles. The wood splitting machine comprises means for holding a quarter of a log of wood to be split and two blades movable in translation relative to said holding means, said two blades being placed in separate planes, the angle between said two planes being adapted to correspond to an angle between two substantially flat faces of the quarter of a log to be split, so that the mobility of said two blades makes it possible to split plates on said two substantially flat faces, when the quarter of a log is placed in the splitting machine.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the invention, said two blades are integral with each other in translation and are intended to be moved relative to said holding means according to back-and-forth movements, one of said blades being arranged to split the quarter of log to be split during a "forward" movement and the other of said blades being arranged to split the quarter of log to be split during a "return" movement.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the invention, the means for holding said quarter of log to be split comprise means for supporting the quarter of log, to press it towards support planes substantially parallel to the planes of said blades.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the invention, said support means comprise a first jack, for pressing said quarter of log to be split towards a support plane substantially parallel to the plane of one of said blades and a second jack, for pressing said quarter of log to be split towards a support plane substantially parallel to the plane of the other of said blades.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the invention, the wood splitting machine comprises means for actuating said cylinders, the actuating means being configured to independently actuate said first cylinder and second cylinder.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the invention, said support means comprise a set of elements for distributing the support force, arranged between each of said jacks and said quarter of log, when the quarter of log is placed in the splitting machine.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the invention, said support means comprise a set of traction springs, respectively associated with said first and second jacks.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the invention, the angle between said two planes of said blades is a right angle.

[0023] According to one embodiment of the invention, the wood splitting machine comprises means for adjusting the angle between said two planes of said blades.

[0024] According to one embodiment of the invention, the wood splitting machine comprises means for adjusting the distance between the plane of a blade and the support plane intended to receive the corresponding face of said quarter of log, when the quarter of log is placed in the splitting machine, to adjust the thickness of a wooden plate.

[0025] The invention also provides a method of splitting wood to produce boards that can be used to form shingles, comprising placing a quarter log in a wood splitting machine as described above, and using said wood splitting machine to split a set of boards in said quarter log.

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[0031] Description of figures The invention will be better understood by reading the following description of preferred embodiments, given as a simple figurative and non-limiting example, and accompanied by the figures among which: - [Fig.l] is a perspective view of a wood splitting machine according to one embodiment of the invention; - [Fig.2] is a view similar to [Fig.l], the wood splitting machine being in operation; - [Fig.3] is a sectional view of a quarter log capable of being split by the wood splitting machine of [Fig.l], the corner of the quarter log being a right angle; - [Fig.4] is a sectional view of another quarter of log that can be split by the wood splitting machine of [Fig.l], the angle of the log quarter being an acute angle; - [Fig.5] is a sectional view of another quarter log capable of being split by the wood splitting machine of [Fig.l], the angle of the quarter log being an obtuse angle; - [Fig.6] is a perspective view of a moving part of the wood splitting machine of [Fig.l]; - [Fig.7] is a partial side view showing means for holding a quarter of wood in the wood splitting machine of [Fig.l]; and - [Fig.8] is a step diagram showing the steps of a wood splitting process that can be carried out by the wood splitting machine of [Fig.l]. Description of the embodiments [Fig.l] represents a wood splitting machine 1, intended to produce plates 2 which can be used to form shingles. The wood is for example oak, chestnut, beech, or fir. The wood splitting machine 1 comprises a support 3 and a movable part 4, movable in translation relative to the support 3. The support 3 comprises means 5 for holding a quarter of a piece of wood 6 to be split, and means 7 for guiding the movable part 4. The guiding means 7 comprise, for example, two rails 8, arranged parallel to each other, in the direction of translation. This support 3 obviously has an opening under the location of the log (not visible in the figures), allowing the evacuation of the split plates on the lower face of the log. The moving part 4 comprises a carriage 9 and two splitting blades 10. The blades 10 are integral with the carriage 9. The carriage 9 comprises, on its lower face, protrusions 11 intended to be inserted into the rails 8 to allow the translational guidance of the movable part 4 relative to the support 3.

[0032] A portion of a log of wood obtained by splitting the log longitudinally is called a "quarter of wood".

[0033] A quarter 6 comprises two substantially flat longitudinal faces 12 ([Fig.3]), which correspond to the splitting planes of the log, and an outer surface 13 having a cross-section substantially in an arc of a circle, which corresponds to the outer surface of the log.

[0034] The angle between the two longitudinal faces 12 of the quarter 6 is called the “angle of the wood quarter”.

[0035] The angle of a piece of wood 6 may be a right angle. In this case, the two longitudinal faces 12 are perpendicular to each other. This configuration corresponds to the splitting of a log into four pieces 6. This configuration makes it possible in particular to facilitate the transport and storage of the pieces of wood 6, because the presence of the two perpendicular faces 12 facilitates the creation of stacks.

[0036] However, the splitting machine can be used with quarters of wood 6 whose longitudinal faces 12 have any angle, in particular an angle between 60° and 120°. By way of example, [Fig.4] represents a quarter 6 having an angle of approximately 60°, and [Fig.5] represents a quarter 6 having an angle of approximately 120°.

[0037] As shown in [Fig.6], each blade 10 has a substantially flattened rectangular parallelepiped shape, and may be formed from steel. The cutting edge 14 of the blades 10 is beveled, to allow the wood to be split.

[0038] The two blades 10 are mounted on the carriage 9, for example by screwing. More precisely, a first blade 10 is fixed on a first surface 15 of the carriage 9, called the horizontal surface, and the second blade 10 is fixed on a second surface 16 of the carriage 9, which is inclined relative to the first surface 15. The angle between the first and second surfaces 15, 16 can be adjustable, for example using a pivot connection (not shown) arranged between the two surfaces 15, 16. The wood splitting machine 1 can then comprise means for adjusting the angle between the two surfaces 15, 16, therefore between the planes of the two blades 10. This adjustment can be carried out manually or automatically.

[0039] Each of the first and second surfaces 15, 16 comprises an opening 17, at the level of the cutting edge 14 of the corresponding blade 10, to allow the ejection of the wooden plates 2 during splitting.

[0040] The two blades 10 are thus placed in separate planes. The angle between the two planes is adapted to correspond to the angle of the quarter of log 6 to be split. From this In this way, the mobility of the two blades 10 makes it possible to split plates on the two substantially flat faces 12, when the quarter log 6 is placed in the splitting machine 1. For example, in the case where the angle of the quarter log 6 is a right angle, the angle between the two blades 10 is also a right angle.

[0041] The two blades 10 are further offset relative to each other along the translation axis. The objective is that the wooden plates 2 are split in an offset manner by the first and second blades 10.

[0042] The two blades 10 are for example mounted in an offset and head-to-tail manner, the cutting edges 14 of the two blades 10 being substantially in the same plane. In this way, the first blade 10 is arranged to split the quarter of log 6 during a "forward" movement and the second blade 10 is arranged to split the quarter of log 6 during a "return" movement.

[0043] The wood splitting machine 1 may further comprise means (not shown) for adjusting the distance between the plane of a blade 10 and the corresponding face 12 of the quarter-log 6, in order to adjust the thickness of a wooden plate 2. This adjustment is made by modifying the offset between the plane of each blade and the surface of the carriage 9 which carries this blade, which forms the bearing plane against which the face 12 of the block comes into contact. The face of the quarter-log 6 comes into contact with the surface of the carriage 9, this offset corresponding to the thickness of the wooden plate 2. The blade is preferably mounted in such a way that its cutting plane is parallel to this bearing plane, in order to cut wooden plates 2 whose faces are parallel. Different adjustments are however possible, for example with a blade whose cutting plane is slightly inclined relative to the bearing plane.

[0044] The means 5 for holding the quarter of the log 6 comprise two longitudinal locking elements 18 for locking the quarter of the log 6. The longitudinal locking elements 18 can be mounted on the support 3. Their function is to prevent the quarter of the log 6 from moving along the translation axis of the movable part 4. The distance between the two locking elements 18 is adapted to the quarter 6 to be split, that is to say it corresponds to the length of the quarter 6 to be split. The distance between the two locking elements 18 can be adjustable, to adapt to different lengths of quarters 6. The locking elements 18 are further configured so as not to hinder the movement of the carriage 9 and the blades 10. For this, they have for example an “L” shape, so that the first surface 15 of the carriage 9 can pass under the large bar of the “L” during its movement.

[0045] The means 5 for holding the block 6 also comprise means 19 for supporting the block 6, to press it towards the planes of the blades 10.

[0046] The support means 19 comprise a first jack 20, for pressing the quarter of the log 6 towards the first surface 15 of the carriage 9, constituting the support plane sen ably parallel to the plane of the first blade 10 and a second jack 20, to press the quarter of log 6 towards the second surface 15 of the carriage 9, constituting the support plane substantially parallel to the plane of the second blade 10. The force of the jacks must be high enough to allow sufficient support of the quarter of log 6 towards the support planes constituted by the surfaces of the carriage 9, so that the quarter of log 6 can be cut by the blades 10. The jacks 20 used are for example of the type of jacks used in the field of agricultural machinery.

[0047] The wood splitting machine 1 further comprises means for actuating the cylinders (not shown). The actuating means are configured to independently actuate the first and second cylinders 20.

[0048] The support means 19 comprise a set of contact elements 21 on the block quarter 6, for example two contact elements 21 for each jack 20. The contact elements 21 are arranged between each jack 20 and the block quarter 6. The contact elements 21 make it possible to distribute the support force exerted by a jack 20 on the block quarter 6.

[0049] The support means 19 further comprise a set of tension springs 22, respectively associated with the first and second cylinders 20. The function of the tension springs 22 is to urge the cylinders 20 towards their rest position, which makes it possible to accelerate the return to their rest position when they are no longer actuated. For example, two springs 22 are associated with each cylinder 20. It should be noted that, in other embodiments, such tension springs may prove unnecessary.

[0050] A splitting method implemented by the splitting machine 1 is described below. It is considered that a log of wood has already been cut and then split to form quarters 6.

[0051] The method comprises a step SI of placing the quarter 6 in the machine 1. For this, the quarter 6 is arranged between the two blocking elements 18.

[0052] The method comprises an optional step S2 of adjusting the angle between the planes of the blades 10, so that this angle corresponds to the angle of the quarter 6.

[0053] The method comprises a step S3 of pressing the quarter 6 towards the support plane constituted by the surface of the carriage 9 which is substantially parallel to the plane of the blade 10 intended to be used first to split a first plate 2. For this, the corresponding jack 20 is actuated ([Fig.7]).

[0054] The method comprises a step S4 of moving the movable part 4 in a first direction called the “forward” direction. During this movement, the cutting edge 14 of the blade 10, carried by the surface of the carriage 9 against which the quarter 6 was pressed in step S3, comes into contact with the quarter 6. A first plate 2 is then split on one of the two faces 12 of the quarter 6. The plate 2 is ejected via the corresponding opening 17 of the carriage 9 ([Fig.2]).

[0055] The method comprises a step S5 of releasing the jack 20 which had been actuated in step S3. At this moment, the springs 22 participate in a rapid retraction of the jack 20, therefore in its release from the quarter 6.

[0056] The method comprises a step S6 of pressing the quarter 6 towards the support plane constituted by the surface of the carriage 9 which is substantially parallel to the plane of the blade 10 intended to be used secondly to split a second plate 2. This blade 10 is the one which was not used in step S4, so as to split the second plate on the other face 12 of the quarter 6. For this, the corresponding jack 20 is actuated.

[0057] The method comprises a step S7 of moving the movable part 4 in a second direction called the “return” direction. During this movement, the cutting edge 14 of the blade 10, carried by the surface of the carriage 9 against which the quarter 6 was pressed in step S6, comes into contact with the quarter 6. A second plate 2 is then split on the other of the two faces 12 of the quarter 6. The plate 2 is ejected via the corresponding opening 17 of the carriage 9.

[0058] The method comprises a step S8 of releasing the jack 20 which had been actuated in step S6. At this moment, the springs 22 participate in a rapid retraction of the jack 20, therefore in its release from the quarter 6.

[0059] Steps S3 to S8 are repeated until all desired plates 2 have been split in quarter 6.

[0060] Then, the process ends, until a new quarter 6 is placed in the machine 1.

[0061] The back-and-forth movements of the blades 10 relative to the holding means 5 thus make it possible to automatically obtain several plates 2. The number of plates 2 obtained per quarter 6 is, for example, of the order of four to eight plates 2. This number depends on the angle of the quarter 6, its radius, and the desired thickness for the plates 2, in particular.

[0062] A first blade 10 is arranged to split the quarter 6 to be split during a "forward" movement and the second blade 10 is arranged to split the quarter 6 during a "return" movement. It is thus possible to alternate between the two flat faces 12 of the quarter 6, which makes it possible to follow the grain of the wood as best as possible.

[0063] The splitting machine 1 described above thus makes it possible to improve the productivity of the production of plates 2, therefore of shingles, and to reduce the cost thereof, while obtaining good quality shingles.

[0064] Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above as examples; it extends to other variants.

Claims

Claims

1. Wood splitting machine (1) intended to produce plates (2) which can be used to form shingles, characterized in that it comprises holding means (5) for a quarter of a log of wood (6) to be split and two blades (10) movable in translation relative to said holding means, said two blades being placed in separate planes, the angle between said two planes being adapted to correspond to an angle between two substantially flat faces (12) of the quarter of the log to be split, so that the mobility of said two blades makes it possible to split plates on said two substantially flat faces, when the quarter of the log is placed in the splitting machine, said two blades (10) being integral with each other in translation and being intended to be moved relative to said holding means (5) in back-and-forth movements,one of said blades being arranged to split the quarter of log (6) to be split during a "forward" movement and the other of said blades being arranged to split the quarter of log to be split during a "return" movement,

2. Wood splitting machine according to claim 1, in which the holding means (5) of said quarter of log (6) to be split comprise support means (19) on the quarter of log, to press it towards support planes substantially parallel to the planes of said blades (10).

3. Wood splitting machine according to claim 2, wherein said support means (19) comprise a first jack (20), for pressing said quarter of log (6) to be split towards a support plane substantially parallel to the plane of one of said blades (10) and a second jack (20), for pressing said quarter of log to be split towards a support plane substantially parallel to the plane of the other of said blades (10).

4. A wood splitting machine according to claim 3, comprising means for actuating said cylinders (20), the actuating means being configured to independently actuate said first cylinder and second cylinder.

5. A wood splitting machine according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said support means (19) comprise a set of elements (21) for distributing the support force, arranged between each of said jacks (20) and said quarter log (6), when the quarter log is placed in the splitting machine.

6. A wood splitting machine according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein said support means (19) comprise a set of traction springs (22), respectively associated with said first and second jacks (20).

7. A wood splitting machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the angle between said two planes of said blades (10) is a right angle.

8. A wood splitting machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising means for adjusting the angle between said two planes of said blades (10).

9. A wood splitting machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising means for adjusting the distance between the plane of a blade (10) and the support plane intended to receive the corresponding face of said quarter log (6), when the quarter log is placed in the splitting machine, to adjust the thickness of a wooden plate (2).

10. A method of splitting wood to produce boards suitable for forming shingles, comprising placing a quarter log (6) in a wood splitting machine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and using said wood splitting machine to split a set of boards (2) in said quarter log.

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