An automated wall frame assembly system for use in assembling a wall frame includes an advancer assembly including a conveyor system configured to transport first frame members along an assembly axis to an output of the conveyor system. A frame unit is disposed generally at the output of the conveyor system and is configured to receive the first frame members from the conveyor system and attach a second frame member to the first frame members. A gantry assembly is disposed above the advancer assembly. The gantry assembly includes a gantry frame and at least one gantry tool movably attached to the gantry frame. The gantry tool is operable to deliver the second frame member to the advancer assembly from a location above the advancer assembly for being attached to the first frame members.

A construction system includes a set of constituent elements, at least one of which includes at least two superimposed folds each including at least two wooden structural boards. In this system, at least two constituent elements are fixed together by a non-adhesive fixing device and at least two adjacent folds are held against each other by non-adhesive holding device. The faces in contact with two structural boards are at least partially provided, at their contact interface, with a set of grooved patterns arranged so as to prevent the structural boards from sliding one relative to the other along at least one first immobilisation axis. A method for manufacturing such a construction system is also disclosed.

A process for manufacturing wall elements from nailable and/or stapleable materials, in which a wall element frame is positioned on a horizontal worktable. Wall panels are placed on the frame and the wall panels are fastened to the frame by nails and/or staples, which are driven by a compressed air setting device. A mobile robotin particular an autonomous mobile robothas a compressed air setting device and/or at least one milling unit and is movable on the surface formed by the wall panels. The robot motion is automatically controlled along the surface formed by the wall panels. At predetermined positions, the milling unit and/or the compressed air setting device is actuated to process the wall panels and/or to fasten them to the wall element frame.

A method of drying sticks, a related apparatus, resultant product and its uses where the method involves presenting a plurality of sticks in parallel as a single layer, pressing each stick with a bank of pressing members on and/or into at least one face of the sticks, each with plurality of protuberances, thereby to constrain the sticks against crook, and drying the sticks when so constrained. Preferably each bank of pressing members is an underside of a frame or lattice of a stack of such frames or lattices able to receive such a single layer of sticks between adjacent overlying/underlying frames or lattices, the protuberances preferably being only downwardly directed.

A method of manufacturing glue laminated timber columns involves forming a glue laminated timber panel and then cutting the glue laminated timber panel into a selected number of glue laminated timber columns. The method provides a substantial saving compared to a custom mass timber column.

Apparatus for producing wooden members for wooden trusses includes a control computer receiving a batch list, a series of infeed chutes for automatically transferring wooden members of different types to a conveyor, a scanner to detect defects, a defect saw for trimming such defects, a finger-jointer for joining wooden members end-to-end, a flying saw for cutting wood discharged from the finger jointer, a cutting saw for cutting wooden members processed by the first flying saw into web member blanks, and a component saw for cutting angles on the ends of the web member blanks. The control computer analyzes the batch list for causing a first infeed chute to feed in wooden members of a first type sufficient to produce all web members formed from wood of the first type, and then causes a second infeed chute to feed in wooden members of a second type. A related method is also disclosed.

A method of drying sticks, a related apparatus, resultant product and its uses where the method involves presenting a plurality of sticks in parallel as a single layer, pressing each stick with a bank of pressing members on and/or into at least one face of the sticks, each with plurality of protuberances, thereby to constrain the sticks against crook, and drying the sticks when so constrained. Preferably each bank of pressing members is an underside of a frame or lattice of a stack of such frames or lattices able to receive such a single layer of sticks between adjacent overlying/underlying frames or lattices, the protuberances preferably being only downwardly directed.

The present disclosure provides a method of forming a laminated wood product, which is adapted for receiving a load in a direction perpendicular to a principal fiber direction of the wood. The method comprises cutting a log (2) along the principal fiber direction of the log, into a plurality of wood lamellae (20a, 20b), such that the wood lamellae are formed as radial sections of the log, forming the wood lamellae (20a, 20b) to provide each wood lamella with a trapezoidal cross section, whereby the wood lamellae present a respective planar major base surface (bs1) that is formed at a radially outer part of the log (2) and a respective planar minor base surface (bs2) that is formed at a radially inner part of the log (2), arranging the lamellae (20a, 20b) as at least one layer in which planar major base surfaces (bs1) of immediately adjacent lamellae (20a, 20b) face opposite directions, and gluing together the lamellae (20a, 20b) side surface to side surface (ss1, ss2) such that a wood billet is formed. The method further comprises arranging the wood lamellae (20a, b) such that the major base surfaces (bs1) of immediately adjacent wood lamellae taper in opposite directions, and the gluing comprises wet gluing.

A system and method for producing a rectangular wooden panel with boards extending diagonally at an angle (), where each of the boards has opposite longitudinal sides and transverse sides includes a trimming device for trimming the transverse sides of the boards at an angle (90). The trimmed boards are transported to a position in front a joining station, and the boards are arranged at angle () in relation to a direction of displacement. The boards are then glued on at least the longitudinal side facing a board already located in the joining station, and then inserted into the joining station with a displacement device that includes a plurality of towing trolleys arranged on a coupling bar. The displacement device travels a displacement path in the displacement direction that runs parallel to the orientation of the transverse sides of the boards. The inserted board is pressed and glued to the board already in the joining station. These steps are repeated until a wooden panel of the desired size is achieved. Then, a triangular gusset is made with a cut running perpendicular to the transverse sides at one end of the wooden panel to produce a first right-angled side edge, and this cut-off gusset is then glued at the opposite end of the wooden panel such that a second right-angled side edge is produced. The system includes a controller which controls the cutting, gluing, pressing, joining, and displacement operations.

Apparatus for forming wooden members used to assemble wooden trusses includes a control computer receiving a batch list identifying each member included in each trusses. A first conveyor transports wooden members from an infeed chute to a finger-jointer joining wooden members end-to-end. A saw cuts the joined wood, and a second conveyor transports cut wooden members past a face printer for printing a component identifier on the face of such member, and past an edge printer for printing identifying assembled truss information upon an edge of selected members. A sensor detecting a member approaching the printers provides a signal to the control computer to synchronize printing by the face printer and to synchronize printing by the edge printer. The face printer and edge printer may be oriented perpendicular to each other. A related method is also disclosed.