A veneer cutting and sorting apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a revolvable knife blade having a cutting edge and a revolvable knife edge receiver having a cutting edge receiving surface. The knife blade cuts a veneer sheet as peeled from a peeler block by a veneer lathe at a previously detected boundary between defective veneer portion and product veneer sheet on the cutting edge receiving surface then revolving at the same peripheral speed as the cutting edge of the knife blade. Cut-off defective portion is allowed to drop off by its own weight.

An apparatus for transporting veneer sheets, where the veneer sheets each have an upper surface, a lower surface, and a plurality of edges connecting the upper surface to the lower surface. The apparatus includes a vacuum source and a conveyor for transporting individual sheets of veneer along a direction of travel to a predetermined location. The conveyor includes a belt running in the direction of travel. A vacuum opening adjacent the belt is in communication with the vacuum source to draw respective sheets of veneer to the belt by suction applied to the upper surface or the lower surface of the veneer sheets via the vacuum opening. The position of the conveyor is adjustable in a direction transverse the direction of travel to accommodate veneer sheets having different lengths.

When a veneer conveyed out by a discharging conveyor is a product veneer, a sorting apparatus is rotationally driven to pierce the product veneer with needle-like bodies by a guide member and a push-up member (a rolling bearing). When the veneer conveyed out by the discharging conveyor is a trash veneer, the sorting apparatus is rotationally driven so that the trash veneer is not pierced by the needle-like body. With this configuration, the progress of the abrasion of the needle-like bodies can be delayed as compared with the configuration in which the product veneer and the trash veneer are both pierced by the needle-like body. As a result, the time to replace the needle-like bodies can be extended, whereby the running cost can be reduced.

When a veneer conveyed out by a discharging conveyor is a product veneer, a sorting apparatus is rotationally driven to pierce the product veneer with needle-like bodies by a guide member and a push-up member (a rolling bearing). When the veneer conveyed out by the discharging conveyor is a trash veneer, the sorting apparatus is rotationally driven so that the trash veneer is not pierced by the needle-like body. With this configuration, the progress of the abrasion of the needle-like bodies can be delayed as compared with the configuration in which the product veneer and the trash veneer are both pierced by the needle-like body. As a result, the time to replace the needle-like bodies can be extended, whereby the running cost can be reduced.

A veneer cutting and sorting apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a revolvable knife blade having a cutting edge and a revolvable knife edge receiver having a cutting edge receiving surface. The knife blade cuts a veneer sheet as peeled from a peeler block by a veneer lathe at a previously detected boundary between defective veneer portion and product veneer sheet on the cutting edge receiving surface then revolving at the same peripheral speed as the cutting edge of the knife blade. Cut-off defective portion is allowed to drop off by its own weight.