DEVICE FOR SAWING AND SPLITTING WOOD

Abstract

A machine for cutting and splitting logs includes a saw for cutting off a piece of wood from a log, a first receiver for a log that is to be cut, and a splitter for splitting a piece of wood into pieces, a splitting channel with a second receiver for the piece of wood that is to be split, wherein the splitting channel with the second receiver is downstream of the first receiver, and wherein the splitting channel may be tilted at an angle greater than 0 to horizontal when the machine is ready for use.

Claims

1. A machine for cutting and splitting logs, comprising: a saw for cutting off a piece of wood from a log, comprising a first receiver for the log; a splitter for splitting a piece of wood into pieces, comprising a splitting channel with a second receiver for the piece of wood, wherein the splitting channel with the second receiver is downstream of the first receiver; and wherein the splitting channel is tilted at an angle greater than 0 to horizontal when the machine is ready for use.

2. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the splitting channel is tilted at an angle of greater than 0 and less than or equal to 45 to horizontal.

3. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the splitting channel is tilted at an angle of 5 to 15 to horizontal.

4. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the splitting channel is tilted at an angle of 10 to horizontal.

5. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the splitter further comprises a splitting tool, wherein the splitting tool is at a right angle to at least one of a longitudinal axis of the second receiver and the splitting channel at the end of the splitting channel further away from the saw.

6. The machine according to claim 5, wherein the splitter comprises a ram configured to be pressed against the splitting tool, wherein the ram is further configured to be moved back and forth in the splitter, parallel to at least one of the longitudinal axis of the second receiver and the splitting channel.

7. The machine according to claim 5, wherein the second receiver in the splitter further comprises a support surface configured for the piece of wood to be placed on the support surface, and wherein the support surface comprises a V-shaped cross section.

8. The machine according to claim 1, further comprising a conveyor for removing split pieces of wood at a removal end of the second receiver facing away from the saw.

9. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the splitting channel is configured such that a first end of the splitting channel further away from the saw is further from a surface on which the machine rests than a second end of the splitting channel closer to the saw when the machine is ready for use.

10. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the saw comprises a cutting tool.

11. The machine according to claim 10, wherein the splitter further comprises a ram configured to be pressed against the splitting tool, wherein an imaginary extension of the cutting tool intersects an end surface of the ram when the ram is in a starting position adjacent a middle of the ram, and wherein the starting position of the ram is where the ram is furthest away from the splitting tool in the splitter.

12. The machine according to claim 5, wherein the splitting tool comprises a splitting wedge.

13. The machine according to claim 8, wherein the conveyor is a conveyor belt.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Reference is now made more particularly to the drawings, which illustrate the best presently known mode of carrying out the present disclosure and wherein similar reference characters indicate the same parts throughout the views.

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a machine according to the present disclosure for cutting and splitting logs,

[0026] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view through the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1,

[0027] FIG. 3 shows a detail of the sectional view shown in FIG. 2,

[0028] FIG. 4 shows another sectional view through the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1,

[0029] FIG. 5 shows the sectional view from FIG. 4, with a schematically indicated piece of wood, or length of wood, and a sawblade.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following description of technology is merely exemplary in nature of the subject matter, manufacture and use of one or more inventions, and is not intended to limit the scope, application, or uses of any specific invention claimed in this application or in such other applications as may be filed claiming priority to this application, or patents issuing therefrom. The following definitions and non-limiting guidelines must be considered in reviewing the description of the technology set forth herein.

[0031] In the following detailed description numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. For example, the present disclosure is not limited in scope to the particular type of industry application depicted in the figures. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the present disclosure.

[0032] The headings and sub-headings used herein are intended only for general organization of topics within the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the disclosure of the technology or any aspect thereof. In particular, subject matter disclosed in the Background may include novel technology and may not constitute a recitation of prior art. Subject matter disclosed in the Summary is not an exhaustive or complete disclosure of the entire scope of the technology or any embodiments thereof. Classification or discussion of a material within a section of this specification as having a particular utility is made for convenience, and no inference should be drawn that the material must necessarily or solely function in accordance with its classification herein when it is used in any given composition.

[0033] The citation of references herein does not constitute an admission that those references are prior art or have any relevance to the patentability of the technology disclosed herein. All references cited in the Detailed Description section of this specification are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0034] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a machine 100 according to the present disclosure for cutting and splitting logs from a diagonal perspective. The machine 100 contains a saw 1 and a splitter 2. In the illustration shown in FIG. 1 of the machine 100 according to the present disclosure, the saw 1 and splitter 2, as well as a conveyor, which shall be explained in greater detail below, are largely concealed by covers and protective elements, which provide safeguards for operators. FIG. 2 shows a sectional view through the machine 100 shown in FIG. 1.

[0035] The saw 1 contains a sawblade 12 in the exemplary embodiment, specifically a circular sawblade. Instead of a circular sawblade, the machine 100 according to the present disclosure can contain numerous circular sawblades, or at least one jigsaw blade, or bandsaw blade, or one or more saw chains.

[0036] When the machine 100 is in operation, a piece of wood 4 is cut by the saw 1, or its sawblade 12, from a log 3 placed on the first receiver 11 (see FIG. 4 and FIG. 5). The first receiver 11 is a conveyor belt in this exemplary embodiment, on which the log 3 is placed, and automatically transported to the sawblade 12.

[0037] The piece of wood 4 then falls into the splitter 2, or the splitting channel 22, due to the effects of gravity (see FIG. 5). The splitter 2 has a splitting channel 22 in the form of a trough, comprising a second receiver 21 and a supporting surface with a V-shaped cross section (see FIG. 4 and FIG. 5). The piece of wood 4 falls onto the supporting surface in the second receiver 21 for the splitter 2. The piece of wood 4 is held in place by the V-shaped cross section.

[0038] There is a splitting tool in the form of a splitting wedge at the end of the splitting channel 22 facing away from the saw 1. The blade of the splitting wedge is at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the splitting channel 22, or the longitudinal axis of the second supporting surface 21. The splitting wedge is star-shaped, with one long blade and two cross-blades, thus obtaining six pieces of split wood. The splitting wedge can also form a cross, with one long blade and one cross-blade, or it can have just a long blade, or more than two cross-blades.

[0039] The splitter 2 has a ram 24 that pushes the piece of wood against the splitting wedge. The ram 24 is at an end of the splitting channel 22 facing toward the saw 1 and can be moved back and forth in relation to the splitting wedge in the splitting channel 22, parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof, or the second supporting surface 21. In the exemplary embodiment, the ram 24 can only more toward and away from the splitting wedge in the splitting channel 22. When a piece of wood 4 is in the splitting channel 22, it is pushed against the splitting wedge and split into six pieces.

[0040] The saw 1 has an electric motor that drives the sawblade 12 directly. Alternatively, the sawblade can be powered by an electric motor with a V-belt, an internal combustion engine with a V-belt or a PTO with V-belts, in which case there may be a transmission between the sawblade drive and the sawblade 12. The splitter 2 also has an electric motor in the exemplary embodiment. Alternatively, the same motor can be used to power the saw 1 and the splitter 2, e.g., via a crankshaft.

[0041] If a particularly misshapen, or extremely knotty piece of wood, or a short piece of wood with a particularly large diameter, falls from the saw into the splitting channel, it may not be properly aligned in the splitting channel in conventional machines for cutting and splitting logs, i.e., such that instead of its longitudinal axis being parallel to the longitudinal axis of the splitting channel, it is transverse thereto. In this case, the operator must manually align the piece of wood in the splitting channel, requiring an interruption in the workflow and opening any safety elements.

[0042] To prevent the piece of wood from becoming misaligned in the splitting channel 22, the splitting channel 22 in the machine 100 according to the present disclosure for cutting and splitting logs is tilted at an angle greater than 0 (see FIG. 2). The splitting channel 22 is formed in the machine 100 such that the end thereof facing away, or further, from the saw 1 is higher than the end of the splitting channel facing, or closer to, the saw. This angle is the angle formed between the horizontal and the splitting channel 22 when the machine 100 is ready for use.

[0043] In general, an angle at which the splitting channel is tilted between 0 and 45 to horizontal is sufficient to prevent the piece of wood from becoming misaligned in the splitting channel 22. An angle of 5 to 15 has proven to be ideal, because the machine 100 can then be particularly compact, while still ensuring that the pieces of wood 4 will fall reliably into the splitting channel 22 with the correct alignment. Tests have shown that angle of 10 is particularly ideal.

[0044] Test models have shown that a splitting channel tilted at this angle is clearly more effective.

[0045] With pieces of wood with an average diameter of 33 cm, and a length of 20 cm, there is a 25-50% error rate with horizontal or level splitting channels in conventional machines for cutting and splitting logs.

[0046] With a splitting channel 22 tilted at an angle of 10, there was only a 0-1% error rate with the machine 100 according to the present disclosure for cutting and splitting logs.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 3, the ram 24 and sawblade 12 are placed in the machine 100 shown in this exemplary embodiment such that an imaginary extension of the sawblade 12 basically intersects the end surface of ram 24 at the middle when the ram 24 is in the starting position. The starting position of the ram 24 is when it is as far away from the splitting tool in the splitter 2 as possible, i.e., the position from which the ram 24 starts to move toward the splitting tool, or splitting wedge.

[0048] This configuration increases the reliability with which the piece of wood is transferred from the saw 1 to the splitter 2, because this helps the piece of wood 4 that has been cut off to assume the desired alignment before it comes in contact with the splitter 2, or its second receiver 21.

[0049] As can be seen in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the machine 100 for cutting and splitting logs contains a conveyor 3 in the exemplary embodiment for removing the split pieces of wood, for example, a conveyor belt. Only part of the conveyor 3 is shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The conveyor 3 is located at the end 23 of the second receiver 21 facing away from the saw 1, i.e., at the end of the splitting channel 22, or second receiver 21, facing away from the saw 1. After a piece of wood 4 has been split by the splitter, the individual pieces of split wood fall directly onto the conveyor 3 with which they are removed.

[0050] By combining this conveyor 3 with a tilted splitting channel 22, the transfer and operating reliability to the conveyor 3 is substantially improved by the tilted splitting channel 22 with a splitting tool at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the splitting channel 22 in comparison with conventional machines with level splitting channels. This is because the angle between the splitting direction and the conveyor 3 is smaller, and higher in relation to the base, such that the pieces of wood are transferred to the conveyor 3 with less interference.

[0051] This type of conveyor 3 is optional, and the machine 100 according to the present disclosure can also function without one. In this case, the split pieces of wood fall directly out of the splitter 2, or they are pushed out of the splitter 2 by subsequent pieces of split wood. These pieces of wood collect on the ground, or the surface on which the machine is placed, in the area at the end of the splitting channel 22 or second receiver 21 facing away from the saw 1 and can be picked up manually and moved from there to the desired location.

[0052] The preferred embodiments of the disclosure have been described above to explain the principles of the present disclosure and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to utilize the present disclosure. However, as various modifications could be made in the constructions and methods herein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings, including all materials expressly incorporated by reference herein, shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by the above-described exemplary embodiment but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents.