Ralph Theodore Vandagriff

US Patent:

43960502, Aug 2, 1983

Filed:

Aug 15, 1980

Appl. No.:

6/178607

Inventors:

Ralph L. Vandagriff - North Little Rock AR

International Classification:

B27M 100

US Classification:

144380

Abstract:

In a semi-batch practice of the process, the logs are plasticized using hot, pressurized alkaline liquid in a closed chamber having a preceding charging chamber and a succeeding unloading chamber. The chambers are selectively flooded and emptied to facilitate operations. A ram is used at the charging end to advance the logs. Spacers are placed in opposed pairs between successive charges. The unloading trough is equipped with a sling to facilitate advancement of the conditioned logs to the lathe. Process may be program-controlled, with monitoring of processing temperature, pressure, time, pH, processing solution constituency, and heat input. Additional variables may be input to the automatic controller, such as species, ambient log temperature, length of time since log harvest, veneer end-product (e. g. thickness and whether decorative quality is needed), log weight and log diameter. The process may also be more simply conducted in batchwise fashion.