Abstract:
A log peeler comprises a log peeling knife assembly 10 attached to a pulling cable 12, the pulling cable 12 being reeved around a powered cable drum 14. The pulling cable is attached at each end of the knife assembly so that the knife assembly will be pulled straight along a longitudinal line perpendicular to the orientation of the knife assembly. The powered cable drum 14 may be an engine or motor driven winch, where the engine or motor is an integral part of the assembly that includes the cable drum. The cable drum 14 is powered by a portable and detachable engine, such as a chain saw assembly 16. A remote control 82 may be located at or near the knife assembly so that the operator can engage or disengage the powered drum, as by closing or opening the chain saw trigger 17 through the action of a controller mechanism 84. Control 82 and controller mechanism 84 may be connected by a power cable or the controller mechanism 84 may be actuated by signals transmitted from control 82 through the air, such as infrared or radio telemetry signals.
Abstract:
High powered lasers are used to score the bark on logs before they are mechanically debarked. Typical of the lasers employed are multi-kilowatt CO.sub.2 industrial lasers. A high powered laser beam is brought to a focus just above the surface of the bark on the log. A jet of compressed air is blown coaxially with the beam and facilitates the beam's formation of a narrow slot in the surface of the bark. Logs are advanced and rotated by a plurality of parallel augers extending across the base of a trough. The lasers are positioned in a gap beneath and in between sets of augers. The beam's focus may be adjustable with respect to the bark's surface. The motion of the log with respect to a laser head produces a spiral cut along the surface of the log which slices the long fibers in the bark,
Abstract:
An apparatus for the surface treatment of trees having a frame extending along the tree to be worked upon and a surfacetreatment and tree-feeding assembly mounted on and movable along the frame. The assembly is adapted to move back and forth in the longitudinal direction of the tree and has surface-treatment members and tree-gripping members thereon, the latter being adapted to hold the tree while the assembly is moved in one direction and release the tree upon movement in the opposite direction.