BUNDLING WOOD BY MACHINERY.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17419, 1 April 1922, Page 6

BUNDLING WOOD BY MACHINERY.

Cutting and bundling wood for lighting fires is a process which can be carried out on an economic basis only by very cheap labour, or by very simple and efficient machinery. Cheap labour being a rare thing nowadays, there is an increased demand for machinery which will not only chop wood into the required lengths, but aiso arrange the pieces in suitable bundles. A new machine for the latter process was recently constructed by a British firm, Tiie cut wood is fed on to an inclined shoot,, which delivers them to a conveyor belt running at a considerable speed: It is thrown oif the belt on to a slowly moving wheel with partitions into which the pieces fall. Any piece which does not happen to fall into a partition drops back again, and is carried once more to the shoot. The partitions deliver into a trough with an opening at the bottom, through which the pieces fall into boxes. As each box is filled, the operator presses a foot plate which removes the full box and brings another into place for filling. The whole process is exceedingly rapid, and the machine can be worked by one unskilled operator.