Panels made of interlocked wood pieces

Abstract

Disclosed are wood pieces for use to manufacture wood panels. Each of these wood pieces has an upper surface, a lower surface and two opposite sidewalls. Tongues and grooves or hooks and notches are provided on the opposite sidewalls of each of the wood pieces in such a way that (1) there is at least one tongue or hook on each sidewall and at least one corresponding groove or notch on the other sidewall and (2) the tongues or hooks on the tongues or hooks on the opposite sidewalls are positioned at a same height between the upper and lower surfaces of each wood piece, and the grooves or notches are positioned at another same height selected as a function of the one where stand the tongues or hooks. When the wood pieces are cut in such a way that their tongues and grooves or hooks and notches are positioned as indicated hereinabove, it is then requested that, after one wood piece has been positioned in a given flat position with an upper surface and a bottom surface, the adjacent wood piece be then positioned in a reverse position, with its bottom surfaces on top and its upper surface at the bottom. The wood pieces of similar shape are then interlocked with each other by alternatively locating one wood piece upside down and another piece upside up. Due to their configuration, each of the wood pieces is longitudinally orientable in one direction or the other, upon request. This is particularly interesting in the case where the wood pieces are cut from logs or branches that are of conical shape, since it is then possible to position them "head to tail" in an alternate manner in order to manufacture a straight panel.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to new panels made from wood pieces positioned side by side and interlocked with each other.[0002] The invention also relates to the wood pieces used to manufacture such panels.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART[0003] The concept of manufacturing panels from wood pieces positioned side by side and glued to each other is well known per se. By way of nonrestrictive examples of such panels also called "laminated panels", reference can be made to the following U.S. patents.[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 1,924,240 of 1933[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 3,730,820 of 1973[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,653 of 1991[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,597 of 1992[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,620 of 1999 and[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 6,025,053 of 2000.[0010] The concept of adding tongues and grooves on the sidewalls of wood pieces of in order to make it possible to interlock each piece with other adjacent pieces and thus to structurally reinforce the so formed panel is also well known per se. In this...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, it is impossible to tilt these pieces by rotating them at 180.degree. about the axis B.sub.1 shown on FIG. 1, or to modify their longitudinal orientation by pivoting them at 180.degree. about the axis B.sub.2 also shown in FIG. 1.

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