Importance

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Abstract

An apparatus for supporting workpieces while feeding them into position to have a surface thereof operated on by a machine tool such as a honing material rotatable about an axis including a support assembly having a canted wall structure located to be intersected at an intermediate location by the axis of rotation of the tool, a plurality of spaced sprocket assemblies mounted on the canted wall structure each having a pair of space sprocket gears, an endless chain assembly mounted on the sprocket assemblies for movement when the sprocket assemblies rotate, a reach of the chain assemblies extending adjacent to where the axis of the tool intersects the canted wall structure, at least one elongated workpiece support member extending transversely through and from one side of the chain assembly substantially normal to the canted wall structure for supporting a workpiece to be fed, and mechanism for laterally displacing a portion of the chain assembly in the reach thereof that extends adjacent to where the axis of the tool intersects the wall structure whereby the elongated workpiece support member thereat is moved from a position normal to the canted wall structure to a position parallel to the axis of the tool so that the workpiece supported thereby can be moved off of the support member and into a support fixture or onto the rotatable tool.

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First Claim