as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the present invention is a material handling apparatus , indicated generally at 10 , having a movable carriage assembly 12 movable from a retracted position to an extended position for sweeping lumber 14 onto a conveyor system 16 , a stacker pallet ( not shown ), or other machinery . each piece of lumber 14 is fed onto the material handling apparatus 10 from a lumber forming machine ( not shown ) and then swept to the conveyor system 16 by the carriage assembly 12 . driven pinch motors ( not shown ) can be used to drive each lumber piece 14 onto the material handling apparatus 10 . the lumber forming machine can be any type of lumber forming machine including , but not limited to , a molding forming machine with a molder outfeed , a gang - rip or sawing machine , or the like . the material handling apparatus 10 of the present invention includes a supporting frame 18 for supporting the carriage assembly 12 on a surface such as the ground or the floor . the supporting frame 18 is preferably constructed from a plurality of steel frame members preferably welded together to form a sturdy support for the carriage assembly 12 . it should be noted , however , that while the supporting frame 18 has been described as being constructed a steel material , it is within the scope of the present invention to construct the supporting frame 18 from other materials including , but not limited to , other types of metal , wood , plastic , fiberglass , etc . furthermore , while the steel frame members have been described as being connected together by welds , it is within the scope of the present invention to connect the steel frame members together by other means including , but not limited to , rivets , bolts , screws , adhesive , heat welds , etc . the material handling apparatus 10 additionally includes a track 20 welded to the supporting frame 18 for allowing free movement of the carriage assembly 12 along the length of the track 20 . the tracks 20 are preferably constructed from a plurality of angle irons having a predetermined length . the actual length of the tracks 20 is dependent on the desired extent of travel by the carriage assembly 12 , as will be discussed in further detail below . the carriage assembly 12 is mounted on a plurality of wheels or casters 22 for free movement of the carriage assembly 12 from the retracted position to the extended position and back to the retracted position . the wheels or casters 22 are positioned within the tracks 20 mounted on the supporting frame 18 for movement along the length of the tracks 20 . a gear motor ( not shown ) driven through an ac inverter ( not shown ) powers the carriage assembly 12 to move along the tracks 20 . the gear motor has a variable speed control to speed up or slow down the cycle of the carriage assembly 12 . the operator of the material handling device 12 , through separate controls ( not shown ) can control the cycle time of the lumber 14 depending on the desired speed of the carriage assembly 12 movement . a rack and pinion ( not shown ) mounted between the carriage assembly 12 and the supporting frame 18 provides smooth equal movement of the carriage assembly 12 relative to the supporting frame 18 . at least one sensor ( not shown ) can be provided to control the movement of the carriage assembly 12 and the activation of the gear motor . as each successive lumber piece 14 is loaded onto the material handling apparatus 10 , each sensor senses the next lumber piece 14 to activate the gear motor and movement of the carriage assembly 12 . therefore , activation of the gear motor and movement of the carriage assembly 12 can be automatic depending on the rate of feed of the lumber pieces 14 from the lumber forming machine . the supporting frame 18 further includes a slide table 24 and a ramp 26 for moving each successive lumber piece 14 off of the supporting frame 18 to the conveyor system 16 or a stacking pallet . while the slide table 24 and the ramp 26 are preferably constructed from a substantially planar sheet metal material , it is within the scope of the present invention to construct the slide table 24 and the ramp 26 from other materials so long as each lumber piece 14 can easily move along both the slide table 24 and the ramp 26 . furthermore , the supporting frame 18 includes a hood 28 for substantially completely covering the carriage assembly 12 when the carriage assembly is in the retracted position . the hood 28 can be constructed from sheet metal about and covering the supporting frame 18 . the carriage assembly 12 travels from beneath the hood 28 under the slide table 24 of the supporting frame 18 as the carriage assembly 12 moves from the retracted position to the extended position . a hood guard 29 maintains any lumber 14 on the carriage assembly 12 during retraction of the carriage assembly 12 , as described in further detail below . the material handling apparatus 10 of the present invention further includes a sweep device 30 mounted on the carriage assembly 12 movable from the retracted position , as illustrated in fig1 ( under the hood 28 ), to the extended position , as illustrated in fig2 ( outside the hood 28 ). the carriage assembly 12 and the sweep device 30 effectively sandwich the slide table 24 while the sweep device 30 is in the extended position . the sweep device 30 of the material handling apparatus 10 of the present invention has a first side wall 32 , a second side wall 34 opposite and substantially parallel to the first side wall 32 , a third side wall 36 connected between the first side 32 wall and the second side wall 34 , and a fourth side wall 38 opposite and substantially parallel to the third side wall 36 and connected between the first side wall 32 and the second side wall 34 . a flat , substantially planar top plate 40 forming a lumber - receiving platform is secured to the first sidewall 32 , the second sidewall 34 , the third sidewall 36 , and the fourth sidewall 38 . preferably , the first sidewall 32 , the second sidewall 34 , the third sidewall 36 , the fourth sidewall 38 , and the top plate 40 are constructed from a sheet metal material although constructing the first sidewall 32 , the second sidewall 34 , the third sidewall 36 , the fourth sidewall 38 , and the top plate 40 from a different material are within the scope of the present invention . operation of the material handling apparatus 10 of the present invention will now be described in detail . a person skilled in the art will understand that the below description of the operation of the material handling apparatus 10 is set forth for example only and other methods of operation are within the scope of the present invention . as illustrated in fig3 the first piece of lumber 14 is fed from the lumber - forming machine onto the extended sweep device 30 of the material handling apparatus 10 . the carriage assembly 12 is in the extended position with the sweep device 30 positioned outside the hood 28 of the supporting frame 18 thereby allowing the first lumber piece 14 to fall directly onto the top plate 40 of the sweep device 30 . as illustrated in fig4 the sweep device 30 is retracted with the lumber piece remaining on the top plate 40 of the sweep device 30 against the hood guard 29 . as illustrated in fig5 the sweep device 30 is completely retracted under the hood 28 of the supporting frame 18 and the lumber piece falls upon the slide table 24 of the supporting frame 18 nearingly adjacent the first sidewall 32 of the sweep device 30 . as illustrated in fig6 the sweep device 30 is actuated from the retracted position to contact the first lumber piece 14 and begins moving the first lumber piece 14 along the slide table 24 of the supporting frame 18 , toward the ramp 26 of the supporting frame 18 , and off of the material handling apparatus 10 to the conveyor system 16 . the next successive piece of lumber 14 , during this time , is being fed onto the top plate 40 of the sweep device 30 of the material handling apparatus 10 from the lumber forming machine . as illustrated in fig7 the sweep device 30 is further moved toward its extended position along the slide table 24 toward the ramp 26 . the next lumber piece 14 is positioned onto the top plate 40 of the sweep device 30 during this time . as illustrated in fig8 the sweep device 30 is fully extended to the extended position and the first lumber piece 14 slides down the ramp 36 toward the waiting conveyor system 16 . the sweep device 30 is then retracted ( not shown ) to the retracted position under the hood 28 of the supporting frame 18 . the process continues as more successive lumber pieces 14 are fed from the lumber - forming machine onto the top plate 40 of the sweep device 30 . the material handling apparatus 10 of the present invention minimizes production time and increased productivity by handling a continuous feed of lumber pieces 14 . in fact , the material handling apparatus 10 allows each successive lumber piece 14 to be positioned on the sweep device 30 during sweeping of the previous lumber piece 14 without having to fully retract the sweep device 30 to the retracted position . each next lumber piece 14 is ready to be swept from the material handling apparatus 10 without having to wait for the cycle of the sweep device 30 from the retracted position to the extended position and back to the retracted position . the foregoing exemplary descriptions and the illustrative preferred embodiments of the present invention have been explained in the drawings and described in detail , with varying modifications and alternative embodiments being taught . while the invention has been so shown , described and illustrated , it should be understood by those skilled in the art that equivalent changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention , and that the scope of the present invention is to be limited only to the claims except as precluded by the prior art . moreover , the invention as disclosed herein , may be suitably practiced in the absence of the specific elements which are disclosed herein .