Short bar separation and recovery system and method

A system and method are disclosed for separating and recovering short bars from full length bars in a rolling mill. The bars are initially conveyed on a run-out roller table from a shear to a transfer station where they are accumulated in a layer. The layer is transferred laterally from the transfer station onto a separation roller table at a separation station. An elevator lifts the tail ends of the full length bars off of the separation roller table, and the separation roller table then conveys the short bars to a recovery station. The remaining full length bars are then returned to the transfer station, from where they are sent on to a bundling station.