Mechanism for stacking sequentially received sheets

Serially flowing, conveyor-transported, horizontal sheets are sequentially dropped from a vertically fixed location atop one another onto a chain-supported stacking table incrementally lowered, by a distance equal to the thickness of a sheet, in synchronism with the rate of sheet delivery to the table. An adjustment mechanism is provided to exactly match the incremental distance of table lowering to the thickness of the sheets being stacked. A reciprocating link actuating a ratchet-type drive incrementally lowers the table, while a manual crank mechanism permits rapid raising of the table subsequent to the off-loading of a stack of sheets. The disclosed mechanism finds particular application as a pile stacker at the delivery end of an offset printing press.