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A head saw, framesaw, gang saw or head rig is the
A head saw, framesaw, gang saw or head rig is the saw
A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, Wire saw, wire, or Chainsaw, chain with a hard toothed edge used to cut through material. Various terms are used to describe toothed and abrasive saws.
Saws began as serrated materials, and when man ...
that makes the initial cuts in a log at a sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
, turning a log into cants, or planks of wood.
History
The original powered head saw was composed of long, narrow blades that used an up-and-down motion, areciprocating saw
A reciprocating saw is a type of handheld, small, machine-powered saw, in which the cutting action is achieved through a push-and-pull ("reciprocating") or back-and-forth motion of the blade. The original trade name, Sawzall, is often used in th ...
. Each blade was set at a fixed width meaning each log was cut identically, regardless of flaws. This design was not energy efficient and around 1860 sawmills began to adopt the more efficient circular saw
A circular saw or a buzz saw, is a power-saw using a toothed or Abrasive saw, abrasive disk (mathematics), disc or blade to cut different materials using a rotary motion spinning around an Arbor (tool), arbor. A hole saw and ring saw also use ...
. In the 1870s, the limitation of log size due to the radius of the circular saw was improved with the introduction of the double circular saw- with one blade atop the other. In the 1880s, the band saw
A bandsaw (also written band saw) is a power saw with a long, sharp blade consisting of a continuous band of toothed metal stretched between two or more wheels to cut material. They are used principally in woodworking, metalworking, and lumb ...
was introduced and was able to allow the head saw to handle logs of nearly unlimited size, ideal for the Californian redwoods.
Modern use
Today, head saws are mostly used for cutting logs in diameter depending upon the type of band mill the saws are mounted on. More optimized machines such as curve saws now cut the smaller diameters since they are far more efficient and can provide greater production. Dependent upon the log diameter, head saws can cut a log at speeds ranging from . Generally, log carriage speeds are adjustable for optimal performance.Operation
A head saw is operated by a head sawyer. The sawyer positions the log to the proper position for the initial cut while sizing up the log determining optimal usage. The offbearer is responsible for removing the cut boards.Head Rig, Ellis Lucia, c. 1965, Overland West PressSee also
*Lumber Edger
A lumber edger is a device with saws used to straighten and smooth rough lumber or bowed stock by making a cut along the sides of the boards. The result of this process is dimensional lumber.
In a saw mill the edger is next in line from the head ...
* Resaw
A resaw is a large band saw optimized for cutting timber along the grain to reduce larger sections into smaller sections or veneers. Resawing veneers requires a wide blade – commonly 2 to 3 inches (52–78 mm) – with a small kerf to ...
* Sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
References
{{Forestry tools Saws Sawmill technology de:Gattersäge