Abstract: A method and apparatus for shearing logs to form billets includes movable stop at the discharge side of a shear to measure the length of the log passed through the shear. A light beam impinges on a detector when the trailing end of a log passes beyond the light beam to produce a signal concurrently with a signal which is produced by displacement of the movable stop. The concurrent production of these two signals is used to produce a third signal corresponding to a measure of the length of the log. The latter signal is used for determining the sheared length of one or part of a two-piece billet that can be produced from the log-end portion. The log is severed by displacing a movable upper die of the shear beyond a stationary lower die. In one embodiment, a gripper engages and pulls the end of the log from the shear. In a second embodiment, an H-shaped frame extending outwardly at the discharge side of the shear carries a movable stop.