Abstract: A method and apparatus for rotary-cutting a timber to peel off a veneer by a cutting knife from the outer periphery of a timber while rotating the timber around its longitudinal axis. The timber is gripped at its two end faces by means of chucking pawls which are driven in rotation. The chucking pawls comprise a plurality of chucks which are different in radial position. The chucks grip the timber at the end faces thereof adjacent to the outer peripheral surface of the timber, and as the timber is cut by the knife and reduced in diameter so that the knife comes close to a presently outermost chuck, the outermost chuck is retracted axially away from the end face of the timber, and the next outermost chuck continues to grip the timber adjacent to the presently outer peripheral surface of the timber. For this reason, the gripping force by the chuck pawls, resisting the cutting force moment, can be made small, and the timber gripping is made reliable.