Abstract: An apparatus and method for sharpening a disc blade includes a grinding wheel mounted on a housing. The housing is mounted on a drive shaft so that the housing rotates with the drive shaft but can move axially relative to the drive shaft. A transversely extending projection on the housing extends into a space between two axially spaced spacers on the drive shaft. A spring is positioned between each spacer and the projection for resiliently biasing the housing in an axial direction.

Abstract: A method of operating an orbital saw to transversely sever superposed elongated web plies into shorter length products which includes advancing along a linear path superposed elongated web plies having a cross sectional area of at least about 3.5 square inches (2200 mm.sup.

Abstract: A method of operating an orbital saw for transversely severing elongated, superposed, multi-ply web material which includes advancing the web material along a path into a cutting station having a skew arm adjacent said path, rotating said arm about an axis skewed with respect to the path, the skew arm having a disc blade coupling means, such as a 4-bar linkage, mounted thereon and carrying a rotating disc blade with the blade axis spaced from the arm axis to cause the blade to intersect the path and cut the web material during the blade orbit, maintaining the blade axis at an angle skewed relative to the arm axis to position the disc blade continually perpendicular to the path whereby the disc blade makes a square cut through the web material, providing the coupling means with a grinding stone for the blade and a control for contacting the grinding stone and blade, and positioning the grinding stone radially inwardly throughout the entirety of the blade orbit whereby centrifugal forces are reduced and cyclic

Abstract: A compensating linkage for a continuous motion saw for elongated web plies wherein a skew arm is pivotally connected at its ends to a drive arm and where the drive arm at its ends carries disc blades and sharpening grinding stones for the blades, the ends of the drive arm being pivotally connected for two degrees of freedom with brackets which in turn are connected to an eccentrically mounted control arm, the linkage resulting in compensation for the skew angle to provide a cut perpendicular to the movement of the web plies and reduction of centrifugal forces and elimination of cyclic centrifugal loading on the blade grinding systems.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the operation of a skewed orbiting saw which is employed for transversely cutting continuously advancing elongated lengths of multi-ply material into shorter lengths, the means for varying the speed of advance of the lengths of material.