Abstract: A multiple head gang saw has a plurality of moveable saw heads (12, 14) providing variable width cutting, and a single magnetostrictive displacement transducer (40) sensing displacement of all of the saw heads. The transducer sender unit (42) is mounted to a transverse cross beam (10), and a magnetostrictive rod (44) extends from the sender unit along and parallel to the cross beam. A plurality of pairs of electromagnets (62, 64, 87, 89) are mounted to respective saw heads proximate the magnetostrictive rod. Switching circuitry (116) selectively energizes a chosen electromagnet pair and de-energizes the remaining electromagnet pairs such that only the chosen electromagnet pair generates a magnetic field interacting with the signal in the rod from the sender unit, such that the displacement transducer indicates the distance from the sender unit to the chosen electromagnet pair and its respective saw head along the cross beam.

Abstract: A woodworking machine has a series of stations spaced along a conveyor having a clamp support for holding flat wood parts and passing the edges through the stations which include cope stations as well as others. The coping stations have a tool unit with a stack of tools mounted on a common spindle. The tools in each stack at the several stations are interrelated such that the cuts of the individual tools can be combined to form different final profiles in a wood part moving through the several stations. The particular cuts in the profile line are analyzed and interrelated to define basic cuts which can be combined to form the final profiles. One tool of each tool stack provides a particular cut, and by precise positioning of the individual tools, the combination of sequential cuts provide the final profile. Each tool may form a complete cut, may overlap a previous cut to form a continuation of such previous cut or may form a cut which includes only a portion of its cutting face.