Abstract: After cutting of a cant, it is conveyed in a direction perpendicular to the long dimension of the cant against a pair of pin stops. A photo-diode array is positioned across the width of the cant adjacent one end of the conveyor and cant. The pins are aligned with one edge of the photo-diode array, which serves as a zero or reference point to measure the width of the cant. When the cant strikes the pin stops, a laser connected to a linear positioner having a servo-controlled hydraulic cylinder is extended by a piston along the opposite end of the conveyor until the emitted laser beam clears the the remote edge of the cant and strikes the photo-diode array. When the laser clears the cant and strikes the photo-diode array, the cant dimension is read from a transducer output associated with the linear positioner. Subsequent processing of the cant can be set, either manually or automatically, based on the dimension measured.