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: The apparatus comprises a wheel-mounted frame on which engine driven hydraulic pumps are mounted to provide hydraulic power. Extending from the side of the frame is a live deck for transporting logs transverse to their length. A longitudinal conveyor receives the logs from the live deck and transports the logs to a retractable stop to establish the length of a firewood block. A saw adapted to transversely cut the log is arranged to be lowered to cut the block from the log. A guard encloses the saw and supports clamps that clamp the log on each side of the saw during cutting. The retractable stop is retracted from the log end as the guard clamps the log for cutting. Following cutting the cut block is directed to a centering device which centers the block relative to a hydraulic actuated ram and fixed splitter blades. The block is split when forced across the splitter blades by the ram. A kicker rejects log remnants to a reject conveyor. Unsuitable blocks are rejected to the reject conveyor.