CA2301353A1 - Band saw portable sawmill having integral circular saw edges - Google Patents

Abstract

A saw assembly for cutting a board from a log in a single pass. The assembly includes a band saw primary blade for forming a horizontal cut along the bottom surface of the board, and first and second spaced apart circular saw blades for simultaneously forming the vertical cuts along the edges of the board. The circular saw edger blades are mounted to a pivotable frame which can be lowered and raised into and out of cutting engagement with the log. Power may be taken from the main arbor shaft which rotates the wheels of the band saw blade, via an angled drive belt and pulleys for example. The distance between the circular saw edger blades may be adjusted so as to adjust the width of the board, by sliding the edger blades towards and apart from one another along the edger blade arbor shaft. The position of the edger blades may be controlled by adjuster bars which act through collars which engage control bearings on the edger blades. The assembly may be used in a portable saw mill, and the band saw primary blade and circular saw edger blades may be mounted to a moving frame for simultaneous longitudinal movement relative to a stationary log.

Description

HAVING INTEGRAL CIRCULAR SAW L;DCES
BArKC'rROtJND OF THE INVENTION
a. Field of the lnvcntion The present invention relates generally to sawmills, and, more particularly, to ~r portable sawmill of the hand saw type having inlegr-al circular saw edgers so that it cuts along three sides of a board in a single pass.
l0 b. Background Art Nortable sawmills are widely used to cut logs into boards "on site", typically at the location of a small logging or clearing operation. Such sawmills generally f:~ll into one of two categories, i.e., circular saw units and hand saw units. In a circular saw unit, a lark circular saw blade forms the primary cut, whereas in band saw units the primary cut is made by a toothed band that is driven by a pair of large-diameter wheels.
In opc;ration, conventional portable sawmills make a horizontal cut through the log, producing a "hitch", i.e., a flat board with bark along both edges. In order to produce a usable piece of lumber, the bark along the sides of the fliteh must be removed 2U and the edges must be squared off. This requires taking the flitches and passing them through a second machine having a pair of parahel blades, referred to as an "eager", or sometimes the flitchcs arc stacked together and passed back through the sawtnill itself for edging.
In either cast, the edging process is inherently labor intensive and time consuming, adding a signil ettnt clement of inefficiency to the operation.
Moreover, where the operator resorts to using a separate eager machine (often, this is done in an effort to speed up the process), this means an investment of several thousand dollars in an additional piece of equipment, plus the added complications of maintaitling ant!

S transporting the separate edger; an example of such a separate cdgcr machine is the "Valley Portable Edgcr", available from Woodmiscr Products, Inc., (8180 W.
10th Street, Indianapolis, 11V).
(~n~ clTurt that has been made at solving these problems is embodied in a mobile;
sawmill that is available from Mobile Manufacturing Company (798 N. W. Dunbar Avenue, Trouidale, Oregon), under the name "Mobile Dimension Saw". This apparatus employs a large (30 inch diameter) circular saw blade to form the primary cut, and lirst and second circular blades that forth the edge cuts.
While the "Mobile Dimension Saw" is thus able to form a sduared off piece of lumber in a single pass, this apparatus also exhibits a number of problems in use. Firstly, the three circular saws that this device employs create excessive waste (i.e., sawdust), especially the large primary blade. Moreover, the blades require a comparatively large amount of power in order to operate effectively; in particular, the apparatus requires a 53-67 horsepower gasoline engine, which (in addition to being costly to purchase) consumes an excessive amount of fuel in use. ~Fiigh power requiretncnts also necessitate the use of substantially beefed-up and complicated transmission proponents, again addins to the cost of the apparatus.
Band saw type portable sawmills have numerous advantages over lhcir circular saw type counterparts, beginning with the fact that the toothed band cuts much narrower kerf than a corresponding circular saw blade, thereby producing much less waste.
Moreover, band-type sawmills are much less horsepower to operate, many models being equipped with a 12-16 horsepower engine, which consumes perhaps one-third the amount of fuel of the larger engines mentioned about.
Despite their advantages, however, band-type sawmills have not previously existed which are capable of cutting three sides of a board in a single pass.
As a result, operators of hand-type sawmills have until now been forced to use the separate edginb steps or equipment described ahwe.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a band-type portable sawmill that is capable of edging boards while simultaneously forming the primary cut, so as to be able to produce an edged board in a single pass. Furthermore, there exists a nerd for such a sawmill which is inexpensive to manufacture and operate, and which is durable and S reliable in use. Still further, there exists a need for such a sawmill lhat is able to form such edged boards in a single pass, hul wilhoul requiring a significant increase in horsepower over exisiin~ forms of band-type sawn7ills.

The present invention has solved the problems cited above, and is a saw assembly for simultaneously forming bottom and side cuts when cutting a piece of lumber from a log or other piece of wood. Broadly, this comprises a horizontally extending bandsaw blade for forming the primary cut under the board, and first and second spaced-apart circular saw blades for simultaneously forming the cuts along the edges of the board.
The assembly may further comprise an eager blade arbor sham to which the first and second circular saw blades arc mounted for being rotated thereby, and mcatts may be provided for supplying rotational power to the shaft. The rncans for supplying power to the eager blade arbor shall may comprise a band saw arbor shaft for supplying power to the bared saw primary blade, the band saw arbor shaft being aligned substaniially perpendicular to the eager blade arbor shaft, and means for operatively interconnecting the band saw arbor shaft and the edge blade arbor shad so that power is supplied to the latter from the main band saw arbor shaft. The means for operatively interconnecting the hand saw arbor shaft and the eager blade arbor shaft may comrrise a first drive pulley which is mounted to the band saw arbor shall, a second drive pulley which is lnountcd to the cxigcr blede arbor shaft, and a drive belt which'intcrconnects the first and second drive pulleys. There may he at least one idler pulley mounted so as to redirect the drive belt approximately 90° so that the belt is in alignment with the drive pulleys an the two arbor 2S shafts. Altcrztatively, the means for supplying power to the eager blade arbor shall may comprise a dedicated drive motor which is operatively connected to the shaft.
The assembly may further comprise means for sdectivcly lowering and raising the circular saw blades into and out of c:utling engagement with the log. The means for selectively lowering and raising the circular saw blades may comprise a pivotable eager 3U frame having a first end which supports the eager blade arbor shaft and a second end which is pivotably mounted to stationary support frame, and means fvr selectively pivoting the first end of the eager franc upwardly and downwardly relative to the stationary support frame. The means for selectively pivotinK the first end of the eager frarrle relative to the stationary support frame may comprise a manually operable lifting 5 handle having a first portion which is mounted to the stationary support frame and a second portion which is mounted to the pivolable edger frame.
The assembly may further comprise means for selec;lively adjusting a lateral distance between the first and second circular saw blades to as to selectively adjust the width of the board which is cut thereby. The means for adjusting the lateral distance between the circular saw blades may comprise means for selectively sliding the circular saw blades longitudinally along the cdgcr blade arbor shaft. The means for selectively sliding the blades along the shah may comprise first and second collar members which mount the circular saw blades to the arbor shaft, the collar members being free to slide longitudinally thereon, and first and second adjuster members which engage the collar members so as io selectively slide the collar members along the shaft.
Each adjuster member mt~y comprise an adjuster bar which is mounted for longitudinal movement relative to the edger blade arbor shaft, and an adjuster strut having a first end which is mounted to the adjuster bar and a second end which is in operative engagement with the collar member so as to slide the latter lonsitudinally along the arbor shaft in response to longitudinal movement of the adjuster bar. The adjuster member may further comprise a handle which is mounted to the adjuster bar for manually applying longitudinal movement thereto.
Each collar member may further comprise a bearing for pennitting the collar member to rotate freely relative to the adjuster strut, and the adjuster member may further comprise a control yoke which is mounted on the second end of the adjuster strut for engaging the bearing on collar member. Each adjuster member may further comprise a blade guard which is mounted to the adjuster strut so as to cover a selected portion of the circular saw blade which is mounted to the collar member.
The saw assembly may further comprise a moving frame to which the band saw primary blade and the first and second circular saw blades are mounted for simultaneous longitudinal movement relative to a stationary log which is to be cut thereby.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description and the associated drawings, in which like reference numbers refer to like components in the illustrated embodiments.

BRTEF DESCRTPTTON OF THF DRAW1'NGS
FIG. I has a perspective view of a band saw type portable sawmill having an integral eager assembly in accordance with the present invention, showins the manner in which this is able to make primary and edge cuts simultaneously so as to fom~
a square-lU edged board in a single pass;
FTG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the end of a log, providing an example of the cuts that may be made to produce dimensional lumber therefrom;
FTG. 3 is an end, somewhat schematic view of the saw assembly of FIG. 1, showing the relative positions of the primary and eager blades as these form their 15 respective cuts through a log;
FIG. 4 is a side, somewhat schematic view of the eager blade carriage of the saw assembly ol' FIGS. 1 and 3, showing the manner in which this is raised and lowered by means of a hand-operated lever;
F1G. 5 is an end clcvational view of the hand saw and eager blade assembly of the 20 portable saw mill of FIG. 1, showing the relationship of the odger blades to the horiTOntal band saw blade in greater detail;
FIG. 6A is a top plan vtew of the band saw and eager blade assembly of >~ lG.
5, showing the drive takeoff for powering the eiiger hlades from the main arbor shaft in greater detail;
25 FIG. Gl~3 is a top plan view of the band saw and eager blade assembly of LiIG. l, this being essentially identical to FTG. 6A with the exception that reference numerals denoting subsequent cross-sectional views have been added therein;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view, taken along lint 7-7 in FIG. 613, showing the mechanism for adjusting the width between the eager blades in greater detail;
3U rIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 613, showing the engagement of the first adjuster stmt with the collar bearing of the associated eager blade in greater detail;
FTG. 9 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 6B, showing the engagement of the drive belt with the eager blade arbor shaft in greater detail;

S F1G. 10 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 10-10 in FIG. 6B, showing the engagement of the second adjuster stmt with the collar bearing of its associated eager blade in greater detail;
FiG. 11 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 7-7 in FTG. (iB, showing the bearing mcmher that supports one end of the eager blade l l-11 arbor shaft in greater lU detail;
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view, taken along the axis of the eager blade arbor shaft, showing one of the eager blades and the collar and bearing on which the blade is mounted in greater detail;
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view, taken lengthwise through the first and second 15 sliding adjuster bars to which the adjuster struts are mounted for adjusting the width between the two eager blades; and FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view, similar to FTG_ 9, showing a second embodiment of the invention in which power is supplied to the eager blade arbor shaft by a dedicated hydraulic motor which is mounted on the blade carriage assembly.

FIG. 1 shows a sawmill assembly 10 in accordance with the present invention, as this is being used to saw a piece of lumber 12 from a log t 4.
As can be seen, the sawmill assembly includes a band-type primary hlede 16 lU which is driven by first and second band saw wheels 18a, 18b, these being largely covered by a protective housing 20 which defines a lower opening 22 for admitting the log to the cutting area. Power to drive the band saw wheels is provided by an engine 24, and the entire cutting assembly is supported by a frame 26 which is mounted ou rollers 27 for linear movement along a pair of parallel rails 28a, 28b; the saw unit, in turn, is L 5 mounted for vertical movement on frame 26 so that its height can be adjusted to match the desired thicl'ness of the board 12. During operation, the log 14 thus remains stationary relative to the moving saw assembly, heing supported in a "V"
shaped cradle 30.
As can be seen, the assembly lU also includes and integral eager unit 32. As will 2U be described in greater detail below, the eager unit includes first and second parallel, vertically aligned circular saw blades 34a, 34b which arc mounted on a raisable carriage 36. As will also be described in greater det:~il below, power to drive the eager blades is taken from the arbor shaft of one of the band saw wheels, and is stepped up in speed to satisfy the higher RPM operating parameters of the circular saw blades.
Moreover, the 25 distance between the eager blades 34a, 34b is selectively adjustable, thereby allowing the assembly to cut boards of various widths.
The band saw blade 1G thus forms the primary, horizontal cut 38 in a generahy conventional manner, while the vertical eager blades 34a, 34b simultaneously form the edge cuts 40a, 40b. Since the flat top surface 42 of the board was previously formed by 3(l trimming the log or by e~u-lier passes of the saw, each pass thus forms complete, square edged board 12. As a result, the operator is able to saw the log into dimensional lumber, as shown in FIG. 2, in an extremely auick and efficient manner.
FIGS. 3-4 ate somewhat schematic views which show the relationship of the eager blade carriage 36 to the primary band saw blade 16 and drive wheels 18a, 18b. As 35 can be seen in FIG. 3, the carriage 36 includes first and second, and generally parallel support arms 44a, 44b, the upper ends of which are pivotally mounted to the upper deck 46 of the saw assembly. The arms are ,joined near their lower ends by crossbam 48, SU, the latter supporting an outrigger arm 52 at one end which extends generally parallel to the main arms oF44a, 4,4b.
Bearinss 54a, 54b, 54c are mounted to the lower ends of the arms 44a, 44b and 52, and support a transverse, rotating arbor shaft SG. As will be described in more detail below, shaft SG is driven with power supplied from engine 24 of the drive train. Also, as was noted above, edger blades 34a, 34b are mounted so that these can be adjusted along shaft 56, thereby adjusting the cutting width between the two blades.
FTG. 3 shows the assembly with the edger carriage 36 in the lowered position, so that the bottom edges of the blades 34a, 34h lie in the plane of the lower leg of the band saw blade If. As is shown in FIG. 4, the carriage can also be raised away from the log when not in use. This is done using an articulated lever GU that is mounted to the upper saw deck 46. 'fhe lever GO includes an upper link G2 having a middle portion that is mounted to the deck 46 at a pivot connection G4, aad a lower link 6G that is pivotally mounted to the lower of the upper link and to a middle section of the support arm 44a, at pivot connection 68. Also, as will be described in greater detail below, the lower link includes a screw adjuster section 70.
FIG. 4 also shows the carriage 3G in the lowered orientation, in which the blades 34 are positioned to form the cuts in the log. To lock the carriage in this position, the lever is thrown forwardly, to the position indicated by dotted line image 72;
as this is done, the lower link (iG "ovcrceniers" reacwardly, thereby locking the carriage in the down position. Tu raise the carriage, the lever is drawn rearwardly to the position indicated by a dotted line image 74, so that the; lower link GG pivots back forwardly and then lifts the carriage upwardly to the position indicated by dotted line image 7G; if it is desired to maintain the carriage in the up position, a pin (not shown} can be passed through the lever at this point.
As can be seen, the carriage 36 also includes an adjustable depth stop 80 that is mounted near the upper pivot attachment 82 of arm 44a. The depth stop includes the vertical threaded member 84 having a lower end which is mounted to arm 44a at pivot connection 86, and an upper end which extends upwardly through an end bracket HH

5 which is mounted into deck 46, and through a washer and nut )0. 'fhe length of the threaded rod between a nut )0 and pivot connection 8li controls the maximum depression of the carriage 96, and therefore the depth of the cuts which arc formed by edges blade 34a, 34b; in order to increase the depth of the cuts, adjuster 80 and the further adjuster 70 on the lever linkage are tightened, and to lower the blades these members are loosened.
1 U This allows for very fine adjustment of the cutting depth of the edges blades, so that these cut precisely on the plane of the relatively chin saw kerf that is formed by the main band saw blade 16, thereby preventing the edges blades from accidentally forming groves in the underlying wood.
F1G. 5 shows the drive train by which power is conveyed to the blades of the edges unit. As can be seen, the output shaft 94 from the engine (not shown) is connected to a clutch/pulley 9(i that operates a drive belt 98. The belt 98 turns an arbor drive pulley IUU, which operates band saw wheel 18a via an elongate main arbor shaft 102, with relative motions of the various pulleys and blades being indicated by associated arrows.
As can better be seen in F1G. GA, a second drive pulley 104 is mounted to arbor shaft 102 behind the main drive pulley 1 UU. This supplies power to the edges blade arbor shaft 56, via second drive belt 1 A(~. The two legs of the belt pass over first and second idler pulleys lUBa, 108b which change the direction of the drive belt by 90°, i.e., from a cross-wise direction to a fore-and-aft direction, so as to align the end of the belt with the drive pulley 11U which is mounted to the edges blade arbor shaft. An idler pulley 111, in 2S turn, is mounted on a strut part-way along the length of the support arm 44a to maintain tension on the belt between pulleys 108a, lUBb and the drive pulley 1 lU. As can be seen in F1G. 5, the two idler pul leys 1 U$a, 108b ate also positioned and angled so as to maintain the two ends of the belt in proper alignment with the two drive pulleys 104 and 110. The drive belt tray be of any suitable type, although a "Fenner" type link bell has 3U been found particularly suitable for use in the embodiment which is illustrated in FIG. 5.
As can be seen, the edges blade arbor shaft 56 is preferably hexagonal in cross-section, and is supported for rotation by end bearings 54A, 54B that arc mounted to the frame of the edges blade carriage. The arbor shaft drive pulley 11!) is mounted near the middle of the shaft, and a support strut I 12 extends forwardly from the cross-member 48 :i5 of the frame. As can be seen in F1G~ ~, a semi-circular yoke 1 I 4 is mounted to the outer S end of the strut, and engages the outer fact of a bearing 1 I G which is mounted to the arbor shaft. The support strut I12 thus supports the arbor shah against bending forces generated by the tension on drive belt l Ob.
As c:u~ he soon in F1G. tSA, the two edger blade assemblies 34a, 34b are also mounted on arhor shaft 56, on opposite sides of the central support strut. As can be seen 1 U in FTG. i 2, each of the edger blade units includes a mounting collar 12U
that has a hexagonal bore so that it rotates together with arbor shaft 56, but which is firee to slide lengthwise t.hcrc~n. The collar is attached by balls 122 or otherwise mounted to contml bearing 124 so as io secure the circular saw blade 126 between the two. The outer face of the bearing, in turn, forms a citcumferenlial groove 128 which receives a semi-circular 15 control yoke 13U therein (in a manner similar to the yoke 114 which was described above), so that the yoke holds and supports the bearing in a selected longitudinal position while the blade and collar arc free to tune with the shaft. The assembly also includes a blade guard 132 which is welded or otherwise mounted to the yoke 130 so as to provide a protective cover over the top of the rotating blade.
20 As can be seen in F1C. 8 and also in FIG. 10, each of the engagement collars 130 is mounted to the end of an adjuster strut 134, 136. The opposite end of the adjuster strut 134 for the lirst edger blade assembly 34a is welded or otherwise mounted so as to extend perpendicularly from a first transverse slider bar 140, and similarly, the adjuster strut 136 of the second edger blade assembly 34b is mounted to extend perpendicularly from a 25 second transverse slider bar 142.
Each of the sliding bars 14U, 142 is mounted for lateral sliding movement within the frame of the assembly: As can be seen in F1G. 13, the first adjuster bar 14U is supported for sliding movement within a tubular support 144, with the outer end of the rod being supported by a cooperating born 146 which is fomtcd in end plate 15U. The 3U end of the outer tube 144 is supported by a bracket 48 which is wcldcd to the cross-mcmber 50; the telescoping arrangement of the tube and adjuster har allows the desired range of~ motion to be achieved without the adjuster bar having to be excessively long.
Similarly, the second adjuster rod 142 is suppottcd for sliding movement in a second bore 152 which is formed in end plate 150, with its other end being supported in a 35 corresponding bore 154 in a bracket 156 which is welded to the bottom of support arm 44a. The end plate 15U is secured to the end of the cross member SU of the frame by bolt 158.
As can be seen in FIG. 13, and also in FIG. 7, operating handles 160, 162 are welded or otherwise mounted to the outer ends of the adjuster bars 14U, 142.
'fhus, by selectively pulling or pushing on handles 1(iU and 1G2, the operator is able to slide the l() adjuster rods 14U, 142 transversely within the fratnc, so that the adjuster strutslcontrol yokes which arc mounted thereon slide their respective edger blade assemblies 34A, 34I~
along the arbor shaft 56 so as to adjust the position and spacing of the two assemblies.
Once the desired width has been achieved, the edger blade assemblies may be maintained in position by frictional ongagement of the slider bars, or positive locking means may be provided, such as set screws (not shown) for securing the sliding collars 120 to the edger blade arbor shaft, for example. Consequently, the operator can very quickly and easily set the blades of the saw to form a board of any desired width and thickness.
FIG. 14 shows the drive mech..~nism of a saw assembly in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, in which power is supplied to the edger 2U blade arbor shaft by a dedicating hydraulic motor, rather than by a belt,drive taken from the main arbor shaft as described above. As can be seen, in this embodiment the dedicated motor 17U is mounted to a bracket 172 which is welded to the underside of one of the support arms 44a of the frame assembly, with hydraulic pressure being supplied from a remote source (e.g., a hydraulic pump driven by an IlC engine or electric motor) via lines 174, 17G. The drive pulley 178 on the hydraulic motor applies power to a belt 180 which is connected to the drive pulley 110 on the edger blade arbor shaft 56, in a manner similar to that described above. An idler pulley 182 mounted on arm 44a maintains tension on the belt 180 during operation. In this arrangement the center support bearing described above may be dispensed with, since the belt drive is located at 3U one end of the shaft. Also, in those embodiments where hydraulic power is available, the positions of the edger blades may be adjusted along the arbor shaft using hydraulic cylinders (not shown) rather than the manual adj ester bar arrangement described above.
It will he understood that any suitable power source may be used in the place of the engine 24 drtdlor hydraulic motor 170 which have been described above, such as various types of internal combustion, electrical or hydraulic motors, for example.

S Furthermore, it will be undersl4~d shat in some embodiments other forms of mechanisms may be employed for taking power from the main arbor shall (102} or c;nginc, Such as a 9U° angled gear set for taking power from the main arbor shaft to a pulley for operating the edger blade arbor shaft, for example.
The present invention therefore provides a highly efficient mechanism for rapid production of 1'lnishcd boards from cut logs. Moreover, the apparatus is economical to manufacture and durable in use. Slill further, these advantages are achieved while still being able to maintain horsepower requirements within economical levels, c.g., a 16 horsepower gas engine has been found suitable for many embodiments.
The foregoing description and associated figures are provided by way of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and not by way of limitation. For example, in some embodiments the cdgcr unit may include three or more blades, not just the two that are shown in our figures. However, whereas the illustrated embodiment is for a mobile sawmill, the saw assembly in accordance with the present invention may also be included in a stationary mill. It will therefore be understood at various additions, nlodiFtealions and alterations can be made to the embodiments shown herein without departing from the spirit arid scope of the present invention.

Claims (19)

1. A saw assembly for cutting a board from a log, said saw assembly comprising:
a band saw primary blade for forming a primary, horizontal cut along a bottom surface of a board being cut from said log; and first and second spaced apart circular saw blades for forming vertical cuts along first and second edges of said board as said band saw blade is forming said primary cut.

2. The saw assembly of claim 1, further comprising:
an edger blade arbor shaft to which said first and second circular saw blades are mounted for being rotated thereby.

3. The saw assembly of claim 2, further comprising:
means for supplying power to said edger blade arbor shaft so to rotate said circular saw blades which are mounted thereon.

4. The saw assembly of claim 3, wherein said means for supplying power to said edger blade arbor shaft comprises:
a band saw arbor shaft for supplying power to said band saw primary blade, said band saw arbor shaft being aligned substantially perpendicular to said edger blade arbor shaft; and means for operatively interconnecting said band saw arbor shaft and said edger blade arbor shaft so that power is supplied to said edger blade arbor shaft from said band saw arbor shaft.

5. The saw assembly of claim 4, wherein said means for operatively interconnecting said band saw arbor shaft and said edger blade arbor shaft comprises:
a first drive pulley mounted to said band saw arbor shaft;
a second drive pulley mounted to said edger blade arbor shaft; and a drive belt interconnecting said first and second drive pulleys.

6. The saw assembly of claim 5, wherein said means for operatively interconnecting said band saw arbor shaft and said edger blade shaft further comprises:
at least one idler pulley mounted so as to redirect said drive belt approximately 90" so as to be in alignment with said drive pulleys on said band saw arbor shaft and said edger blade arbor shaft.

7. The saw assembly of claim 3, wherein said means for supplying power to said edger blade arbor shaft comprises:
a dedicated drive motor connected to said edger blade arbor shall.

8. The saw assembly of claim 2, further comprising:
means for selectively lowering and raising said circular saw blades into and out of cutting engagement with said log.

9. The saw assembly of claim 7, wherein said means for selectively lowering and raising said circular saw blades comprises:
a pivotable edger frame haying a first end which supports said edger blade arbor shaft and a second end which is pivotably mounted to a stationary support frame; and means for selectively pivoting said first end of said edger frame upwardly and downwardly relative to said stationary support frame

10. The saw assembly of claim 9, wherein said means for selectively pivoting said first end of said edger frame relative to said stationary support frame comprises:
a manually operable lifting handle having a first portion which is mounted to said stationary support frame and a second portion which is mounted to said pivotable edger frame

11. The saw assembly of claim 2, further comprising:

means for selectively adjusting a lateral distance between said first and second circular saw blades so as to selectively adjust a width of a board which is cut thereby.

12. The saw assembly of claim 11, wherein said means for adjusting said lateral distance between said circular saw blades comprises:
means for selectively sliding said circular saw blades longitudinally along said edger blade arbor shaft.

13. The saw assembly of claim 12, wherein said means for selectively sliding said circular saw blades along said edger blade arbor shaft comprises:
first and second collar members which mount said circular saw blades to said edger blade arbor shaft, said collar members being free to slide longitudinally along said edges blade arbor shaft; and first and second adjuster members which engage said first and second collar members so as to selectively slide said collar members along said edger blade arbor shaft.

14. The saw assembly of claim 13, wherein each said adjuster member comprises:
an adjuster bar which is mounted of longitudinal movement relative to said edger blade arbor shaft; and an adjuster strut having a first end which is mounted to said adjuster bar and a second end which is in operative engagement with one of said collar members so as to slide said collar member longitudinally along said edger blade arbor shaft in response to selective longitudinal movement of said adjuster bar.

15. The saw assembly of claim 14, wherein each said adjuster member further comprises:

a handle mounted to said adjuster bar for manually applying longitudinal movement thereto.

16. The saw assembly of claim 14, wherein each said collar member further comprises:
a bearing for permitting said collar member to rotate freely relative to said adjuster strut.

17. The saw assembly of claim 16, wherein each said adjuster member further comprises:
a control yoke mounted on said second end of said adjuster strut for engaging said bearing on said collar member.

18. The saw assembly of claim 14, wherein each said adjuster member further comprises:
a blade guard mounted to said adjuster strut so as to cover a selected portion of said circular saw blade which is mounted to said collar member.

19. The saw assembly of claim 1, further comprising:
a moving frame to which said band saw primary blade and said first and second circular saw blades are mounted for simultaneous longitudinal movement relative to a stationary log to be cut thereby.