Inline scanning and cutting assembly and method of operation

A method of cutting a piece of wood comprising:

• inserting a piece of wood into a first scanner of a rip saw system;
• performing an x-ray scan of the piece of wood with the first scanner;
• moving the piece of wood from the first scanner to a second scanner with at least one roller assembly;
• performing an optical scan of the piece of wood with the second scanner;
• detecting and identifying at least one flaw in the piece of wood;
• moving the piece of wood from the second scanner to a skewing unit, the skewing unit comprising:
• a plurality of rollers operable to move the piece of wood through the skewing unit;
• and
• a skewing assembly having at least one skewing pin operable to interact with a first side of the piece of wood and at least one skewing pin operable to interact with a second side of the piece of wood;
• skewing the piece of wood relative to a path defined through the first scanner, the second scanner, and the skewing unit;
• moving the skewed piece of wood from the skewing unit to a cutting unit having at least one saw assembly therein;
• and
• cutting the piece of wood with the at least one saw assembly to remove the at least one flaw therefrom.