In a machine for manufacturing logs for log houses, including:
- (a) a rectangular frame having an upstream and downstream end, a carriage adapted to travel longitudinally on top of said frame, and a rotatable center means at the ends of said carriage for axially supporting and rotating a raw log;
- (b) means for positioning said raw log in said centers of said carriage, at a first level;
- (c) means for moving said log and carriage longitudinally along said frame, while rotating said raw log at a selected rate of rotation relative to;
- (d) a first rotating cutter means supported on said frame to cut the bark and outer layers of wood of said log to form a rough cut log of a first selected diameter and relative to;
- (e) a subsequent second rotating cutter means to finish cut said log to a second smaller selected diameter;
- (f) third and fourth rotating cutter means on said frame positioned respectively below and above the axis of said finish cut log by selected dimensions to shape the top and bottom surfaces of said finish cut log, means to lock said finish cut log against rotation while said finish cut log is longitudinally moved relative to said third and fourth cutter means, to form a shaped log;
- (g) elongated table means and endless belt means on said table at the downstream end of said frame for supporting said shaped log, means to raise said table means and endless belt into contact with the bottom surface of said shaped log, and means to pull said center means to release said shaped log from said carriage;
- (h) means to lower said shaped log on said endless belt on said table to a second level, and longitudinally moving said shaped log in a downstream direction by said belt to a multiple cutting means supported on said frame;
- (i) said multiple cutting means comprising at least a cut-off saw with its plenum perpendicular to the axis of said shaped log for cutting square ends on said log at spaced positions;
- the improvement in means for supporting and positioning said cutting means on said rectangular frame comprising;
- (j) at least two vertical columns spaced apart on said frame in an imaginary plane that is transverse to the axis of said shaped logs;
- (k) a planar support plate of selected vertical dimension supported by said columns for vertical movement transverse to the longitudinal axis of said shaped log, said cut-off saw being rotatably supported on said planar support plate;
- and
- (l) at least two eccentrically positionable rollers attached near the vertical edges of said plate, said rollers adapted to roll on said outer faces of said two columns;
- and
- (m) (1) first hydraulic cylinder means to move said planar support plate vertically along said columns.