Saw mill with apparatus for guiding a board and method for use thereof

A method for sawing lumber, comprising the steps of:

• providing a saw mill including:
• a base frame having a front and a rear and being sized and configured to support a log,
• saw means having a continuous cutting blade and being connected with said base frame for horizontal movement in a cutting stroke from a start position near the front of said base frame to an end position near the rear of said base frame and in a return stroke back to the front of said base frame and being for cutting in a generally horizontal plane a board from the log,
• power means for powering said saw means,
• at least one pushback arm extending downwardly from said saw means, and wherein each of said at least one pushback arms has a bottom end, and
• a board guide apparatus extending generally forwardly from said saw means and forwardly of said at least one pushback arm and including a crossbar and plurality of fingers hingedly connected to hang downwardly from the crossbar, each finger including an upper link connected to the crossbar and a lower link hingedly connected with the upper link, and each finger hanging in a rest position to a point lower than the generally horizontal plane of the cutting blade;
• positioning a log atop said base frame, the log having a forward and a rearward end;
• moving one of the cutting blade and the log vertically to position the cutting blade at a desired cutting height relative to the forward end of the log;
• cutting a board by activating said saw means to move the cutting blade through the cutting stroke until the blade clears the rearward end of the log and completely severs the board from the log and until said at least one pushback arm clears the rearward end of the log and board, the board having a rearward end;
• ejecting the board by activating said saw means to move the cutting blade through the return stroke whereby said at least one pushback arm engages the rearward end of the board and pushes it forwardly and off the log.