A professional who operates head saw and feed carriage to saw logs into cants or boards. Responsibilities include:

• Starts mechanical loader arms that place log on carriage.
• Sets dogs and adjusts carriage blocks to align log for sawing.
• Activates carriage that moves log against saw blade.
• Starts saw to cut log.
• Observes exposed face of log after first cut to determine grade and size of next cut and adjusts setting of carriage blocks.
• Starts mechanical log turner that turns log over on carriage for subsequent cuts.
• May change saw blades.
• May be designated according to type of saw operated as band-head-saw operator; circular-head-saw operator.