This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/5cB.2ACI/620.1.1.1 Message Board Post: Hi Sue: Here's another way to describe the edger: The Edger's primary function is to produce boards with parallel sides and to remove the wane or rounded bark edges from the boards as they come from the head saw. The rolls I mentioned earlier are just that-long round cylanders which "roll" when the lumber is placed on them and are used to move the boards forward. I have watched my husband build these hundreds of times-and depending on the size of the mill they can be anywhere from 5 feet long to 100 feet long. Of course the changes that have been made in the industry are the automation of equipment and the quality of the saws used. If you are in Oregon-there are a number of different museums that have displays and information about the logging industry. The High Desert Museum in Bend is an excellent place to see what an "Old Time" sawmill was like. Also-on the Oregon coast there are several other places that have miniature or replica sawmills which will show you what the mill functions are. Our favorite one is in British Columbia on Victoria Island-they had not changed anything since the 1920's when the mill shut down. The end of the Oregon Trail Museum at Oregon City used to have a lot of information on the logging industry also, but I haven't been there in several years. The best thing to do would be to explore so that you can get a sense of what it entails and then write your description from there. I will let you know if I get any further information. Laura