What Hand Is It Anyway? (Part 1): Circle Saws, Band Headrigs, Resaws, and Chippers

If you’ve worked around sawmills for long, you’ve heard terms like “right-hand sawmill” or “left-hand resaw.” But when you dig deeper into different types of equipment, you quickly find that identifying the “hand” of a machine can become confusing—and occasionally contentious.

After 36 years in the wood products and machinery business, I’ve heard a lot of ways people try to determine machine hand. Some make sense. Some… not so much. My goal here is to offer a more logical, consistent way to identify machine hand across different types of sawmill equipment—starting in Part 1 with circle saws, band resaws, and chippers.

The Old Rule: Right-to-Left Equals Right-Hand?

Traditionally, sawyers say a mill is right-hand if the log moves from their right to their left. That logic mostly works—as long as:

·       - You're talking about a headrig (circle or vertical band), and

·       - The operator’s cab is in the conventional location.

But I once visited a mill in upstate New York where the operator’s station was at the end of the carriage track. In that case, a left-hand mill had the log entering the carriage to the operator’s right and traveling away from him—flipping the conventional wisdom.

This example shows that operator position alone isn’t a reliable way to determine hand.

Resaws: Where It Gets Complicated

Vertical band resaws, especially linebar resaws, introduce even more complexity:

·       - The resaw itself can be left or right-hand.

·       - The linebar attachment can be on either side.

·       - The operator might be positioned left, right, or above.

So how do we cut through the noise?

A Better Rule: Watch the Wheel

Face the cutting side of the band resaw or headrig. If the wheel turns clockwise, it's a right-hand. If counterclockwise, it's a left-hand.

This also works for horizontal resaws, regardless of whether the wheels are above or below the sawline. The key is facing the infeed side and watching the direction of wheel rotation.

You may have heard a right-hand band headrig, when turned into a resaw, becomes a left-hand resaw. That’s because headrig blades are hung from the front side (entry), while resaw blades hang from the backside (exit).

Even with that twist, wheel rotation remains the most reliable indicator.

Chippers: Same Rule Applies

For chippers, use the same approach. Facing the cutting side of the chipper disk:

Clockwise = right-hand

Counterclockwise = left-hand

Simple, consistent, and hard to misinterpret.

Wrap-Up of Part 1

Here’s the most reliable rule from today’s discussion:

🟢 If the machine has a wheel or rotating disk, face the cutting side. Clockwise rotation = right-hand. Counterclockwise = left-hand.

This logic works across:

·       - Circle saw headrigs

·       - Vertical and horizontal band resaws

·       - Chippers

Coming in Part 2…

In Part 2, we’ll tackle the trickier world of trimmers, sorters, and stackers—where opinions differ and traditions don’t always make sense.

We’ll explore:

·       - Why the “zero end” of lumber is a better reference than the operator’s location

·       - How to consistently define machine hand across the trimming and stacking line

·       - Two simple rules that apply to nearly all sawmill equipment