A portable sawmill which has an elongate central portion, at least one hinged foldable extension portion, laminated rails, detachable axle/wheel combinations, a tow bar, and adjustable legs. Spacers are received between each rail and the respective support structure for both the central portion and the extension portion, including one spacer a first portion of which is disposed between and attached to each rail and support structure of one of the central portion and the extension portion and a second portion of which is slidingly receivable between each rail and support structure of the other of the central portion and the extension portion as the extension is unfolded for use. A pull cable, when an actuation lever is engaged, effects pivotal movement of a cam to which another pull cable is attached for actuating the engine throttle for cutting wood. At least one other pull cable or other actuation member is attached to the cam to actuate at least one other device upon the actuation of the throttle.

A portable sawmill has an elongate central portion, at least one hinged foldable extension portion, laminated rails, and a tow bar. An elongate tubular axle retaining member is mounted to the base. A pair of torsion axles, to which wheels and tires are attached, are received telescopically in opposite ends respectively of the axle retaining member and detachably attached thereto. A plurality of legs are attached to the base. The legs are height-adjustable to raise the base to a height such that the tires are raised above the ground so that the axles with the attached wheels may be removed.

A pickup and alignment mechanism for logs is disclosed along with a method of using the mechanism. The pickup and alignment mechanism includes a frame, a connector and a plurality of L-shaped tines secured to the frame. The plurality of L-shaped tines is grouped into pairs. The pickup and alignment mechanism also includes a pair of side tines. The pickup and alignment mechanism is designed to be removably mounted to a motorized vehicle. All of the L-shaped tines can be hydraulically or pneumatically actuated to remove from between one to six logs from a stacked pile of logs. The one to six logs are then raised above ground level and are aligned relative to one another so that they can be easily cut into smaller piece of firewood by a person with a chain saw.

A sawmill assembly comprising a bed, a carriage and a tilting device. The bed has a pair of substantially parallel rails that define a first plane, a first axis perpendicular to the first plane, and a second plane perpendicular to both the first plane and a longitudinal axis of the rails. The carriage is movably supported along the rails. The tilting device allows a user to adjust a tilt angle of the carriage in the second plane, relative to the first axis. Also disclosed are methods of adjusting a blade angle of the sawmill assembly, and methods of cutting a tapered piece from a workpiece material.