These days, when most people in the woodworking industry in North America think of industrial processing of large logs, they think of mostly automated equipment to precisely mill the timber with maximum efficiency and safety. But even so, the process can still be quite dangerous, especially with larger logs.

If you really want to see scary, check out this video we found showing a 1,000-year-old log being processed in an unspecified Asian factory with far fewer safety features than we are used to seeing. Safety toe boots? Try flip-flops. Or even scarier, using a big chainsaw while in bare feet! Automated material handling? Try manual labor. And the saw? It's a big bandsaw (think giant Wood-Mizer-style saw) riding on tracks with workers helping it through the cut, pushing by hand.

A few of the workers wear surgical-style masks, but there's no dust collection and no dedicated industrial dust protection for the workers. There is no protective clothing either. In fact, many of the workers wear shorts.

But they do get the job done, and the processed boards look pretty good. Amazing!