Was the saw blade at the lumber mill real or fake?

I know it's kind of a dorky question to ask.  You can tell most of the audio sounds of the saw blade running, seem to be dubbed in.
Every time you see the actors cutting wood,  it appears to be real.  I don't know....maybe it's a fake rubber blade and two pieces of
wood are glued together to make it seem like the blade is cutting, when actually they are just being torn apart !  It seems awfully dangerous
for the actors to be around an actual working blade. Just think of the liability too.  Any comments or info?  
Thanks

I asked the same question to a cast member several years ago.......Answer: Real saw blade, same as the Waltons had a real one.....and by the way, the question isn't dorky.....

Thanks Dave.    I enjoy your detailed knowledge of behind the scenes. Appreciate you being here !

Charles Angles wrote:

Thanks Dave.    I enjoy your detailed knowledge of behind the scenes. Appreciate you being here !

Well thank you, and welcome to the forum.........I too suffer from the curse of curiosity! But, it's fun!

Wow! Yeah it did look real to me.

I too, get curious. Sure looked like a real saw blade.

Davetucson wrote:

[b]Answer From Nellie!

Alison Arngrim: I believe it was mostly fake, until they needed a specific shot of the actual blade in action. Then they brought it in and hooked it up. And yes, I do remember a lot of "OMG! Get away from there! Don't touch that!" regarding the mill area.

 Thanks Dave !  Sorry I missed this updated response.   Wow, an answer from Nellie?  I'm impressed !   I guess what made me raise the original question was an experience in high school.  Note.....cover eyes when reading the following.   In wood class, I had the misfortune of witnessing one of my fellow classmates cut off the tip of their finger. The rest of the school semester, I remember seeing the dried blood in a crevice of the machine.   As far as the picture of the sawdust, my original theory was that they had some kind of air hose that was hidden in the vicinity of the blade....which had the capability of shooting out sawdust. On further reflection, that probably would have been too elaborate of a setup.   Thanks for the screenshot !