A method and apparatus for trimming boards, wherein a first stage, a first mechanism initially fixes and cuts two positioning short end cuts for each board. These positioning short end cuts are then used for advancing the board into the corresponding cutting plane of a second mechanism for trimming the board. As a result, it is possible to take into account the natural growth of a tree (all trees become thinner towards the top) and produce the minimum of trimmed waste. Because the natural growth of a tree to a conical shape, the positioning end cuts of a board will frequently define two non-parallel cutting lines for the edges of the board. The trimming in the second mechanism can be performed by different tools, e.g. by saws or one or more milling cutters. If a milling cutter is used, the boards can also be positioned in such a way that the sloping edges of the board resulting from the substantially circular cross-section of a tree can be taken into account. i.e., an inclined trimming takes place, taking into account the natural shape of the board so that there is a minimum of waste in this trimming dimension. If two cutters are used, the two stepped milling tools can be arranged in such a way that the largest diameter portion of one cutter is associated with the smallest diameter portion of the other cutter. In this case, the cut profiles on the edges of two adjoining boards that are cut by the two cutters match one another and fit together, so that without further manipulation, gluing in a joint gluing installation is possible. The boards are transported through the trimming mechanism in the desired manner by a pair of stops, a slide and a pair of ejectors. These members function in such a way that the desired cutting quality and shape are obtained for the board, while producing minimum waste.