Measurement of position and velocity of rotating objects relies on installation of additional devices, which can significantly change their dynamic properties. Non-contact methods appear not to have the above-mentioned drawback. To determine the angular kinematics, a video measurement technique stands as a non-contact alternative. The rotational motion can be recorded with a high-speed camera and then analyzed with free and open-source tracking software which allows one to detect and digitize positions of chosen markers and then to calculate angular positions of selected elements. Differentiation process determines rotary speed values. Analysis of long-term dynamical behavior by recording data visualized as position maps which possess half of the information usually stored in the well-known Poincaré maps is proposed.

The paper presents the results of laboratory tests concerning the cutting process of basket willow by means of disc cutting unit. A disc for cutting wood with diameter of 600mm was used in the tests. The influence of plant’s moisture and the rotary speed of the disc of cutting unit on the unitary energy were determined. The most favorable values of the operating parameters of the cutting unit were selected according to the minimum energy requirement in the cutting process of the tested plant.