Perhaps the sawyers have achieved their maximum quota you assigned them. Click on the “Produced Item” box to see if you need to increase that amount to greater than the number you presently have in the Resources Menu (R key).
“Auto” on Minimum Quota sets it on 50% of the Maximum Quota amount you set. So the sawyers were waiting on the storage amount (53) to drift below 50 to start working again. With the Quotas turned off, they’ll work till they run out of wood. Maybe set the Minimum Quota up to closer to the Maximum Quota.