I could watch that sawmill operate for hours. Homes and maybe whole towns would not exist without that sawmill. That boiler, steam engine, and sawmill made dreams come true.
That was something to watch. It takes real skill to make boards from a log. All I have ever done is make boards with a chainsaw mill, and that takes a lot of preplanning too. To do it on the fly is mindblowing. Your sawyer is an ace. The steam engine is a jewel, over 100 years old and still running. Truly something to show the grandchildren. Thank you very much.
I buildt a "tie mill" from scratch with scrap metal and a straight 6 chevy with the Chevy in 1st gear ran the mill using a foot throttle and by ear. I ran a 54" inserted tooth blade with half the teeth short to decrease load on the mill. Your 25HP mill has more usuable smother power than that 6 cylinder. Just a note in 1905 the inserted tooth blade was patented. Than you so much for the video.
Watching your video is in many ways more up close and personal than an in person guided tour of the sawmill would be. Still, you have to be there to get the whole effect -- the noise, the smell, the hustle and bustle, the people, the wide view, etc. Thanks, Keith!
Thanks for taking the time for a complete walk through/operation explanation. I love those old machines and I had questions. You answered them. I could just sit and watch it run for hours. Thank you Mr Rucker.
+Mynard Mayne There have been days when we were running the sawmill that a visitor would just sit and watch it run for hours. If I were not on the other side of the fence getting to work on it, I might be guilty of doing the same thing!
Liked the engine; liked the sawmill. Great video. Thanks for *all* these videos from the GMoA. That variable speed/reversible transmission was used in Norden bombsights (WWII). Instead of a wheel against the plate, they pinched a steel ball in a cage between the plate and a roller. The ball could be driven back and forth across the plate (they called it a disk) by a feed screw. Like the transmission, the distance of the ball from the center of the disk determines the transmission ratio. Each bombsight had three or four of them. Here's the cool thing: such a transmission can do calculus! In its bombsight role it's actually called a ball-and-disk integrator. It does integral calculus. You put one input into rotating the disk, and the other input into turning the feed screw, and the rotation of the roller is the answer. They were doing calculus in real time with the air-speed, altitude, wind (speed and direction), and getting answers that told the pilot whether to steer right or left, and to tell the bombardier when to drop the bombs. It made high-altitude bombing possible. I still have some of the parts left over after my dad salvaged shafts, bearings and gears from the half dozen of these things he bought back in the 1950s and '60s. I assume there are a couple of those ball-and-disk integrators buried somewhere in the tons of junk (sorry dad) that I inherited. I'm sure he didn't throw them away. (Growing up with access to his basement shop was really special. Thanks, Dad.)
+Peter W. Meek I just mentioned the calculus thing, too, before I saw your post! I love the mechanical computer series of videos on UA-cam. They deal with trajectory calculators on battleships but still very interesting.
Most enjoyable, refreshing fond memories of my Dad's love of all things Steam, primarily locomotives. He was a Director for many years serving the Pittsburgh Shawmut and Northern Railroad Preservation Society, a local road through his hometown of Angelica, NY. Dad was blind most of his life, but was amazing at what he could do. He'd have loved this operation! Thanks so much for sharing! All best.
Keith Thanks for the video. Around our area here in Northwest Washington State there were several similar saw mills, most converted to old model A engines or whatever they could scrounge up for power. Many mills later in life were used for cedar. These mills are now gone. Thank you for keeping these machines alive along with the spirit of those generations of men who operated them. Tony
BEFORE BANDSAWS and what a beautiful sawmill it is! Looks like a three-man money maker to me! 'From logs to lumber' was my presentation for teaching trade school in Queens NY.
I have a mill much like this. The carrige and husk were made by Couts in BC Canada. I used a mobile home frame cut and narrowed, A cable wrapped drum for the carrige drive and the original pulleys at each end. There are many other original parts and pieces. I used a 220 Cummins engine for lots of tourque and it suprisingly gets great fuel consumption. About 10 gallons an 8 hour shift. The original mill carrige came from the early 20's or late 1910's. I saw mainly for myself as finding 3 people that will work that hard is next to impossibe these days. It can make a fella sweat. That will never do in an age of button pushers eh!
Come to the museum one day when we are running it and you can sit there and watch us work all day long. I have seen more than one visitor sit there for hours watching it run!
When I was a kid my Father cut down some trees from our property and we took them to a local sawyer. His mill was a much more modern one with ball bearings and a CAT diesel engine. At that time I never saw his mill run. However the lumber from those trees allowed me to build several projects at home and in shop class while I was in high school. I eventually grew up and became a shop teacher myself. I took 2 maybe 3 logs to that same sawyer and had them sawed into boards that allowed me to build much of the furniture in my home. He allowed me to come in with a video camera and film the mill running for my shop classes. I wish I could smell the pine being sawed. I imagine it smelled wonderful! The combination of the wood fire, fresh pitch and oil would be just heavenly!
+Junk Mikes World We still have lots of sawmills around here where I live - both big commercial mills and small mom and pop mills that will saw logs for the public. As for that smell, it is indeed a wonderful smell - at least to me!
So cool to see that old machinery run. State of the art 120 to 140 years ago. Materials, design, construction, operation, etc. 250 rpm was pretty fast for reciprocating engines back then. Thanks, Keith John
Thanks for the answer on the last video I posted a comment about being a shop teacher. It's really too bad that being a shop teacher isn't a field in demand. We need more shop people like you and Mike Rowe and fewer managers, lawyers and women's studies people in this world.
The mechanical ingenuity to move that much materail and mechanisim so effortlessly and with such precision is flat out astonishing. The scale on which the inventors of such machinery (and locomotives too) thought and created is beyond impressive.
+John Strange And it was all done without computers and for the most part, the "rules" that engineers go by today were not even known back then. They were some amazing guys for sure!
Keith, That really looks like hard work! ... My family and I toured a sawmill a number of years ago. The had a machine that debarked the log. It then had lasers that "measured" the log to tell the sawyer where to make the cuts to get the most out of the log. He sat in a cab above the saw and carriage and pushed buttons and moved joy sticks to operate everything. A big difference a century makes! Thanks for the great video and for a look back in time. Have a good one! Dave
Wish I was there Keith! A long time ago I asked if I could run a board through the planer after the restoration was complete. You said come on down...... I just received for free a pickup load of rough cut walnut I could bring with me! Congratulations. The planer will be a great edition to your awesome Sawmill! Thanks as always.
Another great video! I love how quiet the stationary steam engines are, it's cool to see and hear all the associated mechanisms doing their thing. Additionally, it's always interesting to see the ingenuity that went into the mechanics of these old machines. Thanks for posting!
This is awesome. There is a sawmill just like this one set up in Atkinson, IL. I saw it run maybe 15 years ago. I remember that friction drive. Very unique.
Great video Keith, thanks For showing the operation,startup, and operation, of the Boiler , engine and Saw. Yea I have a early 90,s snapper self propel, that uses the flat plate friction drive self propel, multi speed, ..enjoyed Thanks for Sharing
Maybe summer 2016. I'd like to visit the museum and have a look at your new shop. I was inspired by the tall trees! Thanks Keith for your work. It's great to have you take us along for the interesting experiences.
Great video Keith! You got some beautiful footage of the working parts. Did you say that some of the wood from your property will be going into your new shop?
+Abom79 Yep, we have already sawed all of the timbers that will be used to build my new shop. I did not have enough trees to get all of the lumber for it, but what I did get will knock a big dent into the total lumber bill!
Fascinating, as always. The variable speed device was reinvented by an American called Hayes for automotive transmission around 1935. He sold it to the British Austin Motor Company. It was not a great success for a number of reasons, yet it represented a sophisticated early automatic system that deserved greater acclaim. Martyn
Another Great video , Since i would probably never will be able visit the museum great to see all the stuff and learn about all the old machines, also for all those people who haven't saw last video were he talk on this and did some repair work search for Sawmill Clutch Repair: Part 2 - Broaching a Keyway, Reasembly, and Testing and 22 minutes in where showing again how it work
I would hate to be operating that mill when the blade hits a spike or a large nail in the log. Both of those fellows are in the path of the pieces flying off the blade. It is wonderful to watch the old machinery at work, only dedicated craftsman can keep such machine operating. It is also important to remember the risks that our ancestors faced every day while at work. Thanks for the videos, Keith. I am officially addicted to your channel.
+John Ferguson I have hit more than one nail and even a few larger items (spikes, insulators, rebar, angle iron, chain, etc...). Because the wood is all around the blade and it is pulling everything down, nothing goes flying anywhere. But a bad crash will make you mess your drawers none the less...
I remember there being a steam driven sawmill in London still working in the late ‘60s or early ‘70s. I’m not sure exactly where it was, but it was alongside a canal, by means of which the timber was delivered. Sawmills did seem to remain steam driven longer than most other industry, presumably because they had plenty of sawdust and waste wood available which could be used to fire the boiler.
Mr. Rucker this was really fascinating and quite well done! Thank you for all the hard work you do to teach and entertain your followers - it is much appreciated!
Thanks Keith this brings back memories. Back in the 80's I ran my circular mill with steam . Had a 8 1/2 X11" Ajax engine and a AB Farquhar boiler. My mill is half Chase and half Lane. I run it now with a Ford Dagenham diesel power unit. Up here in yankee land its tough managing the boiler in the winter. It seems to me theirs enough scrap in a log to power the mill to cut it. Nice to hear the chug of steam instead of the drone of a diesel.
Wow, I could watch that all day, just facinating. one of your best videos, I would like to visit there someday to see that in operation. thanks. The start of the industrial America
I enjoyed the video very much. The saw mill itself was amazing to watch. As far as safety goes, awaremess of yourself and your surroundings is key. Thank you.
I love your videos and I have wanted to visit the museum for a long time. But alas Covid wrecked everything. I will be checking your schedules and definitely will visit you this fall. Thank you and your tea,m for all you do to preserve our history.
Thanks for another fantastic video. While many of the methods used to power the mills have changed (steam, tractors, diesel power units, & now electricity) many similarities remain. Band mills are becoming more popular, with a thinner kerf, smoother finish, and easier to hold a better dimension. thanks again!
+Robert Ross Bandsaw mills are the way to go in a modern environment. The kerf of the bandsaw blade is only about 1/8" as opposed to 1/4" on the circular mills so you are converting less of your log to sawdust and more to lumber.
That clutch system on the sawmill caught my attention because snowblowers up north here run on the same exact system! Surprised me! Just goes to show how old this technology actually is and hows its so good that it hasn't changed all these years.
+Craig Tripney We have an emergency stop - when somebody pulls the whistle cord and gives a long blow, the person running the engine shuts things down as quick as he can!!!!
It was nice to see this machine working. I stopped by this museum on the way back from Florida in October 2015 and there wasn't much going on. the train wasn't running, the sawmill or the turpentine still wasn't either. I still had a great time though and plan to go back at a better time. I believe the guy I talked said that April is the best time to see everything going. It was just something that I wanted to see and after we left, we happened upon Juliette down the road that was used in the film Fried Green Tomatoes. BTW that town closes a 4:00 pm so we missed eating there too.
+austinwagoncompany What can I say, things are kind of slow down here in rural South Georgia! Saturdays are usually a good time to stop by the museum as that is when they run the train and we usually have more visitors on the site. The Folk Life Festival in April is the best time to come as that is a big event with pretty much everything running. That is the only time during the year that we actually fire the turpentine still.
Excellent video Keith!! I also use pinecones to start my foundry furnace. They do indeed burn really nicely. I have always been a big steam enthusiast. Steam engines are the singular reason why I built my home foundry and got into machining. I have been working on building a steam engine completely from scratch. Right now I am completely done with the top end. (2 inch diameter piston, 4.25 inch stroke) I've had SOOO many failed castings but eventually I got the procedure down to a science! Pattern making is particularly enjoyable to me because I like working with wood. The bottom end requires lots of cast iron castings, an avenue that is still new to me. But I am learning! I would also like to add (for those interested in steam engines) that in a steam engine, you get MUCH more torque because depending on the cutoff, you have constant steam pressure pushing down on the piston past top dead center,which is key because at TDC there is no mechanical advantage since the effective lever arm is zero. Max torque occurs when the crankshaft is perpendicular to the cylinder because it has the largest lever arm (Basically a cosine). Steam engines can provide CONSTANT pressure up to and past this point, providing a great amount of torque. Gas engines only have an initial pulse of pressure from the explosion, and the rest of the work is done by the EXPANDING gasses past TDC. The power from an expanding gas decays very rapidly as compared to a constant pressure gas. The doble steam cars of the 1920's are some of the most interesting steam engines you will see. The engineering put into them is truly amazing compared to the typical steam engines seen during that time.
+MattsMotorz Good luck with your engine. I have always kind of wanted to make my own steam engine as well, but with so many at the museum that we are using or need work, I have just spent my time working on those instead!
Jay Leno is a great Doble fan, as well as of Stanley. I highly recommend his videos on Doble and Stanley steamers as well as other steam engines and vehicles. www.nbc.com/jay-lenos-garage/video/1925-doble-e20-steam-car/2772940
My dad had a mill very similar to this one. It cut on the right hand side. The husk had an identical feed system. The carriage was 3 bunk and was set up exactly like yours. Our mill was made by J M Plante Co. in Ontario Canada
As you were explaining the sawmill power train I was looking at those paper wheels and noting how they were just like my Snapper mower and then you mentioned that. I bought a Snapper around 1992 and it had a plate like that driven by a belt off the main shaft down by the blade. It had a wheel with a rubber tire that ran on that plate to drive the wheels, making it possible to adjust the ground speed independent of the engine speed. Still have the mower and it still works well.
Ironically, DeLoach patented the idea and Snapper copied it - the two companies were located pretty close to one another in Georgia, although at different time periods.
Thank you for showing/explaining to us how these old time steam sawmills work. If it were possible, I would look you guys up to learn firsthand and work with you for free with this beautiful machine. Thanks again!
my grandfather had a similar saw mill off the the back of his dairy barn in south western Pennsylvania. in the 60's I remember he powered it with the pto of one of his tractors. (model H, i think) He was making lumber for my uncles house that too would be on the farm. I remember his 2x4s were 2 x 4! (not 1 3/4 x 3 1/2) I remember watching the feed arm and was amazed that he could control with variable speed the feed as well as the direction of huge logs with just that handle. What are the chances it was a DeLoach in Pennsylvania? I know it was there before the 30's. Unfortunately my grandfather has past away to get more details. He mainly used it to build the structure of the farm: Smokehouse, Butcher house, Chicken coupe (sp?) Garages, Tractor sheds, etc. I'm now wondering if the mill was originally there to build the dairy barn. The mill was open to the air but did have a roof. In the winter there was much snow. How would they be able to keep it functioning all those years with it exposed to moisture? There were lots of things that I'm amazed by my Grandfather: running a dairy farm, as well as growing corn, oats, hay, alfalfa, milking twice a day, wrenching on the farm equipment. I do not think he ever took a vacation in his entire life. Nor did he want to! I think he was happy doing his thing. Thanks again Keith for doing what you are doing, I do hope your are happy doing your thing. I enjoy watching your videos.
+alan schertz Thanks Alan. It is possible it was a DeLoach, they shipped stuff all around the US and even overseas. With that said though, you just don't find many DeLoach saws still out there. I know that we would love to find another one to have some spare parts for ours at the museum....
+Skeeter Holeman Thanks - the museum has had this sawmill operational for probably 35 years now. I first started working on this mill back in the late 1980's when I was a college student.
what a treat to watch.... ive got some of those 1880s and 1890 brass oilers that im retrofiring them to newer machines ..... not super into steam engines ,,,but i like the notion that these can work anywhere around the globe as long as there is water and something to burn .... wow that belt was rubbing against the bricks ....but it corrected it self seconds later ....
+Faisal Abdulaziz The belt that you saw on the bricks gets slack when the engine stop. When you start it back up again it runs on the high part of the pulley and is not a problem.
Hello Keith, First off all I will thank you for this great video and I never have seen an steam powered sawmill. Also great that you explained how it works and showed at last how they saw the wood. As a child I came often at the farm of an old friend of mine and I can remember that they had also a sawmill. But they powered the sawmill always with their old tractor who had also such a big wheel at the side like the tractor in the museum. Again many thanx for the great video and many greetings from Roel !
Great film. That helps me understand how an American Mill I just got operated . I didn’t understand how the variable feed worked or how it reversed direction. It needs a total restoration and none of the parts move right now.
So gratifying to see century-old machinery running so well. No shortage of off-cuts to keep the boiler going! I wonder what happens to all that sawdust? A very enjoyable video.
When I was a kid my dad brought home a really cool book called “Great Train Wrecks”. It was full of pictures of wrecks like telescoping passenger cars and exploded boilers. One I remember to this day is of what used to be a 2-4-2 steam engine. It was still on the tracks but it had been reduced to a frame on four drive wheels. The picture was taken from quite a distance. There was no boiler in sight. No cab either.
Interesting posting. You were quite detailed about the construction of the new bowler - the rivet decoration to retain the old appearance. Also the clearing of water from the cylinder and method of introducing oll for internal lubrication. There was a mill like this I saw as a child of 8 or so. They used the sawdust pile as fuel. It wasn't until the advent of gas and diesel engines that these piles were left in the forest where the stood for tens of years as tribute to the massive first growth trees that were cut Maybe a bit more detail on the carriage mechanism but it certainly made many aware of the old technology brought by the Industrial Age. Just a note to acknowledge your part in the restoration of these monuments to the enginuity of the hard working people 3 and 4 generations ago who built and operated a vast array of wonderful machines.
I could watch that sawmill operate for hours. Homes and maybe whole towns would not exist without that sawmill. That boiler, steam engine, and sawmill made dreams come true.
This is a really good mill producing accurate lumber.
As a person who loves woodworking, machining and plain old fashioned ingenuity, this video is right up my street. Thanks for sharing.
+Ant Mallett Thanks for watching!
That was something to watch. It takes real skill to make boards from a log. All I have ever done is make boards with a chainsaw mill, and that takes a lot of preplanning too. To do it on the fly is mindblowing. Your sawyer is an ace. The steam engine is a jewel, over 100 years old and still running. Truly something to show the grandchildren. Thank you very much.
+Juan Rivero Thanks Juan!
The forward /reverse pulley for the carriage is still used today on most snowblowers. Amazing!
I buildt a "tie mill" from scratch with scrap metal and a straight 6 chevy with the Chevy in 1st gear ran the mill using a foot throttle and by ear. I ran a 54" inserted tooth blade with half the teeth short to decrease load on the mill. Your 25HP mill has more usuable smother power than that 6 cylinder. Just a note in 1905 the inserted tooth blade was patented. Than you so much for the video.
+1DIYGuy Correct on the inserted tooth blade. Since our museum roughly represents 1890 to 1910, we are "period correct" to use it!
Watching your video is in many ways more up close and personal than an in person guided tour of the sawmill would be. Still, you have to be there to get the whole effect -- the noise, the smell, the hustle and bustle, the people, the wide view, etc. Thanks, Keith!
+Bob Korves No doubt that there is nothing like being there in person - it is a different view for sure!
Thanks for taking the time for a complete walk through/operation explanation. I love those old machines and I had questions. You answered them. I could just sit and watch it run for hours. Thank you Mr Rucker.
+Mynard Mayne There have been days when we were running the sawmill that a visitor would just sit and watch it run for hours. If I were not on the other side of the fence getting to work on it, I might be guilty of doing the same thing!
How much is it for the atlas steam engine? Can someone please let me know
Liked the engine; liked the sawmill. Great video. Thanks for *all* these videos from the GMoA.
That variable speed/reversible transmission was used in Norden bombsights (WWII). Instead of a wheel against the plate, they pinched a steel ball in a cage between the plate and a roller. The ball could be driven back and forth across the plate (they called it a disk) by a feed screw. Like the transmission, the distance of the ball from the center of the disk determines the transmission ratio. Each bombsight had three or four of them.
Here's the cool thing: such a transmission can do calculus! In its bombsight role it's actually called a ball-and-disk integrator. It does integral calculus. You put one input into rotating the disk, and the other input into turning the feed screw, and the rotation of the roller is the answer. They were doing calculus in real time with the air-speed, altitude, wind (speed and direction), and getting answers that told the pilot whether to steer right or left, and to tell the bombardier when to drop the bombs. It made high-altitude bombing possible.
I still have some of the parts left over after my dad salvaged shafts, bearings and gears from the half dozen of these things he bought back in the 1950s and '60s. I assume there are a couple of those ball-and-disk integrators buried somewhere in the tons of junk (sorry dad) that I inherited. I'm sure he didn't throw them away. (Growing up with access to his basement shop was really special. Thanks, Dad.)
+Peter W. Meek I just mentioned the calculus thing, too, before I saw your post! I love the mechanical computer series of videos on UA-cam. They deal with trajectory calculators on battleships but still very interesting.
+Peter W. Meek That is truly interesting - any links to more info?
Wikipedia article:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball-and-disk_integrator
You got to tinker with formerly Top Secret Norden bombsights! Amazing.
Too bad he disassembled them.
The beauty of steam power and steam power is such underrated technology. That sawmill will forever be EMP proof and will still produce lumber.
Most enjoyable, refreshing fond memories of my Dad's love of all things Steam, primarily locomotives. He was a Director for many years serving the Pittsburgh Shawmut and Northern Railroad Preservation Society, a local road through his hometown of Angelica, NY. Dad was blind most of his life, but was amazing at what he could do. He'd have loved this operation! Thanks so much for sharing! All best.
+cal raines Thanks for watching!
Keith
Thanks for the video. Around our area here in Northwest Washington State there were several similar saw mills, most converted to old model A engines or whatever they could scrounge up for power. Many mills later in life were used for cedar. These mills are now gone. Thank you for keeping these machines alive along with the spirit of those generations of men who operated them.
Tony
+Anthony F. “Tony” De Leo Thanks Tony - it is a lot of fun to keep this old stuff running!
BEFORE BANDSAWS and what a beautiful sawmill it is! Looks like a three-man money maker to me! 'From logs to lumber' was my presentation for teaching trade school in Queens NY.
I have a mill much like this. The carrige and husk were made by Couts in BC Canada. I used a mobile home frame cut and narrowed, A cable wrapped drum for the carrige drive and the original pulleys at each end. There are many other original parts and pieces. I used a 220 Cummins engine for lots of tourque and it suprisingly gets great fuel consumption. About 10 gallons an 8 hour shift. The original mill carrige came from the early 20's or late 1910's. I saw mainly for myself as finding 3 people that will work that hard is next to impossibe these days. It can make a fella sweat. That will never do in an age of button pushers eh!
I could watch and run that tool all day long, loved watching that run.
Come to the museum one day when we are running it and you can sit there and watch us work all day long. I have seen more than one visitor sit there for hours watching it run!
I would but it's a long trip from Vt. Thank you very much for your videos. I appreciate the time and work you do.
I saw your channel and wanted to volunteer. I told my wife then she reminded me that I just like watching it. Thanks for the videos.
When I was a kid my Father cut down some trees from our property and we took them to a local sawyer. His mill was a much more modern one with ball bearings and a CAT diesel engine. At that time I never saw his mill run. However the lumber from those trees allowed me to build several projects at home and in shop class while I was in high school. I eventually grew up and became a shop teacher myself. I took 2 maybe 3 logs to that same sawyer and had them sawed into boards that allowed me to build much of the furniture in my home. He allowed me to come in with a video camera and film the mill running for my shop classes.
I wish I could smell the pine being sawed. I imagine it smelled wonderful! The combination of the wood fire, fresh pitch and oil would be just heavenly!
+Junk Mikes World We still have lots of sawmills around here where I live - both big commercial mills and small mom and pop mills that will saw logs for the public. As for that smell, it is indeed a wonderful smell - at least to me!
So cool to see that old machinery run.
State of the art 120 to 140 years ago.
Materials, design, construction, operation, etc.
250 rpm was pretty fast for reciprocating engines back then.
Thanks, Keith
John
+John Bazaar Thanks John!
Thanks for the answer on the last video I posted a comment about being a shop teacher.
It's really too bad that being a shop teacher isn't a field in demand. We need more shop people like you and Mike Rowe and fewer managers, lawyers and women's studies people in this world.
Man alive. I want to work at this place. That setup is a sawyer's dream!
The mechanical ingenuity to move that much materail and mechanisim so effortlessly and with such precision is flat out astonishing. The scale on which the inventors of such machinery (and locomotives too) thought and created is beyond impressive.
+John Strange And it was all done without computers and for the most part, the "rules" that engineers go by today were not even known back then. They were some amazing guys for sure!
......had a wonderful time watching this, what a great show, thank you so much for taking the time.
+Rick L Thanks Rick!
just enjoyed watching this again.
The carriage drive system is such a beautiful solution, I’ve never seen anything like that before. We truly stand on the shoulders of giants.
Keith,
That really looks like hard work! ... My family and I toured a sawmill a number of years ago. The had a machine that debarked the log. It then had lasers that "measured" the log to tell the sawyer where to make the cuts to get the most out of the log. He sat in a cab above the saw and carriage and pushed buttons and moved joy sticks to operate everything. A big difference a century makes! Thanks for the great video and for a look back in time.
Have a good one!
Dave
+Swarf Rat It is for sure hard work - particularly in the summer when it is 95-100 degrees! Not too bad when things cool down though....
Wish I was there Keith! A long time ago I asked if I could run a board through the planer after the restoration was complete. You said come on down...... I just received for free a pickup load of rough cut walnut I could bring with me! Congratulations. The planer will be a great edition to your awesome Sawmill! Thanks as always.
+Tom Wilcox Thanks Tom!
Love to watch the old machines work. Good step-by-step explanation on the system.
+sandrammer Thanks!
Awesome video Keith. Thanks for keeping the the old machinery going. It's great to be able to see how we have progressed since those days.
+bentfork My pleasure - lots of fun playing with this stuff, but I would hate to have to make a living running this equipment in today's world!
I am so glad to see a steam powered sawmill up and running again,thank you for sharing.
+AlfonsoTheTraitor My pleasure!
i could watch that all day .. very cool , thanks for sharing Keith
+Chris Smith Thanks Chris - it is fun to watch. Even more fun to work in (except in the summer time....)
i bet it can get muggy real fast
I really enjoyed your explanation of how the whole system works. The swing saw is pretty scary looking. Thanks for another great video.
+Walter Plummer Yes, the swing saw is scary, but as long as the operator is careful, it won't hurt you!
Another great video! I love how quiet the stationary steam engines are, it's cool to see and hear all the associated mechanisms doing their thing. Additionally, it's always interesting to see the ingenuity that went into the mechanics of these old machines. Thanks for posting!
How much is it for the atlas steam engine?? Do you know
Keith this was a great explanation of a steam engine and the saw mill. I liked the video very much.
This is awesome. There is a sawmill just like this one set up in Atkinson, IL. I saw it run maybe 15 years ago. I remember that friction drive. Very unique.
Great video Keith, thanks For showing the operation,startup, and operation, of the Boiler , engine and Saw. Yea I have a early 90,s snapper self propel, that uses the flat plate friction drive self propel, multi speed, ..enjoyed Thanks for Sharing
+TIM WILSON Thanks Tim!
Wow!
Thank you for bringing this ingenious machine to life. It must be quite the experience to see it in action.
I could watch this for hours.
+k1mgy Come on down and we will put you to work on it!
Maybe summer 2016. I'd like to visit the museum and have a look at your new shop. I was inspired by the tall trees! Thanks Keith for your work. It's great to have you take us along for the interesting experiences.
Great video Keith! You got some beautiful footage of the working parts. Did you say that some of the wood from your property will be going into your new shop?
+Abom79 Yep, we have already sawed all of the timbers that will be used to build my new shop. I did not have enough trees to get all of the lumber for it, but what I did get will knock a big dent into the total lumber bill!
a well spent 1/2 hr watching that Keith---I used to do a bit of timber milling as a young bloke and it brought back some good memories..
+Ian Craig Thanks for watching!
Fascinating, as always. The variable speed device was reinvented by an American called Hayes for automotive transmission around 1935. He sold it to the British Austin Motor Company. It was not a great success for a number of reasons, yet it represented a sophisticated early automatic system that deserved greater acclaim. Martyn
I LOVE watching these old machines come to life, & do what they were intended to!
I've only seen bandsaw type mills work before. I'm amazed how fast that rips the logs! Great video!!
+Chris S They actually had bandsaw mills even back in the late 1800's. There were usually only found at larger sawmills though.
Well explained Keith bro. I love steam Engines👍
Another Great video , Since i would probably never will be able visit the museum great to see all the stuff and learn about all the old machines, also for all those people who haven't saw last video were he talk on this and did some repair work search for Sawmill Clutch Repair: Part 2 - Broaching a Keyway, Reasembly, and Testing and 22 minutes in where showing again how it work
+David Howard Thanks David!
I would hate to be operating that mill when the blade hits a spike or a large nail in the log. Both of those fellows are in the path of the pieces flying off the blade. It is wonderful to watch the old machinery at work, only dedicated craftsman can keep such machine operating. It is also important to remember the risks that our ancestors faced every day while at work.
Thanks for the videos, Keith. I am officially addicted to your channel.
+John Ferguson I have hit more than one nail and even a few larger items (spikes, insulators, rebar, angle iron, chain, etc...). Because the wood is all around the blade and it is pulling everything down, nothing goes flying anywhere. But a bad crash will make you mess your drawers none the less...
What a great tour/explanation of the workings of the boiler, engine and saw. Looking forward to seeing it in the very near future!
+Jack Hoying As am I Jack!
I remember there being a steam driven sawmill in London still working in the late ‘60s or early ‘70s. I’m not sure exactly where it was, but it was alongside a canal, by means of which the timber was delivered. Sawmills did seem to remain steam driven longer than most other industry, presumably because they had plenty of sawdust and waste wood available which could be used to fire the boiler.
well thought out edited video, thanks for showing something that I would not get the chance to see otherwise. hope you can do more like it. thank-you.
+Adrian Higgins Thanks Adrian!
Mr. Rucker this was really fascinating and quite well done! Thank you for all the hard work you do to teach and entertain your followers - it is much appreciated!
+Arlyn Smith Thanks!
Thanks Keith this brings back memories. Back in the 80's I ran my circular mill with steam . Had a 8 1/2 X11" Ajax engine and a AB Farquhar boiler. My mill is half Chase and half Lane. I run it now with a Ford Dagenham diesel power unit. Up here in yankee land its tough managing the boiler in the winter. It seems to me theirs enough scrap in a log to power the mill to cut it. Nice to hear the chug of steam instead of the drone of a diesel.
Wow, I could watch that all day, just facinating. one of your best videos, I would like to visit there someday to see that in operation. thanks. The start of the industrial America
+gary smith We would love to have you come by sometime!
I enjoyed the video very much. The saw mill itself was amazing to watch. As far as safety goes, awaremess of yourself and your surroundings is key. Thank you.
Awareness of yourself and your surroundings means No mobile phones!
I love your videos and I have wanted to visit the museum for a long time. But alas Covid wrecked everything. I will be checking your schedules and definitely will visit you this fall. Thank you and your tea,m for all you do to preserve our history.
I can't tell you how much I loved this video. Thanks for sharing.
+Ian O'Riordan Glad that you enjoyed!
Excellent tour of how it works! Thank you!
so cool to watch the old ways at work..
thanks Keith.
Seeya,
Dude
+80spodcastchannel ( : FACEBOOK DUDEJERKY ☆☆☆☆☆ Thanks!
I remember the new boiler make, but nice 2 see the whole run down. Thx
keith thats so cool i could sit there and watch till i die
I love this beautiful vintage machinery
Thanks for another fantastic video. While many of the methods used to power the mills have changed (steam, tractors, diesel power units, & now electricity) many similarities remain. Band mills are becoming more popular, with a thinner kerf, smoother finish, and easier to hold a better dimension. thanks again!
+Robert Ross Bandsaw mills are the way to go in a modern environment. The kerf of the bandsaw blade is only about 1/8" as opposed to 1/4" on the circular mills so you are converting less of your log to sawdust and more to lumber.
That clutch system on the sawmill caught my attention because snowblowers up north here run on the same exact system! Surprised me! Just goes to show how old this technology actually is and hows its so good that it hasn't changed all these years.
Excellent presentation thanks keep up the great work team
Really interesting! Thank's Keith, this is very rewarding to have saved this machine from the scrap yard.
Not an emergency stop in sight anywhere, so awesome....
+Craig Tripney We have an emergency stop - when somebody pulls the whistle cord and gives a long blow, the person running the engine shuts things down as quick as he can!!!!
Fascinating (and SCARY) at the same time!
Keith, an excellent video and very informative explanation of the boiler and sawmill operation. Thanks.
+Ian Postlethwaite Thanks Ian!
It was nice to see this machine working. I stopped by this museum on the way back from Florida in October 2015 and there wasn't much going on. the train wasn't running, the sawmill or the turpentine still wasn't either. I still had a great time though and plan to go back at a better time. I believe the guy I talked said that April is the best time to see everything going. It was just something that I wanted to see and after we left, we happened upon Juliette down the road that was used in the film Fried Green Tomatoes. BTW that town closes a 4:00 pm so we missed eating there too.
+austinwagoncompany What can I say, things are kind of slow down here in rural South Georgia! Saturdays are usually a good time to stop by the museum as that is when they run the train and we usually have more visitors on the site. The Folk Life Festival in April is the best time to come as that is a big event with pretty much everything running. That is the only time during the year that we actually fire the turpentine still.
I never really knew how steam engines work until now, thanks!
+Ville QQ Thanks - glad that you enjoyed!
Thanks for showing detail on incremental shifting of the cant eithr in or out.
Excellent video Keith!! I also use pinecones to start my foundry furnace. They do indeed burn really nicely.
I have always been a big steam enthusiast. Steam engines are the singular reason why I built my home foundry and got into machining. I have been working on building a steam engine completely from scratch. Right now I am completely done with the top end. (2 inch diameter piston, 4.25 inch stroke) I've had SOOO many failed castings but eventually I got the procedure down to a science! Pattern making is particularly enjoyable to me because I like working with wood. The bottom end requires lots of cast iron castings, an avenue that is still new to me. But I am learning!
I would also like to add (for those interested in steam engines) that in a steam engine, you get MUCH more torque because depending on the cutoff, you have constant steam pressure pushing down on the piston past top dead center,which is key because at TDC there is no mechanical advantage since the effective lever arm is zero. Max torque occurs when the crankshaft is perpendicular to the cylinder because it has the largest lever arm (Basically a cosine). Steam engines can provide CONSTANT pressure up to and past this point, providing a great amount of torque. Gas engines only have an initial pulse of pressure from the explosion, and the rest of the work is done by the EXPANDING gasses past TDC. The power from an expanding gas decays very rapidly as compared to a constant pressure gas.
The doble steam cars of the 1920's are some of the most interesting steam engines you will see. The engineering put into them is truly amazing compared to the typical steam engines seen during that time.
+MattsMotorz Good luck with your engine. I have always kind of wanted to make my own steam engine as well, but with so many at the museum that we are using or need work, I have just spent my time working on those instead!
Jay Leno is a great Doble fan, as well as of Stanley. I highly recommend his videos on Doble and Stanley steamers as well as other steam engines and vehicles. www.nbc.com/jay-lenos-garage/video/1925-doble-e20-steam-car/2772940
My dad had a mill very similar to this one. It cut on the right hand side. The husk had an identical feed system. The carriage was 3 bunk and was set up exactly like yours. Our mill was made by J M Plante Co. in Ontario Canada
Very good video, helps you understand a little better, love it.
Keith,
Thanks for a very good video presentation of the design features and operation of the steam powered sawmill. Enjoyed very much.
+Gordon Eckler Thanks Gordon!
awesome to see her still going keep up the great work
+gravedigr12 Thanks!
Thanks for the work you put into the engine, sawmill and video. It was a joy to watch. Truly ingenious engineering.
+Lolita's Garden Thanks - I am glad that you enjoyed!
What a beautiful engine 🤩 thx for sharing 😊
As you were explaining the sawmill power train I was looking at those paper wheels and noting how they were just like my Snapper mower and then you mentioned that. I bought a Snapper around 1992 and it had a plate like that driven by a belt off the main shaft down by the blade. It had a wheel with a rubber tire that ran on that plate to drive the wheels, making it possible to adjust the ground speed independent of the engine speed. Still have the mower and it still works well.
Ironically, DeLoach patented the idea and Snapper copied it - the two companies were located pretty close to one another in Georgia, although at different time periods.
that's one hell of a unit , enjoyed watching
+Paul Shaw Thanks!
Great show from start to finish. I just sold an Oxford mill to friend of mine. lumbering was and still is big here in altanic canada
+Mert Silliker It is still big here in South Georgia where I live, but not with these old mills any more....
Thank you for showing/explaining to us how these old time steam sawmills work. If it were possible, I would look you guys up to learn firsthand and work with you for free with this beautiful machine. Thanks again!
my grandfather had a similar saw mill off the the back of his dairy barn in south western Pennsylvania. in the 60's I remember he powered it with the pto of one of his tractors. (model H, i think) He was making lumber for my uncles house that too would be on the farm. I remember his 2x4s were 2 x 4! (not 1 3/4 x 3 1/2) I remember watching the feed arm and was amazed that he could control with variable speed the feed as well as the direction of huge logs with just that handle. What are the chances it was a DeLoach in Pennsylvania? I know it was there before the 30's. Unfortunately my grandfather has past away to get more details. He mainly used it to build the structure of the farm: Smokehouse, Butcher house, Chicken coupe (sp?) Garages, Tractor sheds, etc. I'm now wondering if the mill was originally there to build the dairy barn. The mill was open to the air but did have a roof. In the winter there was much snow. How would they be able to keep it functioning all those years with it exposed to moisture? There were lots of things that I'm amazed by my Grandfather: running a dairy farm, as well as growing corn, oats, hay, alfalfa, milking twice a day, wrenching on the farm equipment. I do not think he ever took a vacation in his entire life. Nor did he want to! I think he was happy doing his thing. Thanks again Keith for doing what you are doing, I do hope your are happy doing your thing. I enjoy watching your videos.
+alan schertz Thanks Alan. It is possible it was a DeLoach, they shipped stuff all around the US and even overseas. With that said though, you just don't find many DeLoach saws still out there. I know that we would love to find another one to have some spare parts for ours at the museum....
Nice job. You have made a good productive machine out of one that most likely
have been scraped. Good work.
+Skeeter Holeman Thanks - the museum has had this sawmill operational for probably 35 years now. I first started working on this mill back in the late 1980's when I was a college student.
Thank you Keith, very well done.
+quantumss Thank you for watching!
That just has to be the best video I have watched on a Vintage saw mill ..Love the steam power as well ! Thumbs up Keith !!
+ShawnMrFixit Lee Thanks Shawn!
VERY COOL! Thank you for sharing. Really neat to see how it was done.
+moto52000 My pleasure!
what a treat to watch....
ive got some of those 1880s and 1890 brass oilers that im retrofiring them to newer machines .....
not super into steam engines ,,,but i like the notion that these can work anywhere around the globe as long as there is water and something to burn ....
wow that belt was rubbing against the bricks ....but it corrected it self seconds later ....
+Faisal Abdulaziz The belt that you saw on the bricks gets slack when the engine stop. When you start it back up again it runs on the high part of the pulley and is not a problem.
oh okay thanks for clarifying
Thank you Keith your video's are always so enjoyable !
+Gene Fultz Thanks Gene - glad that you enjoyed. Lots of cool stuff here at the museum that I have not had a chance to show you guys yet!
Great video and explanation on the saw mill Keith. Thanks for the upload.
+Bill De La Vega Thank you Bill for taking the time to watch and comment!
That was a sight to behold!
Hello Keith,
First off all I will thank you for this great video and I never have seen an steam powered sawmill. Also great that you explained how it works and showed at last how they saw the wood.
As a child I came often at the farm of an old friend of mine and I can remember that they had also a sawmill. But they powered the sawmill always with their old tractor who had also such a big wheel at the side like the tractor in the museum.
Again many thanx for the great video and many greetings from Roel !
+RoelTyros At one time, lots of farmsteads had a circular mill like this. They were very common place back then!
Thanks for the tour it was very interesting. Keep up the great work.
Good old technology...and the sawdust they produce is fuel for the engine. Good stuff!
Great video, discussion & operation...thanks for sharing!
+outsidescrewball Thanks Chuck!
Thanks Keith. Love this. Very informative on the old ways.
Great film. That helps me understand how an American Mill I just got operated . I didn’t understand how the variable feed worked or how it reversed direction. It needs a total restoration and none of the parts move right now.
So gratifying to see century-old machinery running so well. No shortage of off-cuts to keep the boiler going! I wonder what happens to all that sawdust? A very enjoyable video.
+CornishMiner Do you need some sawdust? If so, bring a truck - we will load for free....
When I was a kid my dad brought home a really cool book called “Great Train Wrecks”. It was full of pictures of wrecks like telescoping passenger cars and exploded boilers. One I remember to this day is of what used to be a 2-4-2 steam engine. It was still on the tracks but it had been reduced to a frame on four drive wheels. The picture was taken from quite a distance. There was no boiler in sight. No cab either.
Interesting posting. You were quite detailed about the construction of the new bowler - the rivet decoration to retain the old appearance. Also the clearing of water from the cylinder and method of introducing oll for internal lubrication. There was a mill like this I saw as a child of 8 or so. They used the sawdust pile as fuel. It wasn't until the advent of gas and diesel engines that these piles were left in the forest where the stood for tens of years as tribute to the massive first growth trees that were cut Maybe a bit more detail on the carriage mechanism but it certainly made many aware of the old technology brought by the Industrial Age. Just a note to acknowledge your part in the restoration of these monuments to the enginuity of the hard working people 3 and 4 generations ago who built and operated a vast array of wonderful machines.
Splendid video and informative presentation as always.
That was truly fascinating stuff Keith, thank you.
+Duncan “DunMac” Mac Thanks Duncan!
So absolutely cool, Keith your a lucky guy!
+Tim Ambrass I count my blessing every day and getting to play with old machinery like this is a lot of fun for me!