Ben's Mill: An Excerpt
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- Опубліковано 26 лис 2024
- This film is available from Documentary Educational Resources at www.der.org/fil....
Ben Thresher's mill is one of the few water-powered, wood-working mills left in this country. Operating in rural Vermont since 1848, the mill is a unique link between the age of craft and the age of modern industry. In this 1981 documentary, Ben uses his machines and finely crafted tools to first adapt a neighbor's pitch fork into a sod turner, and second to build a wooden watering tub for cows (a task that he accomplishes in one day). The film evokes the quality of rural New England life, and at the same time provides a close, step-by-step view of Ben's woodworking processes.
When I first saw this years ago I thought Ben was SO old. Now I watch it and hes a young fellow!
RIP Ben!! I grew up right down the road from Ben's Mill
I saw this on PBS, what, 40 years ago? I grew up in a family with strong self-reliance, and it has carried me to the top of my industry, engineering and building cleanrooms. I have to invent something about once a month, anything from electrical to mechanical to chemical engineering. Ben was one of my exemplars. I had also learned about Sylvan Hart, the last of the mountain men. I finally found a used copy of his photo biography. These people were national treasures.
Thanks Ben. The film is streaming at www.folkstreams.net/films/ben-s-mill
This about my favorite documentary ever. I've watched it many times since I taped it off of PBS years ago. This clip seems to have some footage that I've never seen before.
I saw this on WG BH in maybe 1980 and have been searching for it for a while now , thank you!
What a fascinating video. I could watch a whole series of video's on Ben. Reminds me of the days of school groups going to historic forts.
This guy is a magician! It is hard to believe everything was made this way once upon a time.
I've been looking for this video for years! Thank you for posting.
Looks nice and toasty warm inside the mill.
A very great piece of history and very peaceful.
I remember watching this video years ago on PBS and I also remember watching Ben build a full size sled .........God Bless Ben.......not many like him around anymore.......
Now that you mention it, I remember the sled too. Great videos. Glad this history is being preserved, so the future will be able to see how these things were done.
old school at its BEST ! i realy enjot watching Ben work, he riminds me of my Dad, old school, hard working , honest, and a VERY skilled Craftsman, although the world has modern machines and robots that can make almost anything you can imagine,but then the human factor is lost, to know a Man made something with his own hands & swett & it has meaning to me & i find the world sorley lacking because of this change, it like the old days you knew the man who signed your paycheck, not anymore
Get that tub outta the mud!!! Good video. If it paid anymore, I'd consider making these things.
A true piece of American history
Wonder if a high definition scan of the original film is possible?
Wewould like to do one!
awesome I live in Athens Vermont same farm my Great grandfather bought in 1936
I love how quiet his tools are.
Love when he dusts off the edge of the tub with his hat after shaving it, then plops his hat right back on his head. It’s actually how I work.
great video ..what a great inspiration..
Ok, that makes sense. No personal experience with powered jointers, so I was unaware of such a neat trick.
He makes a taper on the jointer by running 2 passes for each stave. The first pass isn't from the end of the stave (down about 4-6"). the second pass then tapers (the amount of taper is the depth of cut of the jointer).
A
No it's not running anyore but now it's a historical site. The Barnet Historical society runs it as a museum.
I will repeat this just for you ...."I believe his claim was that the water power was the most efficient means to get the job done"
Take care.,Pierre : )
The main thing that impressed me when I saw this decades ago was how much power that water generates. I could then understand how factories could operate on hydro power during the Industrial Revolution.
Love it.
amazing mill love it great way to live a life
COOL!!!
Can’t believe what I just saw
I hope this man has an apprentice, Mills are disappearing, and the ones that do exist are dieing. I would hate to see this art vanish.
At 18:32 the narrator says "At the same time he makes the bevel, Ben also tapers each stave, in order to form the splay of the tub."
Does anyone see how this is accomplished? I own a VHS copy of this movie, and have never been able to figure out how the taper is done.
These Men were Yankees, a rare breed nowadays.
Too bad the nimbys and other simple minds won't allow reconstruction of the dam. After all it is green power.
Can U believe he paid him $1.50 for all that work bending the pitch fork! Pay the guy $5 bucks for cryin' out loud! I don't care if he asked $1.50, pay him $5! .....(smile) ....kidding. kool vid!
No turbine is 90% efficient. Here a francis turbine is used, and it reaches up to 85% efficiency, but 90% efficiency is to high, usually such turbines work in efficiency range of 72 up to 80% efficiency...
But a good documentation
Well, sneeze, you used the word liar - I not.
If you have 300 hp then 5% might be not much, but it you have only 10 hp a factor of 5% is much...
And if you haven't knowledge in water turbine efficiency - well, you won't understand.
If you have changing water, your turbine works once at top notch, if you have not optimum water, that turbine wastes a lot of efficiency.
Other turbines even water wheels deals much better in such circumstances