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Eric built this sawmill in his machine shop. The only part which were originally for a saw are the blades. The mill could be powered by the take-off on a tractor, but of course, Eric preferred steam power. In this series of videos, Arnold Febig operates the Sawyer-Massey portable. Evelyn checks the logs in advance with a metal detector, because hitting a nail or spike in the log would wreck the blade, and shrapnel could fly. It takes two people to handle the log onto the carriage. The log is held in place by dogs, short sharp picks driven just far enough into the log so that it doesn't move on the carriage.The sawyer determines the thickness of the board with a ratchet lever, and propels the log past the circular blades; the larger one below does most of the cutting, and a smaller one finishes the cut from above. The first cuts on each side are called slabs; they are sent ahead to the cutoff man, who cuts them to firewood length, and tosses them aside. The carriage then returns, and the log is flipped around to be cut from another side. After the log is squared, the following cuts are boards, and are taken by the lumberman to the stack on the wagon.
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Arnold Febig prepares the Sawyer-Massey portable for an afternoon's sawing1990
Farm of Eric and Evelyn Campbell
Credits:video by Robert Wills
3
Evelyn wields the metal detector, to check for hidden spikes in the logs1990
Farm of Eric and Evelyn Campbell
Credits:video still by Robert Wills
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Start up to saw - the Sawyer-Massey engine is ready to power the sawmill1990
Farm of Eric and Evelyn Campbell
Credits:video by Robert Wills
5
the Sawyer-Massey, at the steam-powered sawing1990
Farm of Eric and Evelyn Campbell
Credits:video still by Robert Wills
6
Arnold Febig tends the Sawyer-Massey engine as it powers the sawmill1990
Farm of Eric and Evelyn Campbell
Credits:video still by Robert Wills
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A log is fed through the mill, and sawn to lumber1990
Farm of Eric and Evelyn Campbell
Credits:video still by Robert Wills
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The view of the sawing operation, from the log end of the carriage1990
Farm of Eric and Evelyn Campbell
Credits:video by Robert Wills
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After one side is flattened, the log must be flipped, set, and flattened again.1990
Farm of Eric and Evelyn Campbell
Credits:video still by Robert Wills
10
A view of the sawing operation, from the sawyer's side1990
Farm of Eric and Evelyn Campbell
Credits:video by Robert Wills
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The sawmill, homemade by Eric, is powered up and sawing lumber1990
Farm of Eric and Evelyn Campbell
Credits:video by Robert Wills
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For each cut, the sawyer ratchets the carriage over to set the thickness of cut1990
Farm of Eric and Evelyn Campbell
Credits:video still by Robert Wills
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the thickness gauge tells the sawyer how much the saw is set to cut off1990
Farm of Eric and Evelyn Campbell
Credits:video still by Robert Wills
14
The saw slices off another slab, bringing the log closer to square.1990
Farm of Eric and Evelyn Campbell
Credits:video still by Robert Wills
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