how did sawmills work

How does a sawmill work?

A sawmill works by cutting logs into lumber using large bandsaw blades. The same process is repeated over and over, log by log, to produce high-volumes of rough cut lumber. If you're interested in learning step by step how a sawmill works, feel free to watch the video below. The video highlights how Beiler's Sawmill runs.

How were logs transported to the sawmills?

The arrival of railroads meant that logs could be transported to mills rather than mills being built besides navigable waterways. By 1900, the largest sawmill in the world was operated by the Atlantic Lumber Company in Georgetown, South Carolina, using logs floated down the Pee Dee River from the Appalachian Mountains.

What was the first sawmill used for?

By 500 B.C., men used bronze axes, saws and chisels to mill rough lumber for wood homes and forts. And, in 375 A.D., the Romans built a waterwheel-powered sawmill that revolutionized the construction and furniture making industries.

How did sawmills change in the 1890s?

A sawmill of Naistenlahti in Tampere, 1890s. The introduction of steam power in the 19th century created many new possibilities for mills. Availability of railroad transportation for logs and lumber encouraged building of rail mills away from navigable water. Steam powered sawmills could be far more mechanized.

How did an old sawmill work?

Early sawmills simply adapted the whipsaw to mechanical power, generally driven by a water wheel to speed up the process. The circular motion of the wheel was changed to back-and-forth motion of the saw blade by a connecting rod known as a pitman arm (thus introducing a term used in many mechanical applications).

How did the first sawmill work?

Early sawmills were simple structures: water-powered and cheaply built, usually with a single reciprocating blade and a hand-operated ratchet carriage to feed logs into the blade. They were used for cutting local logs for local consumption. Sawing was slow: a day's work might produce 500 boards.

How was lumber cut in the 1800s?

Before the modernization of sawmills and saws, and in rural areas where pioneers were building homes far from any industrial mill, they cut logs using axes and adzes to shape logs into square timbers for their homes and timber framing.

How do the Amish power their sawmills?

Amish lumber mills typically run on a conservative power source such as a drive shaft and pully system. Usually powered by a diesel engine, the drive shaft runs a system of belts and pullies to operate saws, sanders, and other equipment lined up along the shaft.

What do sawmills do with sawdust?

But in the process of sawing those beautiful boards, a tremendous volume of not-so-beautiful byproducts is created. Bark gets sold for landscaping mulch. Sawdust gets sold to farmers for bedding.

What's the difference between a lumber mill and a sawmill?

Also called a sawmill, a lumber mill can range from a large manufacturing plant to a small, simple, hand-operated machine with a blade that can cut long sections of wood and plane them into flat pieces.

Why is a two man saw called a misery whip?

In the United States the two-man crosscut saw used for logging in the old days was nicknamed the 'misery whip' – aptly dubbed as day-long sawing with the device resulted in muscle-aching misery.

Why do sawmills water logs?

Storage of logs in water has the additional advantages of minimizing fire risks, washing away dirt which could dull saws, and preventing splitting of logs which might otherwise dry prior to milling. Cargo mills typically used a system of floating log booms to contain stored logs from delivery until milling.

When did sawmills start using circular saws?

The use of a large circular saw in a saw mill is said to have been invented in 1813 by Tabitha Babbitt, a Shaker inventor, after she noted the inefficiency of the traditional saw pits used by the sawyers in her community and sought an improvement.

Do Amish people use Mills?

The Amish north of us are very active in sawmilling and pallet production. The one mill I have firsthand knowledge of has an Amish-built bandmill.

When was the first sawmill invented?

The Dutchman Cornelis Corneliszoon (1550-1607) invented his type of sawmill by applying a pitman arm onto a wind mill, which converted a turning motion into an up-an-down motion. Corneliszoon patented the sawmill on December 15, 1593 and the pitman on December 6, 1597. He built the first sawmill there in 1594.

Who made the first sawmill?

Peter LynnCornelis Corneliszo... van UitgeestSawmill/Inventors

How did water powered sawmills work?

The force of the water's movement drives the blades of a wheel or turbine, which in turn rotates an axle that drives the mill's other machinery. Water leaving the wheel or turbine is drained through a tail race, but this channel may also be the head race of yet another wheel, turbine or mill.

Where was the first sawmill in the United States?

While settlers were busy harvesting hardwoods, in 1821 the United States government built the first sawmill to supply timber to Fort Snelling, which was located at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers.

How Are Sawmills Powered?

Water sources dried up, and winds died down. Water and wind-powered sawmills also used inefficient mechanization where cranks and rods sawed repetitively rather than continually.

Why did sawmills use steam power?

Decades ago, most sawmills used steam power, so they required a dependable and renewable water source. They also added value by using water as a log transportation tool and stored logs in rivers or lakes to prevent stored wood from drying out. Today, steam power is gone, but land is in high demand.

What Can I Get at a Sawmill?

One is softwood species such as pine, fir, hemlock, spruce, cedar and redwood. These are conifers or evergreens that have needles permanently attached. The second tree type is hardwood species like cherry, beech, oak, walnut, elm and maple. These are deciduous trees that shed leaves in the fall and grow new ones in the spring.

Where Can I Get Sawmill Supplies?

Your best source for sawmill supplies is York Saw and Knife Co, Inc. For over 100 years, we’ve supplied the American sawmill industry with top quality saw blades and other supplies to keep sawmills sharp and efficient. You’ll find our precision saw blades and industrial machine knives in the nation’s most productive stationary sawmills.

What type of sawmill blades are used for cross cutting?

There’s another angle to sawmill types. This involves the saw blade types that mills use. Modern sawmills utilize a combination of blade types. Circular blades are excellent for cross-cutting or bucking logs into specific lengths. Bandsaws, on the other hand, are far more efficient for cutting logs laterally.

What are the two main types of sawmills?

The two main types of sawmills are stationary mills and mobile or portable mills. They range in size from large-scale fixed structures mounted on foundations down to small productions either trailered or truck-mounted. Both sawmill types have designs tailored to their intended production. They’re also designed for a designated number of operators or working employees.

What are the benefits of tungsten carbide saw blades?

Every sawmill type benefits from changing technology in saw blade construction. Superior products like tungsten carbide and Stellite™ tipped blades replace old-fashioned saw blade types like hot- or cold-rolled steel. These high-tech saw blade pieces last far longer and give greater efficiency to today’s sawmills, no matter what type they are.

What is a sawmill?

A sawmill ( saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ( dimensional lumber ). The "portable" sawmill is of simple operation. The log lies flat on a steel bed, and the ...

What is the process of sawmilling?

A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end. After trees are selected for harvest, the next step in logging is felling the trees, and bucking them to length. Branches are cut off the trunk.

Why were sawmills called cargo mills?

Sawmills built on navigable rivers, lakes, or estuaries were called cargo mills because of the availability of ships transporting cargoes of logs to the sawmill and cargoes of lumber from the sawmill.

How has technology changed sawmill operations?

Technology has changed sawmill operations significantly in recent years, emphasizing increasing profits through waste minimization and increased energy efficiency as well as improving operator safety. The once-ubiquitous rusty, steel conical sawdust burners have for the most part vanished, as the sawdust and other mill waste is now processed into particleboard and related products, or used to heat wood-drying kilns. Co-generation facilities will produce power for the operation and may also feed superfluous energy onto the grid. While the bark may be ground for landscaping barkdust, it may also be burned for heat. Sawdust may make particle board or be pressed into wood pellets for pellet stoves. The larger pieces of wood that won't make lumber are chipped into wood chips and provide a source of supply for paper mills. Wood by-products of the mills will also make oriented strand board (OSB) paneling for building construction, a cheaper alternative to plywood for paneling. Some automatic mills can process 800 small logs into bark chips, wood chips, sawdust and sorted, stacked, and bound planks, in an hour.

Where was the first sawmill built?

The Hierapolis sawmill, a water-powered stone sawmill at Hierapolis, Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey, then part of the Roman Empire ), dating to the second half of the 3rd century, is the earliest known sawmill. It also incorporates a crank and connecting rod mechanism.

What engines allowed the sawmill to be mobile?

In addition, the use of steam or gasoline-powered traction engines also allowed the entire sawmill to be mobile.

What is a knock and drop sawmill?

A type of sawmill without a crank is known from Germany called "knock and drop" or simply "drop" -mills. In these drop sawmills, the frame carrying the saw blade is knocked upwards by cams as the shaft turns. These cams are let into the shaft on which the waterwheel sits.

Safety

When using any power tool in your workshop, you have to be careful to avoid sustaining an injury, however, you should be extra careful when operating a sawmill. The blades on the tool are extremely sharp, and many people have had a body part amputated after using the device.

Benefits of Keeping Your Sawmill in Top Condition

Keeping your sawmill in good condition is also important. If you maintain it on a regular basis and keep it away from water, you can expect the tool to last for several years.

Benefits of using a Portable Sawmill

A lot of DIY enthusiasts invest in portable sawmills. These handy tools are powered by a gas engine or an electric engine. If you purchase a portable sawmill that runs on electricity, it will require batteries.

Benefits of using a Stationary Sawmill

If you do most of your woodwork projects in your workshop, then you might want to purchase a stationary sawmill. These are often much bigger in size in comparison to portable sawmills, or band saws. The weather outside won’t affect your work because the stationary sawmill will be indoors at all times.

How can you Make Money with a Sawmill?

A lot of people who purchase a sawmill decide to use the tool to generate an income. By milling up wood, you will be able to sell the boards to others. Wood is always in high demand, so why not make some money with your new tool?

Conclusion

Although sawmills can help you generate an income, they don’t come cheap. Even portable sawmills cost a pretty penny, so don’t expect to pick one up for less than $3,000.

Who invented the saw?

The inventor of this instrument has, by the Greeks , been inserted into their mythology, with a place among those whom they have honoured as the greatest benefactors of the earliest ages. By some, he is calle Talus, and, by others, Perdix. Pliny ascribes the invention to Daedalus; but Hardouin, in the passage where he does so, reads Talus rather than Daedalus. Diodorus Siculus, Apollodorus, and others, name the inventor Talus. He was the son of Daedalus’s sister; and was, by his mother, placed under the tuition of her brother, to be instructed in his art. Having, its is said, once found the jaw-bone of a snake, he employed to cut through a small piece of wood; and, by these means, was induced to form a like instrument of iron, that is, a saw. This invention, which greatly facilitates labour, excited the envy of his master, and instigated him to put Talus to death privately. We are told, that of being asked, when he was burying the body, what he was depositing in the earth, he replied, “A serpent.” This suspicious answer discovered the murder; and thus, adds the historian, a snake was the cause of the invention, of the murder, and of its being found out.

Who invented the cylinder saw?

Hippocrates is said to have invented the first cylinder or drum saw, for use in the operation of trepanning the skull.

What is a saw?

The saw is an instrument which serves to cut into pieces several solid matters; as wood, stone, ivory, etc. The best saws are of tempered steel, ground bright and smooth; those of iron are only hammer-hardened, hence, the first, besides their being stiffer, are likewise found smoother than the last.

What is a preface saw?

Preface Sawing is a distinct business from the trades, in which the saw is not only very useful, but a necessary implement such as those of the carpenter, cabinet-maker, cooper, etc. Woodsmen using wedges and jacks to spilt open a log.

How are saw teeth cut?

The teeth are cut and sharpened with a triangular file, the blade of the saw being first fixed in a whetting-block. After they have been filed, the teeth are set, that is, turned out of the right line, that they may make the kerf, or fissure, the wider, that the back may follow the better.

Why are the teeth of a saw always thicker than the back?

The edge in which are the teeth is always thicker than the back, because the back is to follow the edge. The teeth are cut and sharpened with a triangular file, the blade of the saw being first fixed in ...

What is the purpose of making lumber from logs?

Making lumber from boards has been around for many millenia. Using logs to make shelter is probably one of the earliest tasks that the people of the African plains ever did. Leap forward to the last two hundred years, based on the number of patents filed worldwide from the late 1800’s into the first half of the 20th century, the saw milling business was a part of the industrial revolution. Inventions still come around and certainly there may be more to see in the future. What remains is the purpose, the efficiently and safely make a board from a log.

When were sawmills invented?

First off, Sharp quotes a brief history of sawmills in this country as given by the Encyclopedia Brittanica, which speaks of several mills “along the Atlantic coast of North America about 1634, a description of one being that of all.

Who wrote the article The Evolution of the Sawmill Industry?

I recently found an interesting article in a July 1896 issue of Cassier’s Magazine, a monthly engineering journal. The author was Salem, Ohio, resident Joel Sharp, and relates the “accurate history of the development of sawmills in the United States.”.

What is an up and down sawmill?

These up and down sawmills were of two types. A sash mill had one or more straight saw blades stretched under tension inside a rectangular frame (sash or gate) that was moved up and down by the pitman from the crank on the power source.

What is a mulay saw made of?

By the way, a mulay saw typically had a single vertical blade that was driven directly by the pitman between wooden guide blocks at the top and bottom and its blade was made of heavier steel than that of the sash saw.

Why does a mulay saw require less power than a sash saw?

The mulay saw required less power than the sash saw because the weight and friction of the heavy framework that held the saw was dispensed with.

What is a sash saw called?

A sash saw with multiple saw blades could cut several boards from a log at the same time and was called a “gang saw.” A variation of the gang saw was called a “slabbing gang” and had just two blades with one movable to adjust the distance between the blades.

How many feet does a Sharp log feed?

The log was initially fed by an old style ratchet feed which was unsatisfactory at the higher speeds and Sharp developed a continuous feed that further increased capacity to more than 4,000 feet.

Overview

Sawmill process

Pre-Industrial Revolution

Industrial Revolution

Current trends

See also

Sources

External links