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Another Sawmill and a Short story About a Great Friend

23K views 24 replies 12 participants last post by  4imnotright 
#1 ·


A very good friend of mine now nearing his mid-80's expressed his desire to have his favorite old circular saw mill live at my house..... I found myself befriended by Sam a number of years back while doing the HVAC at a new sewer treatment plant next to his property where this and a few other mills, and a number of old tractors are stored.

A fellow never knows where a smile along with a greeting and the offer of a handshake will lead him.I have subsequently spent many an hour after work just visiting with Sam sitting on a bucket down at the property or up at his house relaxing in the swing.



I don't think a kinder man nor a truer friend has drawn a breath...at least not in front of me anyway. Such an inspiration of determination and honesty would characterize him in a nutshell.

Not a day goes by that he is not working on one of his 20 some-odd tractors ranging from a reasonably rare Le-Roi Tractair to a common A/C C or Ford 8n. I've stopped by on occasions in the numbing cold all the way to the searing heat of the midwestern summers to find him wrenching away or welding on a trailer frame or even working on a part for one of the sawmills.



This is the cab assembly, otherwise known as the "husk" of the mill containing the main shaft and arbor for the blade as well as the reduction pullys for the fore and aft movement of the carriage and saw dust removal.

On the few times I've stopped by and not found him busy it was because of a head cold here and there or maybe a doctors visit for himself or his wonderful wife of many, many years. This past winter, however we found that he was in fact not indestructible as previously thought. Picking up a repaired tire from a local tire shop, Sam slipped while reaching for the runaway tire rolling down the drive, fell and broke his hip.



This, the first of three loads being transported contain the carriage with three head blocks, the main shaft and miscellaneous parts including the model T rear end adapted to flat belt drive for the dust elevator.

I asked him if I could impose on his knowledge in milling for help in setting this machine back up and tuning it to saw correctly. With the typical huge smile and serveral rapid nods of his head the answer was a resounding yes.



One of the cool things about this mill is the power unit. It's a 3-71 Detroit two stroke diesel. Knowing it hadn't run in a few years, before we loaded it up a battery was wrestled from the back of his truck, set in place and cranked over for about 10 seconds. The old gal came to life with the typical banshee scream of the two stroke Detroit !!

Sam, with a satisfying smile spent some time showing some idiosyncrasies of the motor and its operation before shutting it down to coast to a stop.

Due to the proximity of the mill with the Meramec River, the power unit had been removed and set on higher ground a few years back when flood waters were threatening.

Now, all you "tie-down police" please take note: The chains and binders have the power unit securely bound to the trailer and the nylon ratcheting tie-down is merely lending support to the fuel tank on the opposite side.

There's still more to come, but time won't allow right now.
 
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#2 ·
Neat story Wendell. Sam sounds like a truly inspirational friend. Are you gonna install the mill near the oven so you can conveniently keep the cooking fires going with the lumber scraps????;)
 
#3 ·
While you got it on the trailer you should drop it off at my place.;)
 
#5 ·
thats realy cool! i know you'll get'r back up and runnin again in no time and you'll keer'r in good runnin shape. post up the pic's as ya'll put it back together. oh and if was me i think i'd strait pipe that ol detroit just so he could hear it run from down the road. i bet he'd be justa smiling knowin that its runnin
 
#6 ·
Wendell that was a wonderful story. I'm sure I don't have to tell you the honor and trust your friend has given you, it speaks volumes. I am really looking forward to seeing you get this set up and sawing. When you do let me know and maybe I can come down and offbear for you sometime.
 
#8 ·
Yeah Jim, thats surely a good idea to set the mill near the oven....Some fresh warm bisquits and warmed gravy in the morning, fresh loaf of bread for lunch sandwiches and some fresh baked apple pie for dessert at suppertime....

I'd surely drop it off at your place AllisWD, but doggone it I already got it unloaded...darn !!

Ernie, I'll try to do her justice when she's back on line.

I'm with you there wizzard, with the straight pipe and a handfull of throttle !!

Bruce, I'll surely take a ton of pics during the setting up process then when Gordon stops by with his dad we'll all three send it through the paces making the sawdust fly.
 
#9 ·
Wendell, I am simply tryin' to help look after ya. After all with all your wimmen folk back in school, they will be expecting you to do a good days work, even if retired, and will be looking to see what you accomplished. Ya gotta be well fed to keep up your energy!
 
#11 ·


This Hall and Brown 24" planer was sitting with some brush grown up through it, but was well covered and protected from the elements. Its seen some pretty good use over the years, but its been a fair number of years since it planed any lumber. Sam said he no longer had need for it and to load it on the trailer on that bare spot near the back end.

Side note: Hall and Brown was based in St Louis and this machine has probably never moved over 20 miles from its origin somewhere in the 1920's, maybe '30's.



Part of the original deal was this Wheland edger manufactured in Chattanooga Tn. Theres an 8' infeed and 8' outfeed roller table that is a bit deteriorated, but the rollers and bearings are in very good shape. Look closer and you can see 16" (might be 18") inserted tooth blades, adjustable on the shaft for the width lumber you are sizing.



Here's a better shot of the blades.



The old Ford had no issue moving the Hall and Brown but when it came to....



...to moving the Detroit from the trailer over to the shed, there was a BIG difference. We loaded all the stuff up at Sam's with a fairly new (by my standards) 310 John Deere backhoe and it made me feel good to know it struggled just a tad on the power unit too.



This is a shot of the edger just being lifted out of the weeds by my son on the 310. You can tell it was sunk in just a bit....



This is the cab assembly of yet another mill on the 310 loader heading for the trailer. Its a Reeves husk from Columbus Indiana.



We had to get a little creative binding this one to the trailer without rendering damage to the blade. Currently it has only a 48" on it, but can take up to a 60".



Then an Allis Chalmers two bottom parts plow rounded out this load.



Here's three 16' sections of framework that bolts together for a 48' track that goes with the second (red) husk (cab assembly). And a 4th extra whose dimensions are not the same. On top of the load is one of the 60" inserted tooth blades covered with the set of belts for the green mill.

The picture of one other item managed to get lost in the melee but tossed on top of one load was a carriage assembly to match the one on my existing M-14 Belsaw 50" circle mill.

And somewhere lost in lala land is the pictures of the carriage that goes with the Reeves (red) husk. It is totally destroyed and not a piece of wood left to it at all. Lotsa work on that one.

All in all it was a good couple days of dismantling and hauling. The first day the SIL was the no.1 helper and the second day he was replaced by my son. Sam was there the whole time making sure we knew what we were doing...and when we didn't, he'd throw in a suggestion to get us on the right track.

Its getting about time to stop by for another visit before winter sits in... Old man winter's wind blowing down next to the Meramec gets a bit chilly when you're not working.....
 
#13 ·
Well, its time to re-visit this older post and show a shot or three of using a few of the parts from one of Sam's machines to repair yet another old sawmill that's been in a coma for about 30 to 40 years. Earlier in this post I referred to it as a Belsaw M-14...after looking closer and actually finding the tag it is really a Belsaw A-14. One of the earlier models manufactured by Belsaw probably as early as the mid-30's to the early 40's as close as I can tell.



As an overview, these saws were made specifically with the farmer in mind. They are designed to be a one-man saw as you can see. In other words, the pto power unit is on the opposite side of the husk enabling the operator to make a pass with the log, return the carriage and walk easily to offbear the slab or the sawn board. Slow, but effective for non-production milling.

This one is mounted on simple bar-joists instead of a wooden frame. It is 32' long with a tongue on one end so a temporary running gear can be slipped under and secured for short transport. 50" inserted tooth blade with B-8/9 teeth and shanks.

Note that it is TEMPORARILY sitting on just a few supports right behind my shop so repairs can be made conveniently. It actually has 14 points of bearing for stability and rigidity and will be relocated before any serious sawing is done. But first...a TON of repairs...



The first thing on the list was carriage rollers. As noted by the severely rusted and badly mis-shapen one in the picture, new ones had to be turned down.



Good thing I saved tons of blower shafts over the years...it gives a person a wide variety of round stock for little projects such as this. Two for the original carriage had to be made and two new ones for the third head block that was added to the carriage to allow pieces as short at 36" to be milled. With only two headblocks as it came from the factory, the minimun length of log was limited to 72".



This one has been bored for the axle and is ready to be parted from the main stock. I decided to make new axles, centerbore them one half the length. Then tap the end for grease zerks and drill a tiny grease release 90 degrees to the centerbore in the center of the axles for lubrication.



Next on the repair list was the dogs. These dogs are absolutely horrible and one of the weakest points on the A-14. The newer models have much more substantial dogging. These are only 1/4" x 1" mild steel dogs.

They bend easily and do not secure the log well enough. If you look close, you'll see where the casting has been brazed on this one and the other one is broken worse.

You can also see the reinforcement I've already bolted to the worn notch in an attempt to make them lock in better.



Fuzzy, but see how worn the notch is and also the little piece made to bolt to the side of the dog.... Something HAD to be done.



Two of these were needed as both had severe wear.



Like stated earlier, a very poor design and definitely the weakest point on this little mill. This one has been broken for decades. Good thing the mill was just sitting down in the woods all grown through with trees and brush when we found it. This could lead to a bad situation if it allowed a log or a squared cant to come loose in the middle of the cut.



Here it is after a few minutes under the torch with a little brass added to pretty it up...It should be a little better, but still light duty in my estimation.

More in a few minutes. Sometimes too many pics won't post correctly for some reason...so don't go away folks.....I'll be right back, now....where'd I set that nice hot cup of tea.....
 
#14 ·
Wendell it is coming along nicely. I admire the fine work that you and your family put into rehabing the many projects you have shown us over many years.
 
#15 ·


Next on the list is the blade. An earlier inspection revealed 7 cracked shanks that hold in the teeth inserts. Plus 4 that were totally rotted off from having sat in the woods for so many years. The wooden posts had rotted down and the whole saw sat down on the dirt, and the blade itself sunk into the ground a good 10"damaging those teeth.

In actuality this blade will NOT be used once repairs are completed because of those 4 rust-damaged gullets. But to get the old saw up and running it will be used temporarily.



We had an old Fisher and Davis mill with an 54" inserted blade back on the home place and my much older brother had salvaged all the leftover shanks and bits (teeth) when the property was sold back in the 80's. He also managed to hang onto the tool that those teeth are installed with.



There's a pin that inserts into the hole in the shank, lubricate the gullet and set the new shank and new tooth partially into the gullet then rotate the handle downward. The two parts magically pop into the very tight opening.



So after installing seven sets of new teeth, it was time to play. The carriage was now repaired with the new wheels and the third headblock assembly salvaged from one of the loads of sawmill parts from my old buddy Sam.



The bearings are all greased, new drive belts are installed, the carriage cable has been soaked with oil from one end to the other and all moving parts have been lubricated and worked to make sure they'll move when they need to. The saw guide has been removed, cleaned and new neoprene inserts are now installed in front of the adjusters...We are READY TO ROCK !!!! Well.... slow dance maybe....



A couple salvaged wolmanized deck boards from my sons house are 'repurposed' here to catch the slabs or lumber. No reason to spend money if a fellow don't have to ...

Oh yeah...as I always say....Pay no attention to the junk in the background !!!!



This photo was taken before the addition of the third headblock....I got ahead of myself in the storyline.... Anyway, this little pine 4x4 was begging to get out of the log that was holding him captive so this log is what convinced me the third headblock was going to be required. AND it also told me the dogs had to have some major re-design if any serious sawing was ever to be done on this rig.

As this little soft pine log was travelling through the blade, the dogs would flex and bend backwards and even allow the log to slip towards the rear of the carriage. Not good at all !!!

So....here's what the end result is:



Sorry about the hummingbird, but MrsMassey is always throwing a little 'honey-do' in the middle of the day. Had to make a hummingbird feeder bracket and doll it up with this little guy....but that's another story.

What's important here is the drawing in the background. Its my version of stronger dogs and a means for securing them into the logs. My mechanical drawing is somewhat lacking, but it gets me where I want to go....mostly.



The much older brother dropped off some 3/4" thick mild steel salvaged from the trash hopper the other day, so it looked to be an ideal candidate for the project. I doubt that 3/4" x 1 1/4" dogs will slip OR bend when stuck into a log.

So start with torching out the three important pieces, this is the first one.



To give an idea of the physical size.....



All three freshly torched and ground ready to be trimmed on the milling machine.




In the middle of this, my camera just quit, so a ton of pics were taken on my cell phone of this phase and for the life of me, I can't figure out HOW to get those pics out of that device and into photobucket !!! So we have to fast forward to this stage. All three flat gears are mounted to the three uprights and the assemblies are nearing completion.

To finish the handles, round shafts were cut, flattened on one side, drilled and tapped to fit the threads on the handles. Locked in place with a lock nut the handles were then heated and bent into an offset to align them better with the headblocks.
 
#16 ·


This is a close up of the third 'added' headblock assembly with the slotted bracket fabricated to match the originals to keep the whole thing from teetering to and fro.



In the meantime, I sawed a couple cedar scraps laying around and found a great number of the shanks stress cracked on the existing 50" blade. Not wanting one slung through my forehead, I opted to imediately remove that damaged blade and install the old reliable 49" spare that the much older brother managed to save from the old home place. It was used very sparingly as the 54" was much more desireable.

It is hammered for 550 rpm, so it is right where it needs to be. Unfortunately it is a standard tooth and not an inserted tooth blade....so the search is on !!!!



So here's a nice red cedar being the first candidate for the newly touched up and installed 49" standard blade.

This body language says the SIL is probably wondering why he married into this family...life woulda been so much easier with a rich girl.....



Here you can see the three headblocks and new dog assemblies in action !! They seem to work fine. To allow them to slide up and down, about 50 or 60 degrees of the teeth were milled off the round gears so raising the handles to the flat spot allows them to slide up or down then re-engage with the flat gears teeth to hold up and out of the way or down and forced into the log.



Pretty nice chunks of cedar coming off this log....about 11 1/2" if memory serves. Note the distance of carriage travel per rotation as indicated by the distinctive mark left on the log by a tooth that's not quite set the same as the others. Roughly 6" to 7" of travel for approximately 157" cutting surface per rotation.



One thing I learned with this 12" cedar is that a bigger little pony than the Massey Harris 30 is going to be needed. Just not enough horsepower to pull smoothly through this size log. If there's any backlash in the drivetrain due to a lack in horsepower, damage will be immediately done to the two 5/16" roll pins that assist in securing the blade to the mandrel.

I did manage to get a new camera and took a lot more shots of this, plus a little video but guess what..... my laptop I use for uploading to photobucket runs on Windows 98 which is no longer supported and will no longer allow me to upload. So until that dilemma is solved, all new pictures have to remain on the camera or in a flash drive for the future. AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH
 
#17 ·

Now, all you "tie-down police" please take note: The chains and binders have the power unit securely bound to the trailer and the nylon ratcheting tie-down is merely lending support to the fuel tank on the opposite side.
Nothing wrong with that securement. Law says you must have at least 2 binders minimum on a 10 foot load. You want to put more, you are more than welcome to.
 
#19 ·
Thanks for the update Wendell. :good: From the looks of the trees you've been waiting for some "slow time" to get it posted. ;)
If you're like me that's hard to come by. Looking forward to seeing what's still lurking in the camera, and flash drive. :bye:
 
#20 ·
Looks like you've got some neat old saw mills. You planning on going into the lumber business?!:lol:
 
#21 ·
Thanks for the compliment Jim. There does seem to be continual projects underway though not all are ATF worthy.

That's good to know about two binders per 10' of load Willy. I usually go for overkill in binding anyway.

Ianoz, thanks for the comment sir. I too miss a lot of neat posts and continually go backwards to play 'catch up'...

You're right BigDave, 90% of this repair was late spring, early summer then put on hold until just a couple weeks ago to finish up. We have our first custom sawing job lined up (freebie) with a few nice cherry logs dropped off by a buddy of my SIL.

'50WD, I don't think its gonna be a serious attempt a producing lumber. Its just that I grew up on an old Fisher and Davis that was powered by a '36 Buick in-line 8 and have been in love with milling ever since. People are always asking me to saw this or that for them and the way I figure, I may get some nice slabs out of the deals to add to the wood pile.

There's just something about those big ol' blades singing as they're dropping boards off a log that's kinda infectious to the mind. What it does to you is similar to the effect of a straight pipe on an old tractor pulling 3-14's through some good bottom soil......

Thanks guys for looking and commenting !!
 
#22 ·
Wendel,


That picture to me says volumes about you my friend!

You don't spend a lot of time resting on the couch:)
You can and have fixed about anything that crosses your path.
Work finds you and you tackle it head on.
Not many machinery problems you cant fix.
Hands of a working man!
Nice sawmill! How is Sam doing? I have a neighbor friend Keith that is 84 and I get tired watching him work:)

Regards,
Chris
 
#23 · (Edited)
I should correct that statement better.

2 binders are required per item minimum of ten feet in length or shorter.

2 binders required for the first 10 feet. One binder there after per continual length. IE 20 foot load 3 binders, 30 foot load 4 binders. Chain or nylon strap are both considered binders. Though with nylon the strap under tension can not have any fraying along the edges where that strap is under tension.

Big tractor companies like John Deere will be adamant that only nylon straps are used to hold their brand new tractors. If there is a turbo on a engine, the exhaust opening is to be closed off with duct tape or similar heavy duty tape to keep the turbo from free spooling with out lubrication. Otherwise a turbo powered engine may get a precooked turbo, as it will spin up from a light breeze going across the open exhaust port.
 
#24 ·
Sam is doing just fine Chris. Time flies and I need to stop by again for a visit though. He too, like your neighbor is a human dynamo !!! Never a frown and always a twinkle in his eye.

I'm not quite sure a guy as lazy as me is deserving of your compliments, but I thank you just the same. I usually DO have to wash my hands before helping to fold the wifes linens though....

Willy....good input on the load binding. I didn't realize the specificity in relation to load length. Thanks man.
 
#25 ·
Wendell, I was thinking that you were going the use the saw mill to saw the lumber for that new shed you're going to build
 
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