Unbelievable!!! The equipment is old and simple but so effective. Cut this log in the same amount of time a portable mill cuts a 12 by 12 cant. Unbelievable, the guy in the white shirt works like a pro, He earns his Miller Time after every shift. Sad, U can only give this one thumb up.
I had the pleasure of touring the Phillips Brothers Mill with Bill Beaty, a forestry consultant from Redding, in the 1990s. Lewis and Arthur gave us a wonderful tour. They were a fascinating pair, living off grid with very little comforts. I was the Excutive Director of the Turtle Bay museum project at the time, and working on the Paul Bunyan's Forest Camp children's area. Bill Beaty showed my the difference between the lumber practices of the big companies and the dense forest of the Phillips lands. I am pleased to see it has become both a National Register of Historic Places site as well as having status of an important preservation easement. Best wishes to the generations of descendents who are keeping it all alive and well.
I’m a much retired mechanical engineer in the UK and served my apprenticeship in steam at a power station, that’s where I developed my love of steam power, even drove steam locos as a volunteer in my spar time , only 71/4 inch. scale, that’s 1/8 of full size locomotives but fitted with all the necessary safety equipment. I would love to get my hands on that lovely steam engine and repack it’s glands. I’ve seen what injuries can be inflicted by a jet of hp steam, peeling skin off like a jagged scalpel. Also, when was the boiler last given a boiler test??
This was an ABSOLUTE PLEASURE to watch!! THESE are the machines that made America great! Tough, raw and reliable, made in USA machines, operated by tough American men! Well done!! So nice to see history like this still working and still being used.
I am seventy, living in London all my life, I can remember the big old black steam trains and so forth. I have e even worked on some old steam heating systems, but I ain't never seen anything like that. Wonderful vid, I loved the fork lift at the end. You men be careful now, I know how dangerous those types of machines can be. And thanks again for a beautiful living history lesson.
I've never worked in a place like this, always behind a desk and even as a child I played games where I'm building lumber mills and processing. Seeing it in action is truly amazing. It's fascinating seeing the old machinery seem to work so well even after all their years of service.
This reminds me of the Sawmill down the road from my home in Navan Co Meath Ireland. Every morning when we pass by going to school, we could smell the fresh cut timber. It was lovely. They also used old steam engines to run the whole operation, no modern equipment what so ever and all the cuts were very accurate! I have to command these people for the job they do, they're environmentally friendly and nothing goes to waste!
I became a Mill Wright in 1992. I would do almost anything to work in this mill with these men. My grandfather's would really enjoy seeing this. Many thanks.
That master Miller walks around those open air blades like it’s nothing. God Bless these hard working men. These are the type of men that built this country. Not some wimpy pencil pushers.
Only potential thing i could see would be a even cleaner burning boiler but this is akin to living museum, it's absolutely amazing. One of the coolest channels on youtube
If I could cut up just one of those logs a day, I could retire in 2 years. What an awesome example of what America used to be. Thank you very much for sharing this peek into the past that is making a HUGE resurgence right now.
Fantastic! I sent this to a family that runs a modern computerized sawmill to show them where it all began. What great piece of machinery and great men that know how to use it and maintain it.
Watching this reminds me of something I once read about a cider works in Somerset. They had an ancient steam-powered machine that had run every day since the 1870s. In the 1960s the bosses decided to refurbish this relic, give it a new coat of paint and so on. It was completely disassembled, cleaned, new bearings fitted, the works, and.......it never ran again! Just would not start! If it ain't broke.........
I love it,best wood working video Ive seen yet,been a carpenter the last 25 years and love the old school ways,hate new technology bs,and cheap shit they habe nowadays,when men were men and boys stayed out the way. These kids of today are too involved with their phone and video games,I wasn't even aloud in the house until it was 9 or so and dark out, and was taught with a leather belt and 2×4 in the backyard. Spent all my time in the woods. Lotta lessons learned in that backyard but made me tougher than nails
It's amazing that mill produces enough that those ol boys all make a decent living. Heck one has a convertible truck and 3 out of 4 are able to afford shirts. The American dream.
MrShoptaw id love to spend some time at the mill with y'all. I have worked in mills here in australia 🇦🇺 over the years and lived in some timber towns. Always been interested in the history of the timber industry. My father in law was from Tasmania and in the timber industry from when he was a lad, used to tell stories of being out in the bush camps in Tasmania around ww2 time - he was too young to go to war. He really would have gotten a kick out of watching this. I will show my wife when she gets home 😊 Thanks for creating such an amazing piece of history and sharing with us in RU-vid.
This was amazing .... Thank you for showing us the old school and respected way of a sawmill . Those logs were from virgin forest no doubt . The land must have been in the family for a long time , centuries .
Grew up in timber country just North of Yosemite; worked on two of the three railroads in the county and actually did green chain for about twenty minutes (too much like work) Thanks for taking me back to those times.... and I almost expected the fork lift to be steamoperated as well....
Brings fond memories of my Great Grandfather who worked this kinda of sawmill by Deep River in Central North Carolina. He used to take biscuits and a mason jar of buttermilk for lunch. Thank you for carrying on the tradition.
That Log looks like Old Pine with that bark. Love hearing that old Hit and Miss engine, I was involved years ago wit the Starting of what has became a main attraction now in Northern Kansas. The Meriden Antique Steam and Tractor Museum and now I am told like a Resort. I had a Case Steam Engine
This was a trip down memory lane. When I was very young My dad used to get up very early and go to the mill to fire the boiler so it was up to pressure to start sawing at 7. I used togo with him on saturday, barely old enough to shovel in the sawdust.
For me also, I worked on 1897, Allis Chambers, steam-powered, 5000 HP, reversing, 36" Blooming mill, I was an electrician apprentice on the 3rd shift ("turn" as known in the steel industry) from 1970 to 1972 when it shut down for good and went to the scrapyard in 1976. It was a sad day when the engine took its last puff of steam as the mill died for good, as seen in your video when the sawmill was shut down, the whole rolling mill crew was there to watch it happen. By the way, everything but the rolling mill had been slowly converted from steam to electric over the years 50 years.
This is the coolest sawmill video I have ever seen. Still steam powered and all. Everything looks so functionable still to this day. Thank you for what you guys are doing
Truly enjoyed watching that old machinery. It amazes me when I stop to think of what it took to set all that up. To get everything aligned so those flat belts work properly, and how massive the framework has to be to handle the shock of turning those big logs on that carriage and still stay aligned to get a straight cut of uniform thickness every time. Used to be a lot of small sawmills around here. Knew a farmer who bought an old one and set it up, mostly wooden framework, didn't get it quite right. Carriage was a little off in relation to the blade and the boards he cut were thicker on one end than the other. But it was good enough for him. The trees he cut were from his farm and the lumber was for his own use. Used to help him when he ran the mill. Powered it with an International ID-9 tractor. Many, many years ago.
This is awesome footage and knowledge that should be taught to younger generations. A lil nerve wracking as there was no safety precautions back then, but it truly is awesome seeing this working by these men and woman. Just awesome! Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you, for this sawmill fix! I'll be okay for a day or two. lol I could watch these sawmill videos all day long. Steam power is amazingly cool. Thanks for posting...
Nice vid of a old hillbilly steamer sawmill. 😅 Those tandem sawblades looks dangerous tho... Hell the whole mill do. Stay safe and keep those timbers rolling. 😄👍
as a college kid in the 1960's I worked in Noel Turnbull's saw mill in Milford Bay Ontario, we had the same setup except we used a Franklin engine, my job was to roll logs with a cant hook, and pile lumber, I'm really impressed with the size of the heart of this log and wonder how old it is
I worked at a couple of old ass saw mills but they sure as hell weren't this old! Dangerous work with equipment this old but damn that's a lot of money coming off that log.
Вот это вещь! С такой лесопилкой не пропадешь в любое время, не нужны никакие блага цивилизации. Но если мы, все люди на Земле, не будем дружить, то скоро опять вернемся к таким механизмам во всех отраслях промышленности. А работягам большой привет из России и уважение!
"не нужны никакие блага цивилизации" цитата. что за ерунда? а форклифт, которым подавали бревно в воду? без достижений цивилизации на таком станке должны работать не четыре рабочих, а сорок.
@@742amid Ну я образно сказал. Сейчас случись энергокризис - все станет, а такая лесопилка будет работать! И хоть 100 рабочих, но дело будет идти и работа у всех будет.
Always enjoy watching these. Really neat to see how this was done back in the day. The ingenuity and craft and skill all come together.. Dam thats a big treee!
@@user-be7st7zr8y Для меня это было то, как много они знали и создавали с ограниченными возможностями и без электроэнергии, от которой мы так зависим сейчас, И да, даже в России и во всем мире, начиная со времен Архимеда.
This is incredible. Using the sawmill waste to power the steam engine is true recycling. I’d compare this to shooting a muzzle loader, it’s more satisfying when there’s work involved with each shot/cut. Great video!!!
This highlights so many of the good stuff we don’t have today, and why I see our planet as a dwindling finite home for all its inhabitants as we race to the bottom line, money, greed, profit, bugger the environment and tomorrow. This video tells a fantastic number of stories for those who can see them. Thank you immensely for taking the time to record this and post it for all to see. Greetings from a long retired octogenarian medical scientist, with many interests outside the medical field, living a good life in Tasmania Australia.😊
A real find. Took me back to the Estate sawmill where I grew up (Leaton Knolls Estate, Shrewsbury UK). Our mill was powered by electricity however - although the building and yard looked the same. We had a "pickle pot" where sawn timber and peeled round stakes /posts were boiled in creosote!! The heat source (fire) used to set the thing on fire every couple of years - very exciting. Thanks mill guys, take a big bow all of you. And many hands make light work narky bloke. White vest did put in a shift but he was a youngun - wise old heads and beards were all part of the team buddy nark (and the lad with the cap on the wrong way!). Could smell the lumber. But also smell the dust! Being a health and safety limey woose I would have to wear a mask and probably goggles!! And those belts gave me the hebe jebes. I'm sure there's a future for the mill as a working mill but also a great bit of industrial archaeology. Don't let anyone close you down. You should be a protected site of invaluable historical significance and working class culture. Sorry to blather on. PS loved the solar panel system to keep the truck battery charged and don't sell the truck!
Wow! Thank you for this excellent video. I learned a great deal. Tremendous respect for the old school saw mills of the past. There was no OSHA in those days.
The gantry operator stopping the slide because he saw that the top keeper hook was going to go into the blades was my favorite part. Good stuff gentlemen. I salute you all for your devotion to this trade.
Plenty of life left in that machinery. A very hard working young man. I think the Top Blad had a guard around it, :-) although it may have been a saw dust catcher.
What a team !! Beautiful work And GOD bless you the uploader and the mill team and all their families Truly I was standing here watching in my wee kitchen and I didn’t move a muscle Juuuust watching the old girl work and the lads skillfully work together Wow More interesting than anything on the box we call tv and far better than any superhero film haha I’d love to visit this place I’d just stand in one spot like I am now and take it all in The smells the sounds the memories Thank you GOD for all my senses so I can do so And for this video
I can see that patience is key to the success of this operation. Greg Brown, the Iowan folksinger, has a great story about his grandfather morning steam Mill.Says,” yes, there are trees in Iowa.At least there were Until my grandpa got here.. This video is nothing short of inspirational.
Hi from NZ. Love this, people on the land working really hard to earn a living. Conjures up the ol'days how the US was built. Honest sweat and toil. But I must say, our Health and Safety Department, would be having multiple heart attacks. Still good on you guys. . . and gals. Kind Regards
That is a fantasy. Many working poor laboured so a few could prosper. When technology advanced these people were thrown out to look for work else where. When they unionized, they were beaten and killed, often with help from the Federal and State governments, along with deputized thugs employed by factory owners. Examples include: The Battle of Blair Mountain, 1921 Ludlow massacre, 1914 Coal and Iron Police in Pennsylvania, 1865 -1931 The Anthracite Coal Strike, 1902 Even more interesting were the Company Towns formed in the US during this time. They were essentially run as strange little fiefdoms. Pullman, Illinois Hershey, Pennsylvania Gary, Indiana Glad these days are behind us.
Thank you Caspa, I agree with you. Thanks for watching the video. The mill is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the owners are committed to retaining it as such.
Well obviously this is a beautiful machine.. the men working with/on it are specialized, skilled individuals/Sawyers, with an intimate knowledge of steam mechanics and carpentry.. I am amazed (I’m a carpenter) at the ignorance of many of the people commenting on what they are witnessing..obviously zero knowledge/experience of mechanical/ manual skills of the past or even modern techniques employed in everyday life.. I’m afraid we need to improve our understanding (education in schools) of technology past and present.. this is a great opportunity for learning about the potential of human invention..humanity did not become “ingenious “ in the last 20 years..😂
I love d working at the old Hammer mill sawing Maple, Elm and Cottonwood Lumber as a kid. We made shiping pallets out of most of the Lumber and we had a Stave Mlll and made Barrels for a Distillery.
I own a place in West Virginia and there are a couple of family-owned saw mills there. The one in Huntersville has equipment that goes back 100 years. The other one in Beaver creek is more modern .I have several mature White pines on my Property where I have had both Mills cut it for Building lumber far cheaper than the Crap one can buy at Home Cheapo or lowes. I am glad to see this video and the skill of these sawers!
Nice to hear from a fellow mountaineer! I live on the other side of the mountain across the river from Seebert. This year I picked up a good load of true 2x4’s from J&J on Beaver Creek to build a workshop. Good people for sure and good product. The old mills are really something. Jessalyn had another baby too.
Hey thats wonderful news! In the past, she jumped on the skid steer and took pine logs with that machine that are at least 2 feet in Diameter . Off of my 20 foot flat bed trailer! Yes a very nice set of folks and good to see a young couple working so hard!@@UncaDave
Videos like this show hot businesses don't need to be "greedy" to survive !! It's the other "greedy" businesses that kill the "good" ones that are happy to make a handsome living and take care of their employees. Love how this old, made to last, equipment keeps doing its job day after day even as worn and noisy as it is !!! Made with "Pride" when that kind of thing "mattered" !!!
I can't believe that such a sawmill still exists, that's totally crazy, so cool. You still work with a steam engine, amazing. Everything is just so beautiful to look at, mesmerizing to watch. Guys what a company you have there is really great. I envy you for that, the mere fact that you work in the forest in this wonderful environment is actually priceless. I know old equipment is a lot of work and probably needs constant repairs, but please preserve this wonderful, historic sawmill.
Thank you very much! The mill has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Its family owned and operated with the intent to preserve its historic character.
@@MrShoptaw I'm a Faller/ Logger and along with my Wife and Son we run our own little logging company. We bid on blocks of Timber to be thinned and we take everything that the US Forest Service Forester doesn't mark ( everything marked is to stay ) then we skid it to the landing and buck it to fit our logging Truck and haul it to the mill for sale ( unless we have a lot of logs piled at the landing then the mill sends out a buyer and he marks it all and they have guys haul it for them) I've taken our Son and Wife to our local mill so they can see what is done with our logs and it's all fairly newer equipment, a lot of it automated of course but it's still perdy much done the same way just newer and by computer, the men just run the machines now....very little brain power involved lol. Anyway I have told them about sawmills like yours but they really couldn't grasp the idea of what I was telling them till I found this Video and they both watched it one Sunday at Breakfast. Needless to say they were impressed even understanding how dangerous those old mills are they both were mesmerized by how things got done but we're also impressed with how so many things they saw in the video are still in use today by us so thanks very much. Someday when I find one of these old steam powered mills still running I hope to actually take them to see it first hand. Thanks Again.
The guy running the head saw is the hardest worker by far, making the mill pay for itself. Which can't be an awful lot considering burning slash and sawdust to run the mill. A huge amount of wear and tear on this mill. Probably more than 5,000 dollars a year for consummables. This size tree used to be very common here in the NW. Where these folks are from logs this size are probably a rarity. These trees would be called old growth here. Logs half this size would be called second growth. Where they are from this would probably be second growth after logging in the 1800's. Depending on rainfall these trees would be around 1500 to 1800 years old here. Probably where they are from around 250 years old. Now that more co2 is in the air trees like this might be less than 200 years old.
See those 2 ball looking things spinning on the steam engine? Thats the flyball governor the faster the engine runs the more they spread out which is where terms like "running balls out" or "balls to the wall" comes from.
And thank you for the great video! Do y’all ever let volunteers work the mill? I’d love to come out for a weekend. I own a tree removal service and I love being out in the woods. I’d have a blast out here.
