The Sawmill.

The mill employs a traditional 6-foot diameter circular saw with powered by a Detroit diesel engine.  The classic design of the saw blade[1] (pictured below).

 The saw blade is stationary, and logs and lumber are cut by moving them through the saw on a carriage that runs on rails.  Logs are secured on the car with “dogs” (see picture), and the carriage is moved by cables operated by the sawyer.  The sawyer adjusts the thickness of sawn lumber by pulling a lever to advance the head blocks closer to the saw, as close as ½ inch from the blade.[2]

 When cutting, the sawyer operates levers from his station to control the feed rate (the speed of the carriage along the rails) and the rotation speed (RPMs) of the blade, both of which are critical to prevent stalling.[3]

The Art of Sawyering.

Our talented and most energetic sawyer is Ben Nunez[4] (see picture) started working with Jack in 1996.  Each log must be assessed by him to determine the optimal cuts that achieve the desired sizes and grain.[5]

[1]  Picture.  Saw blade (preferably off the arbor) - take when Gary has engine out. 

has a 3/8 inch kerf made by 50 insert tooth circular saw blade

[2]  Drawing or picture showing carriage headblocks, etc.     Bruce Morser??

[3] Video of log moving on carriage through saw.

[4]  Ben Nunez (2024).

[5] Examples of how a log is cut.  Sequential stills, a video, or an illustration.