Pictures of my Grandfather's old Frick Sawmill

Dan_Shade · June 19, 2005, 05:22:11 PM

He passed away back in '97, I never got to help or even watch them use it, by the time I came along, it was a rare occasion that it was used. These days, it's just sitting there, waiting to be needed again. It would probably be ready to go with a few days cleanup. It is powered by PTO.

When they did use it, I wasn't allowed to help, he had a cousin that was killed in a sawmill accident when they were both kids, I'm not sure of the details, but his torso got cut bad, and he died after a few hours. I sure wish I could pick his brain today (about a lot more stuff than the sawmill, luckily we were close while he was around, and I did learn a lot from him

)

And here are a few pics of an old Mall Chainsaw I found laying there, there were a few other parts, one looked like a gear drive somethign or another. Jeff would sure have a blast digging through the old junk piles there.

I hope I didn't wear out the picture button

D._Frederick · June 19, 2005, 06:20:34 PM

Dan,

Nice pictures, I hope you use the "picture button" again soon. I was wondering what the horse power of the tractor they used on the mill? It was either big, over a 100hp, or they sawed small logs. Any idea of the age of the mill?

TeaW · June 19, 2005, 06:31:05 PM

Dan those pic's where great! It look's like a good restoration project for you.

dail_h · June 19, 2005, 07:10:07 PM

Shoot,knock the weeds down,a little grease,some oil,maybe some belt dressing,shine 8) 8) 8) them teeth wif a file an git sawing

Dan_Shade · June 19, 2005, 07:42:35 PM

like a lot of stuff, there's a list in front of me for that stuff

I don't live near there for now, my uncles farm these days, they may need it. but I would like to claim it down the road, and nobody else in the family would want to use it.

the only "big" tractors they ever had were a McCormick-Deering WD-40 (not used for probably 50 years), a John Deere 3010, and an Oliver 1800. I think they used the 3010, but I have no idea what the HP of it was.

Corley5 · June 19, 2005, 09:33:13 PM

8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) Looks like she'd run without too much work 8) A 3010 would do a fine job pulling it. Many mills were ran in the winter with WD-40s and year around after it became obsolete for field work. 100 horse or more is nice but far from necessary. My Grandpa ran the Corley with W-6 McCormick Deering which the same as an M Farmall for several years before he got the MM power unit. Keep the saw sharp and your RPMs up it'll saw whatever you want. ;) ;)

mometal77 · June 19, 2005, 09:42:53 PM

HI dan,
Nice pics there was a gentleman a few months back that had a sawmill and a book on the operation of a similar mill on ebay wish i would have at least saved the title of the book. Thanks for sharing.
bob

countrysaw · June 20, 2005, 05:20:15 AM

Hi dan, thanks for the pics

do you know what model of frick that is, it looks kinda like a 00, my grandpa ran an old one before he passed, i got to work around it some, but i was really to young to do too much, kinda reminds me of when i was younger. it looks almost identical to an old 00 except i think our headblocks were different. when i was on christmas leave someone saidd urning last summer sometime the farmer who bought the property that the mill was on decided to clear the timber that the mill was in, he said that some of the mill went to the scrapyard and the shed and rest of the mill got pushed into a hole and burned then buried, what a shame. The only part of the mill still around is the old cat 318 pony start, just sitting all lonely in the barn. Thanks for the pics, that would be a cool project to clean up and get going, and i would not go with a pto drive again, for as cheap as you can go to a boneyard and pick up and old deisel and weld up a floor-frame for it that would be much better.

zach

Dan_Shade · June 20, 2005, 06:22:12 AM

i have no idea what model it is, I couldn't find a name plate, but my Dad told me it was a Frick.

Haytrader · June 20, 2005, 01:57:59 PM

3010 gas is 55 HP
Options were propane and deisel but my book doesn't show thier HP

Dan_Shade · June 20, 2005, 02:49:25 PM

their 3010 is a deisel, so is the 1800

MULE_MAN · June 20, 2005, 03:01:38 PM

Nice Picture's Dan

It does seem a shame for it to sit there & not be running . I bet there's allot
of History to go will that Mill . I think those old Mill's are pretty neat. 8)

mike_van · June 20, 2005, 06:12:47 PM

I hope you can end up with it Dan, just the "family ties" would make it worth it. Three things I would do, keep that wet brush cut back, the roof from leaking, and a gallon of old motor oil & paint brush for all the steel parts you can paint. Might save a ton of work someday.

Dan_Shade · June 20, 2005, 09:30:59 PM

Good idea on the weeds.

I'm sure it has lots of stories... my dad had one of when a big chunk broke out of an elm log, bounced back to where he was turning cants, and then back up to where my grandfather was standing as the sawyer... almost got both of them...

Dangerous work, I suppose. I really doubt there would be much opposition to me getting it, but right now, I wouldn't have any wear to put it anyway.

Sawyerfortyish · June 20, 2005, 09:46:08 PM

Frickman made a post a while back about the diffarence between the frick mills. Jeff saved it someplace don't ask me where :

. My vote on this mill is an 0 or 00. I run a #1 and my carrige is almost twice as wide as that one.

Dan_Shade · June 20, 2005, 09:56:31 PM

i think this one is set on a truck frame, which would make it about 30" wide or so, I believe.

dail_h · June 20, 2005, 11:47:03 PM

HEY DAN,
I gots lotsa room at my place,no tellin how long we could hide it 'fore the wife realised it was here ;D

Buddyw · July 23, 2014, 08:48:29 PM

Been a long time since this topic has been talked about, Sooooooo I was wondering what decision was ever made on the old sawmill.
I came across this while searching for Frick stuff on the web...Imagine that . :D

Dan_Shade · July 23, 2014, 09:14:38 PM

it's still there

BCsaw · July 23, 2014, 10:16:09 PM

This reminds me of my grandfathers mill sitting out in the back 40 at my grandmother's house. All it is doing is rusting. Too bad I did not live closer........that baby would have sawdust flying! I hope you revive that mill someday. Good luck.

beenthere · July 23, 2014, 10:22:10 PM

BC
Can't even get it moved in under cover?
That would go a long ways to the day someone might be able to rehab it and get the sawdust flying.

BCsaw · July 24, 2014, 10:06:47 AM

Beenthere, the mill is a couple of thousand km's away from me and the rest of the family does not really care. They have no passion for the tools or the trade. It is a crying shame, I know.

Buddyw · July 24, 2014, 12:35:11 PM

Dan_Shade
You have plans to recover or restore this old mill ?
I checked back and noticed, it has been 5 years since the last post on this topic till I woke it up again. Hope you didn't mind !
How far are you from Colonial Beach Va ?

Dan_Shade · July 24, 2014, 05:15:58 PM

At this point, it sits where it's been for many years, with no plans. we fired it up a few years ago, I think the saw needs hammered, it would lead off pretty bad.

I'm probably an hour or so away from Colonial Beach. It takes me about 45 Minutes to get to the Harry Nice Bridge.

ddcuning · July 24, 2014, 07:23:09 PM

Sure hate to see one just sitting there like that. My grandfather worked at a sawmill but never owned one. I have a picture of him in his sawmill work clothes that I am going to frame and put a copy at the mill. I was 4 when he died so I never got to know him but everyone says I am a lot like him. Speaking only for myself, if he had had a sawmill, I would have restored it.

Dave C