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General Forestry => General Board => Topic started by: florida on September 26, 2012, 03:27:45 PM

Title: Water powered mill
Post by: florida on September 26, 2012, 03:27:45 PM
Great old video of Ben's Mill in Vermont. Fantastic place and he makes it all look so easy. Not many like him around these days although I'm sure if there are any they're posting on the Forestry Forum

http://www.folkstreams.net/film,187
Title: Re: Water powered mill
Post by: fishpharmer on September 26, 2012, 06:02:24 PM
florida, thanks for posting the link.  I watched the whole video and it's about an hour long.  It took me a while to figure out what was being said :D.  After a while I was understanding Vermontese right well.  ;D 

Video was very interesting, Ben Thresher, (the guy who ran/owned the mill in the video) had a lot of knowledge and skill.  Ben made several items during the video, a wooden water tub as well as an Ash (species) heavy sleigh pulled by draft horses, he really made it look easy.  Not only was he a woodworker and blacksmith, he had to keep all those old machines maintained and running, not many of his type left (that I am aware of).  After, I researched his name and sadly learned he had an "untimely death" in 1995.  The mill is now a living history museum.   It wouldn't surprise me if some FF member knew him or heard of him.  Anyone?

Another interesting aspect to me was how his customer said he didn't charge much.  Guess his electric bill was very low. 8)
Title: Re: Water powered mill
Post by: york on September 27, 2012, 06:05:59 PM
Thanks,and this vid is worth watching-men like Ben are what built America...
albert
Title: Re: Water powered mill
Post by: JohnG28 on September 27, 2012, 07:19:55 PM
That was a great video florida, thanks for posting it.
Title: Re: Water powered mill
Post by: fishpharmer on September 27, 2012, 10:02:20 PM
More research disturbingly revealed that Ben Thresher had passed away after being hit by a car while walking to the mill.  His video is a treasure.

Title: Re: Water powered mill
Post by: florida on September 28, 2012, 02:33:19 PM
if I can make a shameless plug for the Forestry Forum and all you guys who post here. I'm a builder, not a miller or logger but the reason I've read FF  so long is because most of you guys sound like Ben Thresher types to me. It has been people who work with their hands that have made America a great country. if all the stockbrokers disappeared tomorrow we'd survive. if all the farmers, loggers, mechanics, carpenters, etc. disappeared we'd big in big trouble. I think the combined knowledge here could put a steam powered, wooden  rocket on the moon!
Title: Re: Water powered mill
Post by: POSTON WIDEHEAD on September 28, 2012, 02:56:33 PM
Quote from: florida on September 28, 2012, 02:33:19 PM
I think the combined knowledge here could put a steam powered, wooden  rocket on the moon!

Now you've started something.  :D
Title: Re: Water powered mill
Post by: Clam77 on October 03, 2012, 08:49:01 PM
I'd like to see that!!     :D  :D

Title: Re: Water powered mill
Post by: Woodchuck53 on October 04, 2012, 04:52:06 AM
Thank you Florida. That was interesting to watch and between his speech and my hearing a real challange. That fellow is some tough.
My dads father had a small farm and all his tools and equipment was made and maintained about 2 miles from where I live now. He bought the first Johnny Pop JD tractor in our part of the country. He had his own smoke house and a black smith shop. Sadly the place passed on to people that didn't use it and take care of it. I have managed to get some of the tools over the years. Still trying to find a 10" cross cut saw that had been made for the Tupelo Gum being cut for veneer at that time.

Thanks again.
Title: Re: Water powered mill
Post by: shelbycharger400 on October 04, 2012, 05:06:56 PM
I liked that movie !
That fork for movin sod works very well!!
He (ben) reminds me of my buddys dad, tho he is in his 50's,  same talk, mentality and shuffle , and can fix just about anything.  ..lol   

What really makes my mind run, is whom here is now going to build a sled like that .
Title: Re: Water powered mill
Post by: beenthere on October 04, 2012, 05:37:24 PM
QuoteWhat really makes my mind run, is whom here is now going to build a sled like that .
:D

Or whom here would use a sled like that? ;)

Title: Re: Water powered mill
Post by: fishpharmer on October 04, 2012, 06:20:28 PM
 :D  when I watched the sled build, the first person I thought of was isawlogs, not because I have trouble understanding him ;). It was the pics of his horses, snow and mostly it reminded me of pics of his dad's snow logging sled he had posted.  Neat stuff 8)
Title: Re: Water powered mill
Post by: Hilltop366 on October 04, 2012, 08:26:38 PM
Great movie, I had seen it before but enjoyed watching it again.

Lots of other interesting looking titles to watch, I book marked the page for future viewing.
Title: Re: Water powered mill
Post by: shelbycharger400 on October 05, 2012, 08:04:09 PM
MY mind was thinking,
They dont call them shoe bolts anymore,  something real close is called a plow bolt.
11 bux a pop for a 6 in.  Id build a fire and a plate with a hole in it and wack them carrage bolt heads flat too, Or jig them in buddys bridgeport.
Title: Re: Water powered mill
Post by: SwampDonkey on October 06, 2012, 04:41:51 AM
People still use horses and sleds for wood hauling around here. Not many and getting sparse, but they do. Not that many years ago my uncle was still hauling firewood with a sled off the hills. Here at home I remember dad horse yarding and sledding wood in the 70's. I'm 20 years younger than most of you guys even though my stats to the left say otherwise. ;D ;)

More worrisome to me than horse yarding is meeting the neighbor with a twitch of hardwood firewood logs behind his tractor he is yarding 3 miles down the paved road, and getting away with it. Some guys are intellectively challenged, while others look away. ::)