Go to youtube and put in French Stationary Steam Engine and Sawmill.
This is the first mill Ive seen like this and it does look like a band sawmill.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=french+stationary+steam+engine+and+sawmill&oq
=french+stationary+steam+engine+and+sawmill&gs_l=youtube.3
...57969.84750.0.86828.44.41.0.3.3.0.250.5014.14j23j3.40.0...0
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jim
Looks, at least to me, like a reciprocating horizontal saw blade, not a continuous band.
I know but its just such nice set up. Alot like an old water powered sash mill just work in a different plane. And the log dogs look like a band mill set up
Very neat, but I'd have to charge by the hour!
That was interesting to watch and it made me think of a few things:
1. The cost per BF must be real high!
2. At least you have a place to get rid of your scrap material.
3. They must have used Jeff's portable saw and realized it was too much work, so they motorized it.
4. You could go to sleep waiting for the saw to get through the log.
5. Wonder what happens if you don't get the steam engine and the pulleys aligned perfectly.
6. That must have been some machine back in the day. Pretty ingenious.
7.Not real "portable"
8. That is one beautiful steam engine, I just with I knew how they worked.
9. If they could have thought up a generator they would have had lights too.
10. Wow...we have come a long way!
ok, I'm done..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtsCLsT0Yks
It's not technically a "band" mill, but a reciprocating or "Sash" mill.
Portable? Sure it is.. it's got wheels. Not so portable by today's standards, but you could move it. Might take all day to break it down and haul it to a new site and set up again, but that's what you did.
Very similar set up in the Kauri Museum here in NZ.
As the alternative was a human powered pit saw, this thing was a marvel of it's time. Throw scrap wood in one end, and it cuts wood. 8) It could saw though a log 10X faster then a human powered saw, and you didn't bust into a sweat doing it.
Main downside was if you were the boilerman. You had to get to work 2 hours before everyone else to get the fire going and a good head of steam ready for the rest of the crew to start sawing. :D
Ian
Well, in french we call that une battante (a beater) they still exist, and some are used to the present day. They have one good thing, they can slab like crazy. And kind of have no limit lenghtwise. Well, it's the case for some other machines too. But not with the width. And you know what the sawyers boilers, owner of the wood used to do between cuts, "ils buvaient le coup" (that is drinking wine) No wonders why most of them had no fingers by their fourties!
Another one in gap, near me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNzpbpAf9CI
That guy has a lovely video of an old wheelmaker too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8MBJha9DSM
And another one which might look more familiar :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9W3vRN4_9k