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Harvey Hendrickson/saw mill man. Did you know him?

Started by Steven A., February 26, 2007, 04:02:15 PM

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Steven A.

He was a fine old sawmill man who hammered saws and taught saw hammering when he retired.  He worked for Harry Schell in Blue River Wi.
A good man with a steam engine too.

The thread on hammering reminded me of him. He was my next door neighbor for years and was married to my cousin. A nice old Norwegian gentleman. I wrote a eulogy for his funeral.

Anyone have any good stories or rememberances of him?

Buzz-sawyer

I didnt know him, but wonder, did he hammer his saws on a large stump?? :)
    HEAR THAT BLADE SING!

Steven A.

 ;D No he did not. He was very proud and protective of his hammers, anvils and other tensioning tools.  Regarding the stump method, I imagine he would roll his eyes, take his pipe from his mouth and say in his thick gentle Norwegian accent, " Yaaaa I soopose ya could do it that vay, if you vanted it to flop around like a piece of lefse." Then he would grin. :)

He always talked to me of "putting tension in saws" not hammering them. He told of having to tension them differently depending on the speed and horsepower of the mill.
He would have taught me the trade for little or nothing if I had asked. I wish I had.
He did teach me to splice a rope in exchange for me fixing the big old Lincoln he drove at the end.

I miss him, he was truly a master of the high technology of his era. Steam engines,sawmills, splicing rope.......

beenthere

Steve
Did ya know him when he worked for Harry? I may have met him, but usually talked to Harry. I knew there was a guy who was Harry's backup in the shop in Blue River (probably in the 70's).  Or did Harvey move near to you after he was in Blue River? 
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Steven A.

Harvey worked there from the 60's [maybe] until about 1980 or so. Harvey only lived there during the week, his wife and family lived  here 200 miles north and he came back home only on weekends. A big man who smoked a pipe and had a very distinct Norwegian accent
When he retired he taught a few weeks a year at some tech school out east.
New York state I think.....

Forgot to answer your question.....
Yes I knew him all the time he worked on saws. I always lived in the same community he did and his son and I grew up together.  EVERYBODY here knew and liked Harvey.

woody1


I enjoyed your thread, and it made me think how lucky I am to still have my old [ 93 yrs] sawmill friend with me. I go to visit him atleast twice a week. He has logged and sawmilled all his life and the stories never end. He still lives at home alone. I hope I have many more years of sitting on the front porch shooting the breeze.
If you don't want to row, get out of the boat !

Tom

Read our Older(er) Folks thread and you will see that the forum is full of admiration for those who paid their dues.  :)

Steven A.

Woody, I can imagine your friend and Harvey sitting around having one hell of a good time talking about the old ways of lumbering and no doubt having some definite opinions about the new ways.  In Harveys case I think he would love the portable bandmills. He was always looking for a better way....

I wish I had recorded a lot of our conversations. :'(

Its not too late for you, have you or his family thought of saving those stories on tape?

woody1

I really should tape some of the stories. He calls me every morning at work at about 6:30. When I show up at his house he lights up like a christmas tree. He has a good story about President Carter coming to fish in his stream. He owns one of the best trout streams in PA. He also has a great spring on his property and sells water to a water company. I purchased his sawmill and hope to have it running this spring. It is going to be a happy day when he pulls that handle for the first time in years.
If you don't want to row, get out of the boat !

woodhick

I never met the man Harvey in question but I did know a man here by the same name that really made an impression on my life.   I met Harvey McDowell around 1980 when I was a teenager.  I had already been bitten by the woodworking bug and decided to have some lumber milled as there was not a source for hardwood lumber around here and I was tired of working in pine from the local lumber yard.  I felled a cherry tree that a family member had on there farm and took it to Mr McDowel who had a circle saw mill right in the middle of town here.  I continued to take logs to Harvey for several years and when I decided I wanted my own mill he gave me a lot help and tips. I remember telling him I was looking for a mill for myself as a hobby.  His answer " I was too 52 years ago".  Harvey was the most honest man I ever meet and a fine christian.   Needless to say I learned a  much  more from this man than just sawmilling.  The neighborhood grew up around his mill and people complained about the mill and noise.  I have a newspaper article about Mr. Mcdowel that shows him sawing at age 82.   He always told me that he hoped that when he died he hoped it was right there on the mill.   His health got the best of him and he sold the mill when he was 84 or 85.  Harvey died a short time later and this town lost a great asset.  Just typing this is bringing tears to my eyes.   What we need is more role models like this.  Someone once said the best classroom in life is at the feet of an elderly person and I can't agree more!    Sorry for the long post but I just felt that Mr. McDowell had a place here so that he is not forgotten.   Thanks. :'(
Woodmizer LT40 Super 42hp Kubota, and more heavy iron woodworking equipment than I have room for.

beenthere

Thanks for tellin us about your man, Harvey McDowel.  Sounds like quite a man. Very similar to a long-time friend of mine (Hiram) who nearly fit Harvey's shoes. He was my contact with Harry Schell of Blue River, as Hiram was the sawmill expert that introduced me to sawing, logging, lumber, drying, machining, gun stocks, hunting, and being a Christian friend until he died about 10 years ago. Your story brought a tear to my eye as well. Thanks.   
Hiram used to talk about an all-hydraulic portable circle mill he built and he sawed around southern Wisconsin, but I never did know anything about it, or see pictures of it. He lost it in an investment deal (said a partner 'stole' it) of some kind, but sure would like to know more about how he managed to get it all-hydraulic in the early 50's. That must have been early for hyd. motors, although hyd cylinders were certainly around then. Hiram was the motivator behind the publication that Stan Lunstrum wrote that is a basic circular saw doctrine that many still follow. Circular Sawmills publication
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

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