Is anyone familiar with Corinth American Sawmills? Are there many/any lumber mills still using Corinth American in the US? Are there still a lot of people who really know how to run one? Are the sawmills difficult to run with one person or do you have to have a crew? I think that they can cut REALLY big trees ... is it the only sawmill that can do that? Obviously I am a newbie and am trying to get information before I get in too deep.
Thanks
Pics so we can see what you have. A lot of old mills are a mix of several mill
Jim,
I operate a belt driven, right hand, 48" Corinth-American that was bought in 1974 I believe. I have a full set of the construction drawings for it. The antique tractor club I belong to bought it from the original owner last year. (He was 87 years old and was still sawing last July.) It is a very strong mill and very well built. This mill has 3 headblocks and they will retract to about 38". The 48" blade is a limiting factor as it is maxed out on about a 24" log. A top saw ought to be added if sawing larger logs on a regular basis.
The only issue I have with it is the carriage drive. It uses belt tensioning to advance and return the carriage. We had a minor accident last fall when belting up with a steam engine. (A steam engine's belt pulley turns backward when in reverse.) That caused a belt to climb onto the flange of a pulley and the carriage advanced when the control stick was locked in neutral. One of my crew received a cut to his finger that required 12 stitches. I intend to replace the drive with hydraulics next month.
You asked about running one with a single person. I would strongly advise against that for several reasons. The primary reason is safety. It would not be advisable to operate any circular mill by oneself. There are too many things that could go wrong. Loading and turning logs is generally a 2-man job, although dependant on the size of logs being sawn. Also, off-bearing would be a real hassle without a second person as a helper. We normally work with a total of a 5-man crew, but then we are working with 16 foot logs. You could get by with 2 or 3 and still remain productive, although there would be a lot of running back and forth to load logs and stack lumber.
Send me a PM if you need additional information.
Sparky
Sorry Jim, I meant to address my reply to cohoel.
Sparky
I want to reiterate Sparky's recommendation of not trying to run that style of circle mill by yourself.
QuoteI think that they can cut REALLY big trees ... is it the only sawmill that can do that?
If big logs and working alone are your criteria, then look at the various Swing-blade sawmills. Peterson, Lucas and TurboSaw. See Sponsor list over there <-----
No worries with logs up to 50-60" dia or so, and there are ways to cut logs as long as needed.
No probelm operating one single handed (although you can cut twice as much with a helper or 2). Much simpler to set up and keep running. A couple of hours training and you are good to go, or if you are a good study, then watching the video, and going out and playing will be enough to muddle through. Still takes years to become an "expert", but you can be making good boards with minimal experience.
Ian
Thanks to all of you for your advice. I think I may be getting into something a bit beyond my solo skills and nerve. Do you think that there are people still around who I could hire to run one of these old timers?