Save this old Saw Mill or Scrap it?

OldIronMan · July 28, 2011, 08:16:23 AM

Recent widow acquaintance of mine inherited this old saw mill. I've got a friend that will buy it for the pulleys and scrap the rest. What do you think, it is worth putting back together for a museum or show or should it be scrapped with no regrets? From what I can tell, it's all there. What's your opinion?

scsmith42 · July 28, 2011, 10:24:33 AM

Wow - that's an OLD one.

Personally, I think that it would make a great museum piece, or something installed at a fairgrounds, etc. We have something similar in Raleigh at the state fairgrounds; they run it a few times a year off of an old steam engine, and it is a big draw.

Ones as old as this are getting harder and harder to come by.

Bandmill Bandit · July 28, 2011, 10:49:15 AM

I would say that is a excellent community project for the fair grounds and the local Ag society. That one looks very similar to a mill that our local Ag society rebuilt as one of their first restoration projects and now we have a whole line up of farm and some logging machinery that was used locally from the very first of the pioneer days in this area.

I would vote for Keeping it local and doing a restoration on it. Be a shame to see it turned over tot he scrap dealer.

Tom · July 28, 2011, 11:19:48 AM

I think it is a travesty to scrap a working sawmill. When it's gone, it's gone. Would you scrap a Model T if it is still refurnishable? Take it out of the field and put it in a protected spot. Someone will want it one day and it might be the only local one in existence. Especially keep its history with it and all of the stories of the owners.

Hilltop366 · July 28, 2011, 11:52:54 AM

Save the mill if possible, send me the truck! ;D

mad murdock · July 28, 2011, 02:39:41 PM

The don't make iron like that anymore! I would put it back to working status ASAP! scrap the crappy cars in the background of the pic, fix up the mill!

OldIronMan · July 28, 2011, 03:22:48 PM

Quote from: mad murdock on July 28, 2011, 02:39:41 PM
The don't make iron like that anymore! I would put it back to working status ASAP! scrap the crappy cars in the background of the pic, fix up the mill!

I did buy this planner from her. It didn't take much to get it free but it will need dissambled, sand blasted and blades sharpened to make it useful again. I agree, they don't make iron like that anymore. It seems that CAD systems and artistic lines in cast iron just don't work together.

The hand lever on this is for Forward, Neutral, and Reverse. It can be used as a planner and a large jointer from the top surface.

Tom · July 28, 2011, 03:28:22 PM

There are collector/refurbishers of old vehicles that would be more than interested in '40's and '50's model trucks. She needs to get pictures of them in front of the right audience. Scrapping is a last resort for anything.

sealark37 · July 28, 2011, 06:00:53 PM

I once ran down a story of an old mill that was for sale by a widow. It took a while, but I finally found the mill and the owner. Her sawmill was in slightly better condition than your mill, and it was all there. Years had passed since it had run, and the gas power unit was locked up. I explained my interest in the mill and asked her if she had thought about a price. She requested an offer. I offered her $2000. She said that she could not entertain less than $8500. We did make a deal on an anvil she had, and I took my leave. During our visit, I discovered that I knew her nephew. Some months later, I asked him if she had sold the sawmill. He told me that the family had hired a scrap dealer to haul off the junk in the farm yard. I called the scrap guy. He remembered the old mill. "It has been converted to rebar by now." Sometimes you cannot save the old iron. If you can make a deal, do it. You will never regret it. Regards, Clark

beenthere · July 28, 2011, 06:48:11 PM

Maybe the trick is to offer scrap price + $100, with the added info that you plan to get it operational if possible.

shelbycharger400 · July 28, 2011, 09:26:43 PM

in the 5th picture , the 4 pulley setup, looks like 2 or 3 in wide each. that mill is 1930's vintage by the spiral spoked wheels ect
anyway, back to the pulley. that is what was used on all Factory used overhead jackshafts endless belt system.

sandblast all parts and fix that mill, it will be worth some decent money. remember that that is all old high nickel cast. when i buy stuff like that, i tell the seller... what it is, and tell them the difference between standard grey cast, and the dark grey, usually get the latest price, tell them what it is... and pay according as per scrap price. usually in that deal the seller feels that they are getting what it is worth and not just getting the shaft .

im thinking either that is a REALLY big mill, or more than one in that pile. that will be a definate puzzle to put back together

OldIronMan · July 29, 2011, 07:58:38 AM

Quote from: sealark37 on July 28, 2011, 06:00:53 PM
I once ran down a story of an old mill that was for sale by a widow. It took a while, but I finally found the mill and the owner. Her sawmill was in slightly better condition than your mill, and it was all there. Years had passed since it had run, and the gas power unit was locked up. I explained my interest in the mill and asked her if she had thought about a price. She requested an offer. I offered her $2000. She said that she could not entertain less than $8500. We did make a deal on an anvil she had, and I took my leave. During our visit, I discovered that I knew her nephew. Some months later, I asked him if she had sold the sawmill. He told me that the family had hired a scrap dealer to haul off the junk in the farm yard. I called the scrap guy. He remembered the old mill. "It has been converted to rebar by now." Sometimes you cannot save the old iron. If you can make a deal, do it. You will never regret it. Regards, Clark

I am a longtime wind mill collector and I can't tell you how many times I had that happen to me. It's not worth a *DanG thing until someone has an interest in it and then suddenly they are asking for an arm and a leg. In the end, it ends up in the scrap yard and everyone looses. I usually tell them that one of us is going die first before it's sold. That usually get's them thinking.

I know she would sell this for the price of scrap, I've already talked to her about it. I think if I could get a photo of when it was setup, there might be more interest in it. I know who the original owners were and where the saw mill was setup. It was one of the large saw mill operations in Manistee, Michigan. Manistee was a big lumber town back in the day.

I appreciate all your feedback. I've already got a lot of projects, I'll have to think about this one, lol !

Coon · July 29, 2011, 10:18:53 AM

The only thing you should have to think about is where you'll store the parts of the jig saw puzzle. ;) :D

OldIronMan · July 29, 2011, 11:24:03 AM

Quote from: Coon on July 29, 2011, 10:18:53 AM
The only thing you should have to think about is where you'll store the parts of the jig saw puzzle. ;) :D

!!! You are right, and I am thinking about that. Fortunately my mother lives in the neighborhood and her house sits on about 5 acres. I would think about storing the timbers that he had cut for the rail system inside, which she also has room for in one of her outbuildings 8)

I was told the mill came from the RG Peters sawmill in Manistee. I need to go back and talk to the owners (2 owners ago) how they can verify that. If that ends up being true, then I would buy it for sure.

OldIronMan · August 01, 2011, 03:32:34 PM

I did some more research and while I can not prove that it came from one of RG Peters saw mills, I can prove that it came from Manistee. I also know that RG Peters was the last saw mill in operation in Manistee after the turn of the century. That's neither here nor there. I've been noodling with the idea of putting the pieces together. Once I get it figured out, I'll be able to evaluate if I want to invest time and money to complete the project. I found out that a large striaght 6 cyc buick engine comes with this mill as it was the most recent engine to be used with it. I also found out that where this mill came from, there is another one. I'll check that out this weekend. If I ever get to the point of cutting stems, I will be sure to posts more pics. Thank you for your feedback and interest in this post.

forestry mick · August 02, 2011, 06:24:17 PM

That mill would look great fully restored!!! I would love to have one like that!

Woodchuck53 · August 02, 2011, 10:00:10 PM

Evening. Does it appear that the beams in the picture were from an early attempt to restore it? If so are they still in usable shape. The mills I found over the years that morphed into my old rig looked a lot like that one. The general shape or condition not the brand name. I would take a lot of pictures and measurements and form a plan. Then rebuild it to it's former glory. This is the second time I have moved mine and have really enjoyed the process more this time because with the kids grown and gone I have more time and funds to do it the way it needs to be done. If you have a need for something that big I would restore it. Enjoy. Chuck

OldIronMan · August 03, 2011, 07:28:39 AM

The owner, before he passed away, had those beams cut when he was thinking about restoring it. I've pretty much got it figured out so far except for how the carriage is supposed to move back and forth. The original cable is there and so is a pile of gears and pulleys so what I need to do next is go back there, take my time, and sort everything out, look for witness marks on metal and wood and draw something on a napkin so I don't forget. I don't really "need" anything that big, I would just a kick out of restoring it and then cutting a few logs.

Randy88 · August 03, 2011, 02:48:54 PM

You hear this story time and time again, people won't part with something and then the family comes in and scraps it out later on for pennies of what they could have gotten and it would be taken care of and used or put in a museum or something for everyone to enjoy. I just don't get it, I was trying to buy a bulldozer from a guy to restore and another guy was after it too, after talking to the other person interested I actually went to the owner and told him to sell it to him instead of me, he had a full fledged museum and dedicated a lot of time and money to restore things and it was open to the public, owner couldn't part with it. I know his kids will sell it for scrap in the next few years after he's gone, so sad.

I guess the lesson for us all is when the time comes for us to part with stuff, keep this in mind, its better to make sure it goes to a good home and gets used or put on display than for us to keep it a few more years only to have it junked after we're gone.

Is it worth it to restore, yes, but to find someone or someplace that will do it is another subject, most are a thing of the past and anyone wanting to do that are no longer able to. Its getting to be a lost art, and only large scale mills are left the days of the family mill are dying faster than one thinks. At one time there were at least 20 small mills in my area and now there are virtually none operational.

OldIronMan · August 03, 2011, 03:28:35 PM

You hit the nail on the head Randy, I've seen it over and over. Hard to blame someone when they get attached to things though. I once was trying to buy a wind mill from a guy that lived in a "house" that looked like it was ready to fall over any day. As I walked in, he was eating some beef from a cast iron skillet which was sitting on a beautiful old roll top desk. The house was dark and most of the furniture had sheets over it as if he had already died. It was creepy. When I asked him about selling the old wind mill, he looked took his hand and moved the curtain to the side and said, "No, I just like looking at it". I thought for a second and I figured I'd prolly do the same if I was in his shoes. I'm sure he had a million memories wrapped up in that old wind mill.

I'm going to Scottville Michigan this weekend (Fri). They are having an old engine show and is supposed to have an old saw mill setup. Maybe I will learn something.

Bro. Noble · August 03, 2011, 08:06:52 PM

Dad sold his old #5 Corley mill and Cat 13000 power unit for about scrap price. The fellow he sold it to had his Grandad's old Corley mill which was about identical to Dad's and was getting ready to move and restore it. Dad felt good about selling the mill.

OldIronMan · August 04, 2011, 07:35:40 AM

I was thinking about some of the comments and there is one thing I don't understand. What make this mill "Big"?

OldIronMan · August 04, 2011, 08:53:58 AM

Here is a interesting video of a steam driven saw mill. In the video, the guy briefly mentions that the blade is cantered by about 1/8 inch to prevent heating to the blade. Does anyone know what he's talking about here?

http://www.pbs.org/woodwrightsshop/video/2900/2907.html

LOGDOG · August 04, 2011, 08:56:31 AM

I've wanted to find an old mill set up like this and make a living room arrangement out of it. I've had notions of making a couch out of the carriage with the head blocks as the back rest. Those pulleys have nice detail and curves in them. I could see them laid on their side with legs fashioned and a glass top to be used as end tables and coffee tables. Trouble is, a lot of people assign an unrealistic value to these old mills as they stand. By the time you were done fabricating the arrangement you'd have quite a bit of money into it. I think it would look great in a log or timber frame home though.

OldIronMan · August 04, 2011, 09:51:32 AM

Quote from: LOGDOG on August 04, 2011, 08:56:31 AM
I've wanted to find an old mill set up like this and make a living room arrangement out of it. I've had notions of making a couch out of the carriage with the head blocks as the back rest. Those pulleys have nice detail and curves in them. I could see them laid on their side with legs fashioned and a glass top to be used as end tables and coffee tables. Trouble is, a lot of people assign an unrealistic value to these old mills as they stand. By the time you were done fabricating the arrangement you'd have quite a bit of money into it. I think it would look great in a log or timber frame home though.

I like the way you think, maybe make a "man room" with it, put a large log in the carriage and make it bar