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1/4-Scale Sawmill Works Like The Real Thing
"My 1/4-scale circular sawmill works just like the real thing but is powered by the flat belt off an old tractor. I often take it to shows where people really get a kick out of watching me cut logs into boards," says Louie Job, Anoka, Minn.
FARM SHOW recently caught up with Job at an antique power show. He was u
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1/4-Scale Sawmill Works Like The Real Thing AG WORLD 28-1-24
"My 1/4-scale circular sawmill works just like the real thing but is powered by the flat belt off an old tractor. I often take it to shows where people really get a kick out of watching me cut logs into boards," says Louie Job, Anoka, Minn.
FARM SHOW recently caught up with Job at an antique power show. He was using a Deere 2-cyl. tractor for power.
The sawmill is built almost entirely out of wood and is equipped with a 12-in. dia. circular blade. It measures 7 ft. long by 3 ft. wide and has an overhead sun shelter. It weighs about 400 lbs., which is light enough that Job can haul it in his pickup.
The log to be cut is held secure to the sawmill's carriage by three head blocks equipped with "top dogs". The flat belt drives a pulley that operates a set of opposing pulleys, one on each side of the mill. The friction drive system uses one pulley to move the log forward on the carriage and the other to move it backward. Job uses a lever to start or stop each belt. A gear operates a moveable platform that carries sawdust out of the way and drops it onto the ground.
"People marvel at the mechanical operation of it and at how straight and thin it cuts," says Job. "I can cut boards 1/8 in. thick that are accurate from one end to the other. It'll handle logs up to 8 in. dia. and 36 in. long. Sometimes I saw red cedar logs into boards which I give away. I've used my 1/4-scale sawmill some for shop projects, but it's more of a toy than a working sawmill.
"I take it to antique tractor shows every year. Someone is always willing to let me borrow their tractor to operate the mill. I've even used a 1/2-scale steam engine tractor to operate it."
Job says he bought the mill about 20 years ago from a woman in Iowa whose husband had built it and then died. Several pieces were missing, which he replaced. He also geared the blade down. "At first I staked the sawmill down to the ground to make sure the flat belt wouldn't twist, but I've found that isn't necessary."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Louie Job, 511 Park St., Anoka, Minn. 55303 (ph 763 422-9198).
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