Tree trunk sawmill

In the early 1900s, most of the log sawmills were sprawling industrial complexes located near waterways or railroad tracks to facilitate the logistics of the vast quantities of timber. They often contain large, open sawmill buildings with massive saws and conveyor belts. The typical image includes tall piles of logs waiting to be processed, and mountains of sawn timber ready for distribution.

The operation of a log sawmill in the early 1900s relied heavily on both human labor and machine power. Logs were taken to the sawmill (often floating by waterways or by train), where they were first sorted according to size and quality. They were then led to the sawing machines where large circular saws or band saws cut them into planks, beams, or other shapes. These engines were usually powered by steam engines, which was a revolutionary advance over the hand-operated saws of earlier times. Workers in the sawmill took care of the operation of the machines and the sorting and stacking of the sawn timber.

How does the tree trunk sawmill work?

The log sawmill works as follows: The tree is placed on the train (wagon that runs on a rail) and clamped with the collets. The train (car) is automatically driven slowly to the saw by the sawing machine via a cogwheel wheel. After the saw is set, the machine is put into operation and beams or planks are cut out of the tree.

The wood produced in sawmills had numerous uses. In an era of rapid urban and rural development, much of the wood was used for the construction of homes, commercial buildings, and infrastructure such as bridges and railways. Wood was also a crucial material for the manufacture of furniture, doors, flooring, and other household products.