This video contains the steam crane, and the massive sawmill operation at the show. The crane is set up to demonstrate how logs were removed from a lake or river and sent into the mill for processing. The logs are floated on water for several reasons including an easy mode of transportation, and a good way to clean dirt and gravel out of the bark so the blades wouldn’t get dull so quickly.
While shooting my video around the crane, I happened to bite into my lunch that included a yellow jacket in my mouth. That didn’t slow down the filming process, it just made it a little more painful.
This sawmill operation is so much fun to watch. The operators know how to keep it running under production ready conditions, I would love to have seen this in action when it was in its prime. There are 3 large steam engines running this mill, one of them happens to be the only known 110 Case in the Skidded Boiler configuration. The majority of logs run through the mill are sawn for pallet materials, I happened to see some custom ordered logs run through that were salvaged old growth oak that had been at the bottom of a lake for many years. One of the logs was so dense it brought the skidded 110 to it’s knees, It was an amazing sight to see that much power come to a screeching halt. Everyone worked so well together, there were no hiccups in the process the whole 3 hours I stood there in awe.
This is the fourth post in this series:
Check out our first post – Kids Activities –HERE to get a general overview of the WMSTR show.
Check out our second post in this series – Big Engines – HERE
Check out our third post in this series – Steam Train Ride, Baker Fan, & Gas Engine Buildings – HERE
Check out our fifth and final post in this series – Steam Tractor Plowing, Steam Shovels, & Spark Show – HERE
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