# Old Mclean Steam Saw Mill!



## parrisw (Aug 17, 2009)

Took a tour of this saw mill the other day, is in the Alberni Vally in British Columbia Canada. It is a old Steam Powered Saw mill, that was last used in 1969 I think. Now today it runs again, cutting timber for a heritage attraction, and they now actually sell lumber from it, I assume the proceeds go to pay to keep it running. Very interesting history here. You can go here to read about it, I think there is even a video of it. http://www.alberniheritage.com/mclean-mill/welcome-mclean-steam-sawmill

And the way we got up there was to take a ride on a old Steam train that was built in 1929, and restored and put into service in 2001. Here. http://www.alberniheritage.com/alberni-pacific-railway/welcome-alberni-pacific-steam-railway

Here are some pics. 


Log coming out of the log pond, being winched up into the mill






Log bunk, and big blades, bottom blade is 50" and top is 54" I think. 





Log being loaded onto the bunk.





View of Blades.





Going to first cut.


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## parrisw (Aug 17, 2009)

Measuring device, not sure on how the scale works.





In the cut.





End of the cut.





Log rotated.





Adjusting the cut, the lever in his left had, he pumps it which turns some gears, and it acts like a ratchet, and the log gets jacked out.


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## parrisw (Aug 17, 2009)

Other side slab being cut off.





Slabwood going out.





Lumber going out.





Nice big timber!





Lumber going out.


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## parrisw (Aug 17, 2009)

View from back of mill.





Lumber Yard.





Old Log truck with load of Cedar.


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## parrisw (Aug 17, 2009)

Here is a youtube vid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXMDlxY1fQQ&feature=PlayList&p=F1B8967AE70C5839&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=11


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## Freehand (Aug 17, 2009)

Nice thread ,Parrisw.

Rep sent.


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## 394xp4me (Aug 17, 2009)

Good stuff.



Rich


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## gink595 (Aug 17, 2009)

Great thread!! I seen a steam powered saw mill in action at a steam engine show this past weekend, the old stuff is neat to see


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## parrisw (Aug 17, 2009)

Ya, its very cool. The sounds are awesome!!! And I really love the History part of it as well.


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## Cantdog (Aug 17, 2009)

*Steam Mill*

Exxcellent!!! And left handed to boot!!!

Good thread!! Thanks


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## wigglesworth (Aug 17, 2009)

Thanks for sharing that. I would love to see that in action. Good post.


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## Brmorgan (Aug 17, 2009)

Excellent, thanks a bunch for the pics. My aunt & uncle literally just got back from a trip across Vancouver Island to Tofino a week ago, and my uncle insisted they stop to take the tour thru the mill. He didn't take any pics though!  He told me all about it at any rate. I haven't been down that way for 14 years, I think, but I'm definitely stopping in there next time.

I like how it's so quiet compared to an electric mill - you wouldn't be able to hear yourself scream standing ten feet away from an electric headrig. 

In many ways I think steam engines are a fair bit more complicated than internal combustion engines, especially when it came to powering mills and other industry. It would've taken some serious engineering to figure out that rat's-nest of belts and pulleys in the basement!


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## forestryworks (Aug 17, 2009)

that's pretty damn cool.

thanks for sharing the pics.

looks like a good summer vacation for next summer.


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## wavefreak (Aug 17, 2009)

Cool stuff. That's a scary thing, that big old blade spinning around.


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## Brmorgan (Aug 17, 2009)

forestryworks said:


> that's pretty damn cool.
> 
> thanks for sharing the pics.
> 
> looks like a good summer vacation for next summer.



From where you are, you could do a whole tour of steam mills on your way up to this one. There are a few on the West Coast that are operated as tourist attractions.


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## Rookie1 (Aug 17, 2009)

Very cool Parris Im jealous. Is it close to your house? Nice pics.


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## larman (Aug 17, 2009)

Measuring device, not sure on how the scale works.
tells the sawer how much of the log is left to saw 
i dont know if this make seance or not but cutting 
cants 3.5 in the magice numbers are 3.5 ,7.25,11,
14.75,18.5,and so on and cutting lumber we alwas 
left a 3.5 or 1.5 pending on what we was cutting
math skills was al was amust and plan a head to 
end up with 1.5 or 3.5. the pic shows me that he 
has about 20" left must of been a 24" or 26" log to
start with sorry just had to rabblegrew up around
an old mill and cut a lot of grade and farm lumber
oh btw cool pics


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## deeker (Aug 17, 2009)

Great thread/pics.

Which begs for more.

Kevin


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## outdoorlivin247 (Aug 17, 2009)

gink595 said:


> Great thread!! I seen a steam powered saw mill in action at a steam engine show this past weekend, the old stuff is neat to see



Where were you at?...


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## smithie55 (Aug 17, 2009)

Great post,
I'm jealous of the guys in the pictures
Thanks


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## parrisw (Aug 17, 2009)

wigglesworth said:


> Thanks for sharing that. I would love to see that in action. Good post.



Yup it was way cool to watch, I wish I had more time there, I didn't even get to see all the old shacks which the loggers and sawyers lived in, they also had a old Steam Donkey setup to haul logs as well, like a yarder, but it wasn't running at the time. I cold of watched it for hours, but was on a schedule to get back to the train to take me back.



Brmorgan said:


> Excellent, thanks a bunch for the pics. My aunt & uncle literally just got back from a trip across Vancouver Island to Tofino a week ago, and my uncle insisted they stop to take the tour thru the mill. He didn't take any pics though!  He told me all about it at any rate. I haven't been down that way for 14 years, I think, but I'm definitely stopping in there next time.
> 
> I like how it's so quiet compared to an electric mill - you wouldn't be able to hear yourself scream standing ten feet away from an electric headrig.
> 
> In many ways I think steam engines are a fair bit more complicated than internal combustion engines, especially when it came to powering mills and other industry. It would've taken some serious engineering to figure out that rat's-nest of belts and pulleys in the basement!



Ya, it wasn't that loud, kinda like a big skillsaw, ya it was crazy will all them belts flying around. 



Rookie1 said:


> Very cool Parris Im jealous. Is it close to your house? Nice pics.


 I definitely want to go back and see more, its about 2.5hrs from my house. Another must stop is Cathedral grove park, on the way there, some really huge trees there. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/macmillan/

go see huge Doug fir, and Red Cedar!!



larman said:


> Measuring device, not sure on how the scale works.
> tells the sawer how much of the log is left to saw
> i dont know if this make seance or not but cutting
> cants 3.5 in the magice numbers are 3.5 ,7.25,11,
> ...



Thanks that makes sense, ya that's about right, the log was around 2' when it started I think, from memory from looking at it. Thanks allot, rep coming.


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## blsnelling (Aug 17, 2009)

Very cool. Thanks for posting. I can't imagine the labor of love it must have taken to get all that equipment back up and running.


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## parrisw (Aug 18, 2009)

blsnelling said:


> Very cool. Thanks for posting. I can't imagine the labor of love it must have taken to get all that equipment back up and running.



Ya, I now. And the time it takes just to run it. They said for our train ride that started a 10am, they were there at 6am getting the steam train ready.


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## jockeydeuce (Aug 18, 2009)

That's just super cool!!!! I love that old stuff!!!


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## gink595 (Aug 18, 2009)

outdoorlivin247 said:


> Where were you at?...



Lagrange Indiana about 15-20 minutes from me.
Here is a link to some pics.

http://www.backroads.org/php/photo.gallery/photo.display.php?docs_category_id=3


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## outdoorlivin247 (Aug 18, 2009)

gink595 said:


> Lagrange Indiana about 15-20 minutes from me.
> Here is a link to some pics.
> 
> http://www.backroads.org/php/photo.gallery/photo.display.php?docs_category_id=3



Was just asking b/c I went by a steam show in Peru, IN and almost stopped...


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## larman (Aug 20, 2009)

theres a steam show on every labor day weekend in mt plesant iowa they have alot of old steam engenes and steam trains pertty neat to watch it you cant see it all in one day they have a sawmill set up


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## ausneil 1 (Feb 29, 2012)

awsome stuff parrisw, aussie rep sent.
To see mills like that simply makes me thankfull times have made the job easier, but i would totaly love to spend a week in one learning how it used to be done..


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## parrisw (Feb 29, 2012)

ausneil 1 said:


> awsome stuff parrisw, aussie rep sent.
> To see mills like that simply makes me thankfull times have made the job easier, but i would totaly love to spend a week in one learning how it used to be done..



Your welcome, I feel the same. Pretty cool to see.


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## Mahindra123 (Feb 29, 2012)

*Where is OSHA?*

Great pictures and in seeing them, I could smells the grease, and fresh sawn wood and hear the blade working as it went thru the cant. For that group that rebuilt, refurbished the equipment and steam engine to run it, my hats off to them too.

If that same mill was setup in the lower 48, OSHA would have it behind a 10 ft fence with barb wire around the top and probably a robot running it inside the fence.

Thank-you


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## parrisw (Mar 1, 2012)

Mahindra123 said:


> Great pictures and in seeing them, I could smells the grease, and fresh sawn wood and hear the blade working as it went thru the cant. For that group that rebuilt, refurbished the equipment and steam engine to run it, my hats off to them too.
> 
> If that same mill was setup in the lower 48, OSHA would have it behind a 10 ft fence with barb wire around the top and probably a robot running it inside the fence.
> 
> Thank-you



Ya its pretty great to see something like this. 

I'm all about being safe, but I didn't see anything that was very unsafe, the people that were running it really knew what they were doing, there are far more dangerous jobs in in US and Canada then this.


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## Marco (Mar 9, 2012)

Neat way to pull the headblocks back in last photo in second post. The big wheel rides the track and pulls them back while the carriage is going for the next log.


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