Here are a couple of saw mills on u-tube. One looks modern except for the power unit. You would think they could find something a little more modern than a steam traction engine. lol They are kind of long but I enjoyed watching them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlVMe5P5cow&feature=plcp http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46hkCIJECMo&feature=plcp http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suuNCP8Hn-Q&feature=plcp http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GS7r1PUSeE&feature=plcp
I figured here was as good as anywhere to post this as it probably doesn't justify it's own thread. Anyway, this link turned up in the woodweek newsletter this week and I thought you lads might enjoy it... http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2012/05/the-biggest-wood-storage-area-in-the-world-is-absolutely-insane/ LOL Thats not a stack of logs. THIS is a stack of logs...
Don't knock the old steam engines....there's an old steam tractor back home that was bought brand new...used for harvest gangs/land clearing and in the winters for a power plant at the saw mills. Ran for years until the end of WW2 put so much surplus equipment on the market... Story goes that they rigged up a D8 they "found" on the Alaska Highway as a power plant...for all of a week until they could get they steam engine back. D8 wasn't powerful enough for the saw they'd been running. Nice video's...rare to see that many steam tractors running at one spot.
forester that was not a knock at the steam, you did not see the lol in the sentence. (laughing out loud) I like the Steam traction engines and steam locomotives. I don't know how much power a D8 had back in the 40's but here are some horse power recommendations from Simonds saw and steel. Feed per revolution in inches 7-7 1/2 number of teeth in saw 60-72. Gasoline or diesel engine horse power 125 or above, electric motor horse power 100 or over, Steam engine horse power 50 or over. This information came off of a chart that Simonds put out years ago. It would take me a long time to type all the information. I just copied one part of it to show you that Steam is more efficient than Diesel or electric. I came close to being killed standing watch in a fire room aboard ship back in 1966. The main steam line leaving the boiler was making an awful noise through a crack in the line. When I entered the forward fire room there was a lot of steam in the room that was not normally there. Number 2 boiler was lit off but not up to steam so we were running number 1 engine room on that crippled boiler until the noise got loud enough that the top watch said wrap it up and called after fire room and said cross over. After that after fire room was supplying steam to both number 1 and number 2 engine rooms. Steam can be dangerous. Have a great day
Sorry man...didn't mean to come accross as knocking you or steam. I grew up around a bunch of steam tractor enthusiasts who fire up everyone that they can keep certified as safe each year. Only one that I haven't seen fired up is built with a wierd rivit construction method that the inspector doesn't like for fear of explosion. Given the ages most are run at minimal power as there is no money to fix them if they strain them. Lots of stories too about how far drive wheels and boiler plate material flew if you overloaded the old ones and they exploded..usually a bunch of fatalities as well due to crews working around them. Thanks for the information on feeding saw heads...I don't get to see the technical numbers much for mills but re-inforces the case for old, boring, slow and steady steam if you can safely run it. Cheers, forester