Sawmill

This exhibit is available for viewing Wednesday-Sunday from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., but is only in operation for  Special Events.

The Sawmill is uphill from the Blacksmith Shop and on a slope. Robert Richardson discovered the sawmill that the Pederson Brothers owned while traveling through Fawnskin, CA and saw an opportunity to bring another exhibit to life.  Robert soon spent a Saturday on a bulldozer carving a large flat and level place to house the Sawmill on Museum grounds.  He then The concrete work was planned by Roberts and completed by Visser Construction.  One of the features of this foundation was a pit under the saw for sawdust to fall into. 

Robert then designed most of the structural steel parts that were to hold up the track that the log cart runs on.  This was financed by the original grant from the Pederson Brothers.

Light rail type track was chosen for the log cart.  It was designed by Robert Richardson dn welded by Chet Rapenport.  The rails had to be the same distance apart, the same height and also level.  The log cart was to run on these rails and carry the log that was going through the saw.  A highly undesirable situation but also dangerous.  Jim Kirkes made the new wheels for the log cart.  Once everything was completed the cart  pushed by hand quite easily on its rails although it must weigh the best part of a ton.

The crew then put a cable arrangement together to pull the cart, loaded with a log, through the saw and then back again.  This is done with a small hydraulic pump and a hydraulic motor running the cable drum.  This method was decided on so that the sawyer would have good control over the saw cut.  

During the test runs they found the  D-3000 Cat diesel engine powering the saw had some problems with one cylinder.  Scotty Graham of the Caterpillar Club said he would fix the engine in his Ramona shop where it was delivered for repair.  The engine was returned  with all the problems fixed.  It turned out all of the cylinder liners needed replacing. These are expensive. Scotty was able to get them donated by convincing an acquaintance at Hawthorne Machinery in San Diego to give him the liners.  We are fortunate to have members like Scotty who knew how to do the work as well as get the parts free.