Sycamore Sawmill in Operation
My previous post documented the felling of a 150 year old Sycamore tree near the historic log farmhouse whose reconstruction progress I have followed for over a year. I revisited the farm yesterday when I heard distinct sawing sounds echoing through the valley, and found the old sawmill in operation, actually cutting boards from that old tree. At the controls was the same gentleman who had been rebuilding the house, along with his wife. One of the giant logs was positioned on the mill’s moving carriage, and the two were working in unison, drawing the log back and forth, sawing the log into usable lumber. It was fascinating to watch how methodically they handled the entire operation.
As the bark was first trimmed, and the log was halved, then quartered, then cut into 6″ X 6″ beams, I gained a new respect for what they were doing together.
I asked their permission to record the operation, and they seemed excited that I would take an interest into what they were doing. Here is a short 90 second video that shows the sawmill in operation. Be sure to notice the beautiful grain revealed when the log is first trimmed. I will return today to retrieve a large plank that was discarded during the operation. This wood is too valuable to waste, and will make a beautiful accent piece when refinished in an artistic way. It will also be the perfect way to honor that special tree that stood in the valley for so many years.
Living in The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina- A Blog 
This tree that was cut was shading the hay field causing the hay field not to be able to grow.
I still felt like it was worthy to document the great tree’s passing. We all assign different value on Nature’s creations.
If you would like to know the real age of the old Sycamore, you can go up to the stump and count the rings in the stump, that would give you an estimate of the age.
Rhonda, I counted them as best I could, and it looked like between 130 and 150. I still don’t know how they made such a clean cut. Vann
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Sadly, that private sawmill has not been in use in the past few years…