Hi everyone:

I know there are plenty of sawyers among us that will find this post interesting.

I visited this old mill (about 30 minutes from me) last weekend during their annual "Back to the Past" celebration. Scribner's Mill is on the Crooked River, the largest tributary of Sebago Lake here in Cumberland County, Maine.

The mill ran from 1847 until 1962. And in 1977, a large ice flow practically tore the mill apart and sent much of it downriver. But today, a group is in the process of getting things rebuilt and restored, including the sash saw.

The dam that created the millpond and head for waterpower was forcibly breached by the state's wildlife agency in 1972. This was done because Sebago Lake is a world-class salmon fishery: it holds the WORLD RECORD for biggest Landlocked Salmon, which was caught in 1907 and weighed 22 lbs 8 ounces.

The group "Scribner's Mill Preservation, Inc" has filed an application w/ the state of Maine to restore the dam WITH fish passage so that the mill can again be water powered. It is a battleground at the moment, pitting fishermen/environmentalists against the historical groups that want the mill, which is one of only 2 in the country (Virginia?) to have a water powered sash saw that operated well into the 20th century.

google "Scribner's Mill" for more info on this historic site.

There was some timber framing going on when I visited... but the big attraction was the mill, which was churning out wooden barrels from authentic 19th century equipment. Instead of waterpower, the machines were powered by an old tractor's flywheel and a large belt over the weekend.

I snapped a bunch of pics:








How this for cribbing?




The Mill is right over a channel alongside the main river




Original Haul-in-Wheel to bring in logs







They were doing barrel-making demonstrations




A unique saw shaped like a barrel cut the arc-shaped staves




the teeth on the one-piece, round "blade"




Inside the mill. Some old frame rot... square pegs?



Beetle / commander

[img]http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll84/mainebarns/100_9093.jpg[/img]

And some timber framing, for demonstration...

[img]http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll84/mainebarns/100_9076.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll84/mainebarns/100_9091.jpg[/img]


Just a really unique place... I wish them well in their dam efforts. I have put my canoe in here many times over the years for a ten-mile trip downriver... Like I said earlier, they say the mill is one of just two remaining sash-saw operations in the U.S. The blade traveled about 18" and went about 120 strokes-per-minute. Wow.

Work on restoring the sash is in its early stages. I am planning on volunteering as they are looking for folks.