Hi Tim and others:

I also visited Kings Landing in NB, it is an early true Sash (frame) Saw but the kicker here is that it is powered by an overshot water wheel which as most probably realizes turns at a very low RPM maybe 6 RPM at top speed.

What entranced me at the time was the vibration that runs through the mill framing when the saw is in motion. This was mainly due to the gearing that was necessary to bring up the end speed to 40 or 50 revolutions which would be a slow sawing speed or just above a slow idle.

This type of equipment to work properly needs momentum, and horsepower is generated conversely with the momentum and spinning of the large mill parts. In Grist milling the spinning of the grinding stones act as flywheels, and in woolen mills actual heavy castflywheels were installed to create a steady flow of power and to help the machinery pass by difficult milling sequences.

I came away from the mill at King's landing wishing that the staff there would speed up the equipment to a proper running speed and then shut down for a brief period. Their slow operating speed created an extreme strain on the gearing and no doubt unnecessary wear on the pinion gears that were in the gear train sequences.

Our mill at UCV is powered by a small barrel wheel that produces about 7 horsepower maximum from about 2000 gallons of water usage per minute at near full open operating speed which is about 100 RPM. here are no gears employed, each revolution of the barrel wheel creates one stroke of the saw blade. This mill technology is explained quite well in Oliver Evans treatise on Milling (early 1800,s).

One thing that I am sure of is your home base being in Maine no doubt had access to new technology, larger mills, longer blades, and no doubt circular saws much earlier that we did in this part of the world, we did catchup in that regard.

I really would have to examine these timbers very closely, and then if in fact the saw marks appear to have been made with a Muley saw blade be it free standing or Sash type delve into the local early census records to see what mills were in the region at that time.

I hope this helps you out somewhat, but as you see like a mystery novel more clues are necessary to try and solve the questions at hand

NH