I have had many challenges,/projects handed to me over my career, but not many came close to the reconstruction of The 1867 water powered Muley sawmill's raceway, and the horizontal barrel wheel, that powered its equipment, including its single vertical blade, the ratcheting system, and the saw frame , that no could handle 20 foot logs up to 36" on the butt end
I always said to many who came to view this operating mill, from first glance, seemed to be of rough and crude construction, but as you view its sawn lumber, it is apparent that is not the case
You could hold sawn tolerances to within 1/8", easily, and 1/16" on smaller squares
One of the problems that one had to deal with, was the weight of the large logs, springing the head block
Now the head block was massive, but would spring slightly, and the downward cutting stroke also added to this problem.
Now just to give some perspective,as far as the head block is concerned,it had a recess that accommodated the 12" blade beyond the end of the log
