The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 86, July 1982 - April, 1983 Page: 4
616 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Another center of early sawmill operations was along the Sabine. As
early as 1836 Robert Booth (or Boothe) constructed a small mill north
of present-day Orange, which was said to be capable of cutting 1,500
board feet of lumber per day. In the 184os Robert Jackson operated
a sawmill at Turner's Ferry on the Sabine that was described as a sash
mill powered by an engine and a boiler that had been salvaged from
a wrecked steamboat upstream. After a spring flood partially de-
stroyed his operations, Jackson moved his mill to Orange (then known
as Green's Bluff) in 1847. This was said to be the first steam sawmill
in Orange.5
The most common type of saw used in these early mills was the
"sash saw": a single saw blade held rigidly in a frame that moved up
and down with the saw. It cut only on the down stroke and the log
was forced against the saw by a crude mechanical feeder. Essentially,
this was simply a mechanization of the old hand-operated "pit saw" in
which two men, one above the pit and one standing in the pit below
the log, pushed and pulled the saw until a board was produced. The
power driving the sash saw could be animal, water, or finally steam
power. From the sash saw developed the "muley saw" in which the
sash and frame were lightened and the stroke speeded up, and also the
first "gang saw" in which additional blades were fitted into the frame,
thereby increasing production. Lumber produced by these methods
usually ranged from 500 to 2,000 board feet per day and the boards
were rough and uneven. It is not surprising that sawmill operators
sought more efficient methods to manufacture lumber."
Exactly when the circular saw was introduced into the South is un-
certain. It is known that one Samuel Miller received a patent on a
metal circular saw in England in 1777, and a Benjamin Cummins (or
Cummings), a blacksmith in New York State, hammered out a succes-
ful circular saw about 1820o. Though mention has been made of small
circular saws in Texas in the early thirties, they were not in general
use until near the beginning of the Civil War. Many operators feared
injury from the circulars when the saws ran at high speed, and ob-
5James Boyd, "Fifty Years in the Southern Pine Industry," Southern Lumberman,
CXLIV (Dec. 15, 1931), 59-67; Thomas C. Richardson, East Texas, Its History and Its
Makers (3 vols.; New York, 1940), III, 1,171-1,173.
6F. H. Gilman, "History of the Development of Saw Mill and Woodworking Ma-
chinery," Mississippi Valley Lumberman, XXVI (Feb. 1, 1895), 6o-61; Stanley F. Horn,
This Fascinating Lumber Business (New York, 1943), 22-23; Ralph W. Andrews, This
Was Sawmilling (Seattle, 1957), 44. See also J. Richards, "A Treatise on the Construction
and Operation of Woodworking Machines," Journal of Forest History, IX (Jan., 1966),
4, 16-23.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 86, July 1982 - April, 1983, periodical, 1982/1983; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101209/m1/24/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.