Hud-Son Homesteader Portable Sawmill HFE-21. Sawmill log dogs

30.05.2023 Golticage homesteader, hud-son, portable, sawmill

US1590107A. Mechanism for controlling movement of hook dogs for sawmill carriages. Google Patents

Publication number US1590107A US1590107A US570898A US57089822A US1590107A US 1590107 A US1590107 A US 1590107A US 570898 A US570898 A US 570898A US 57089822 A US57089822 A US 57089822A US 1590107 A US1590107 A US 1590107A Authority US United States Prior art keywords dog fulcrum movement lever hook Prior art date 1922-06-23 Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.) Expired. Lifetime Application number US570898A Inventor Frederick E Martin Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.) MARTIN AIR DOG Co Original Assignee MARTIN AIR DOG Co Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.) 1922-06-23 Filing date 1922-06-23 Publication date 1926-06-22 1922-06-23 Application filed by MARTIN AIR DOG Co filed Critical MARTIN AIR DOG Co 1922-06-23 Priority to US570898A priority Critical patent/US1590107A/en 1926-06-22 Application granted granted Critical 1926-06-22 Publication of US1590107A publication Critical patent/US1590107A/en 1943-06-22 Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical Status Expired. Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

B — PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B27 — WORKING OR PRESERVING WOOD OR SIMILAR MATERIAL; NAILING OR STAPLING MACHINES IN GENERAL
B27B — SAWS FOR WOOD OR SIMILAR MATERIAL; COMPONENTS OR ACCESSORIES THEREFOR
B27B29/00 — Gripping, clamping, or holding devices for the trunk or log in saw mills or sawing machines; Travelling trunk or log carriages
B27B29/08 — Trunk or log carriages with gripping means designed to pass the saw blade(s), especially for Band saws; Arrangement of gripping accessories thereon; Turning devices thereon

Y — GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
Y10 — TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
Y10T — TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
Y10T83/00 — Cutting
Y10T83/647 — With means to convey work relative to tool station
Y10T83/654 — With work-constraining means on work conveyor [i.e., “work-carrier”]

Description

‘ F. E. MARTIN MECHANISM FOR CONTROLLING MOVEMENT 0F HOOK DOGS FOR SAWMILL CARRIAGES Original Filed Jun 25. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 22 ,1926.

F. E MARTIN MECHANISM FOR CONTROLLING MOVEMENT 0F HOOK DOGS FOR SAWMILL CARRIAGES Original Filed June 23, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v Frederi A Md) fin anon How Patented June 212, i925.

ii-siren LEQM? hATENTA rnnnniaron MARTIN, when, oitnrroenre, assienon. To MARTIN AIR nee COMPANY, or sen rnsirorsco, CALIFGBNIA, ii conroaarron or CALIFORNIA.

This invention relates particularly to hook dogs controlling and operating mechanism employed in connection with saw mill carriages of the type disclosed in my copending application for patent, filed November 25, 1921, Serial No. 517,647.

In the application referred to, the hook dogs are described as having a movement first in a curved path until the spike engages a log, and subsequently and by the same actuating means the dog is moved bodily toward the knee to pull the log up against the face of the knee to properly locate it for engagement of the boss and other dogs.

My present invention is directed to improving the construction of the mechanisln for actuating the hook dogs, soas to more eifectually handle logs of varying diameters, and to simplify the parts that they may with greater convenience be assembled, repaired, or replaced.

Therefore, one of the objects of the invention is to provide a hook dog and operating mechanism therefor, which will be effective in operation and positively engage and draw a log up to the face of the knees to be dogged.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for compensating for the movement between the hook dog per se and its actuating means when the curved path of movement of the dog is converted into adirect pull on the log.

Another object of the invention is to improve the means employed to take the thrust and equalize the strain between the parts when the hook dog strikes a log and subsequently pulls the same up to the knee. 4

The invention alsocomprehends improvements in the details of construction and arrangement of parts which will be here fiinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred form of the improved hook dog controlling and operating mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, an operative position of the parts being shown in dotted outline.

The numeral 1 indicates conventionally a ortion of a sawmill carriage provided with a knee 2. Mounted on a pivot 3 on the knee, is an arm 1, on the upper end of which is pivotally mounted at 5, a frame 6, of a hook dog 7.

lifounted on a pivot 8, on a lug extending from the knee, is a cylinder 9, and operating 111 same is a piston 9, the rod 10 of which extends forwardly and is connected to a stud 11, on the frame 6. The stud ll is located forwardly of and below the hori zontal plane of the pivot 5, as shown in Fig. 1.

Mounted to rock on the pivot pin 8, is a bifurcated lever 12, and supported on a pivot 18 between the bifurcated portions of said lever is a link 14, which extends for= wardly substantially parallel with the cyl ind-er 9, and is pivoted at its front end at 15 to the frame 6 in rear of the pivot pin 5. On the sides of the link 14, adjacent the lever 12, are abutments 16, the rear edges 17 of which are adapted to bear against the forward edge of the lever 12 and form-a stop to properly hold the hook dog in normal elevated position after pressure is applied to return the parts.

Extending upwardlyfrom the forward end of the link 14, is a lug 18, and projecting rearwardly therefrom is a stem 19, which is bolted to the forward head of a cylinder 20. Projecting through the rear head of the cylinder 20, is a rod 21, pivoted at one end 21 to the upper end of the lever 12 in alignment with the stem 19. Bolted to the forward end of the rod 21 in the cylinder 20, is a disk 22 and encircling the rod between the disk and the rear head is a spring23, the tension of which through the cylinder tends to draw the lever 12 toward the lug 18-.

InFig. 8, I have shown a modified form of construction, in which the arm 25 is mounted on a pivot 26 in the same manner as in the preferred form of the invention, but the connections with the hook dog and the spring are arranged in quite a different manner. On a pin 27 at the upper end of the arm 25, is pivotally mounted the hook dog 28 having a forwardly extended arm 29, and at the extremityof this arm is a pin 30, to which is pivoted the piston rod 81 of the iiuid pressure actuated piston and cylinder 32.

33 indicates a pivot in located in rear of the pin 26 and to which is pivoted the lower end of a cylinder 33. Extending slidably through the upper head of the cylinder 33, is a stem 35, the outer end of same being pivoted on the pin 27. On the stem 35, inside the cylinder 33 are adjusting nuts 38, between which and the lower cylinder head is interposed a spring 39, adapted to be compressed when the arm 25 is rocked rearwardly.

In the operation of the preferred embodiment of the invention, a log a is thrown onto the carriage in the usual manner, then fluid pressure, preferably air, is admitted through pipe Z), from a suitable source and under control of selective mechanism, such as disclosed in the before mentioned application (but not herein shown.) which forces the piston 9 and rodlO rearwardly, and

rotates the frame 6 on the pin or floating fulcrum 5. As the frame (5 rotates on the fulcrum 5, it moves the hook dog until its spike 7 engages and is driven into the log as shown by dotted lines 0, in Fig. 2. ‘During this movement, the pivot pin 15 rotates upwardly and rearwardly in an arc of which the pivot 8 is the center as a result of the arcuate path of travel of the pin 5 with pin 3, asits center. In the meantime, the spring 23 holds the link 14: in relation to the frame 6, and lever 12, and forms a resilient cushioned connection between the parts and is ready for the next step in the operation, where said spring performs a very essential function. After the spike of the hook dog is engaged in the log, and assume the latter is not up against the face of the knee, fluid pressure in cylinder 9 continues to act on the piston and rod 10, and as the frame and hook dog can no longer swing in a curved path toward the log, these elements are moved bodily toward the rear, as shown in dotted line d, in Fig. 2. lVhile this action imparts a slightly arcuate movement with pin 3 as its center, it is of so little moment, it amounts to substantially a movement parallel to the cylinder 9. In this bodily movement of the frame, the link 14 is forced rearwardly which rocks the lever12 on. its pivot, and the upper end of said lever exerts a pull on the rod 21 and compresses the spring 23, which with the pressure exerted on the piston and rod 10, exerts a pulling action on the hook dog on one side of the pivot pin 5 and a pin resistance on the opposite side of said pin, the spring cuslr ioning or yielding to compensate for any movement in the pull of the piston and therefore effectually draws the log up to position against the knee.

hen the log is held in this position with the parts operated as described, the action of the spring and the pressure on the piston in cylinder 9 not only exert the necessary pull on the log to hold it in place, but in addition the combined yielding resistance of the spring and the pull of the piston in the cylinder combined with the toggle actionbetween the lever, frame, and. link, serves to create a downward action of the hook dog and absolutely prevents it from slipping or becoming disengaged.

When pressure in cylinder 9 is relieved through pipe I) and pressure is admitted through pipe 6, the lever 4 is reversely moved on its pivot, and the tension of spring 23 immediately exerts itself until the abutments 17 contact with the’lever 12, and then the pressure in the cylinder 9 returns the hook dog to its normal position.

In the modified orm of the invention shown in Fig. 3, the result is substantially the same as that described, in that the curved path of movement of the dog on the floating fulcrum 27 is imparted through pressure in troduced in cylinder 32, and the fact that during operation of this pressure the fulcrum 27 is floating rearwardly under the continual increasing resistance of the spring 39. In this movement, it is apparent that through pull on the piston rod, the dog is moved about the fulcrum 27 while the latter is being moved rearwardly to thereby induce a downward movement of the stem 35 to cause the nuts 38 to compress the spring 39 in the cylinder 33 the necessary arcuate move ment of the fulcrum about the center 26 be ing compensated for by the bodily movement of the cylinder 33 about the center 33. This affords a cushioned resistance to compensate for any irregularity of movement in the parts and permits the fulcrum 27 to float during the swing of the dog and to permit a continued floating of the fulcrum 27 under the power in the cylinder 32 after the dog engages the log. Therefore, the action of the parts in the modification is the same as described in connection with the preferred form.

By mounting the hook dog on the floating fulcrum, I am able to handle logs within a wide range of dimensions, without liability of extending he hook in the path of movement of the saw. For instance, if a big log is to be engaged, the hook will swing down in a path toward the log and hold it with the same facility as a small log. But in handling a big log, the liability of the hook extending beyond the saw out line is not as great as when sawing small logs with the same hook, and it is therefore essential that the hook dog be made to accommodate logs of all sizes. Now if a small log be engaged, the hook dog will first swing outwardly in a curved path and then sharply rearwardly in the curved path until the spike. strikes about the center of the log before it com: mences to pull it toward the knee. In other words, the path of travel of the spike of thehook dog, because of the floating fulcrum, is not a true are but more nearly elliptical.

The invention is, therefore, constructed and arranged to provide a floating fulcrum about which the dog is swung by the power means; The spring means acts to permit the power means. to draw the log toward the knee through a pull on the hook dog directly resulting through floating movement of the fulcrum, with such spring means increas ingiy retarding this floating movement of the fulcrum during the log drawing movement of the hook dog. It is to be particularly noted that the spring means does not in terfere with a floating movement of the fulcrum during the swing of the hook dog from its noru’ al position to a log engaging position, the said spring means coming into effective action in connection with the floating fulcrum following the engagement of the hook dog with the log.

l. In combination, a knee, a dog for a saw mill carriage, a floating fulcrum for the dog,ioperating means connected to the dog on one side of the fulcrum, a lever pivoted to the knee, a link pivoted to the lever and to the dog on the other side of the pulling fulcrum, and a spring between the link and lcv r, the operating means serving to initially impart movement to the dog in a curved path on the floating fulcrum until the dog strikes the log, further action of the operatingmeans pulling the log toward the knee through continued movement of the floating fulcrum and the resistance of the spring through resultant movement of the link and lever to compel such bodily movement of the floating fulcrum.

In combination, a dog, a floating fulcrum for same, means pivoted on one side the floating fulcrum to operate the dog, a pivoted lever, a link having one end pivoted to the lever and its opposite end pivoted to the opposite side of the dog, a spring, and means supporting; the spring between the pivoted lever and the link, whereby to permit first a rocking movement of the dog and subsequently a pull afterthe dog engages a log.

2). A. swinging hook dog, a floating fulcrum therefor, means for swinging said dog on and constantly moving said floating fulcruni, and means brought into play through the swinging movement of the dog after the latter contacts with a log to resist movement of said fulcrum after the dog strikes a log, said last named means finally acting as a fulcrum for the dog.

4-. In combination, a dog, a fulcrum therefor capable of becoming a floating fulcrum, a power means for swinging the dog on said fulcrum, a lever pivoted remote from the dog, a link connected atone end to said lever and at its opposite end to the dog, and a spring connected to saidlever and to the link, said spring being increasingly tensioued through movement of such link and lever following a predetermined movement of the dog on said fulcrum, such increased tension of the spring permitting the power means to float such fulcrum to move the dog in a substantially linear patl 5.In combination, a knee, a oog for a saw mill carriage, a fulcrum for the dog capable of becoming a floating fulcrum, pressure operated means connected to the dog for swinging the same on said fulcrun a lever pivoted to the knee remote from the dog, a link connected to said lever and to the dog, a: spung-normally exerting a tension between said link and lever, the normal tension of said spring being substantially maintained throughout the. swinging movement of the dog and being then increased by relative’movements of the link and lever,

the increased tension of said spring permitting a further operation of the power means to float the fulcrum to move the dogiin a substantially linear path. e

In combination, a dog, a fulcrum therefor capable of becoming a floating fulcrum, a power means for moving the dog on said fulcrum, a lever pivotally supported remote from the dog, a link arranged between said lever and dog, and a spring interposed between and tensioned in the relative movements of thelink and lever, said spring being normally tensioned to tend to return the dog on an elevated position, said power means acting to swing the dog on said fulcrum and to cause such relative movement of the link and lever to thereby increase the tension of the spring and permit the power means to float the fulcrum to move the dog in a substantially linear path.

A knee, a dog mounted for swinging movement relative thereto, a power means for swinging the dog, a lever pivotally mounted with respect to the knee and remote from the dog, a link pivotally connected at one end to the lever and at the opposite end in pivotal relation to the dog mounting, said link having means to bear against the lever and move the latter in movement of the link, a projection on the link adjacent the dog mounting, and a resilient connection between said projection and lever, the tension of said connection being increased in that movement of the link tending to move said lever on its pivot after the dog strikes the log.

A knee, an arm pivoted thereto, a dog supported by said arm for swinging movement into engagement with a log and subsequent linear movement to draw the log toward the knee, a power means pivotally supported on the knee and connected for operating said dog, a lever pivoted on the knee remote from the dog, a link pivotally.

connected at one end to said lever and formed with a shoulder to bear against and operate said lever in a of the link in a direction from the dog, the opposite end of said link being connected to the dog mounting, a projection extending from the link adjacent the dog mounting, and a resilient connection between said projection and lever, the link, lever, and resilient connection moving substantially as a unit on the lever pivot in the swinging movement of the dog to avoid substantial change in the tension of the resilient connection during such dog movement, the linear movement of the dog compelling a similar movement of the link to increase the tension of such resilient connection to permit such linear dog movement.

‘ A knee, a dog mounted for swinging movement relative thereto, a floating fulcrum for the dog, a power means for swinging the dog about said fulcrum and moving the fulcrum, a lever pivotally mounted with respect to the’lmee remote from the dog,

1 a link connectin said lever and dog, and a resilient connection intermediate said lever linear movement and link, said resilient connection being tensioned in that movement of the floating fulcrum under the power means tending to move the dog after said’dog has engaged a lo V V lO. A knee, a dog cooperating therewith, a floating fulcrum for the dog, a power means connected to the dog at one side of the floating fulcrum, and a tensioning unit pivotally supported with respect to the knee remote from the dog and connected to the dog on the opposite side of the fulcrum, the

power means acting to swing the dog about the floating fulcrum and move said fulcrum until the dog engages a log, the tensioning unit being thereafter tensioned in the movement of the floating fulcrum under the power means to permit said power means ‘to move the dog to draw the log toward the knee.

US570898A 1922-06-23 1922-06-23 Mechanism for controlling movement of hook dogs for sawmill carriages Expired. Lifetime US1590107A ( en )

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title

US570898A US1590107A ( en )

1922-06-23

Mechanism for controlling movement of hook dogs for sawmill carriages

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title

US570898A US1590107A ( en )

1922-06-23

Mechanism for controlling movement of hook dogs for sawmill carriages

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date

US570898A Expired. Lifetime US1590107A ( en )

1922-06-23

Mechanism for controlling movement of hook dogs for sawmill carriages

Cited By (3)

Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party

Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title

US2633879A ( en )	1949-10-03	1953-04-07	Monarch Forge Machine Works	Sawmill carriage dogging apparatus
US3960371A ( en )	1974-03-18	1976-06-01	Clark Equipment Company	Compact tree clamp
US5950517A ( en )	1997-05-27	1999-09-14	Yoder; Daniel	Sawmill carriage log turner

Hud-Son Homesteader Portable Sawmill HFE-21

Designed for the Industrious Homesteader and Made in the USA. After years of selling the LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool to their customers, we’re proud to be an official online.

Designed for the Industrious Homesteader and Made in the USA.

After years of selling the LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool to their customers, we’re proud to be an official online retailer of famously high-quality and dependable Hud-Son Portable Sawmills. They’re a fellow family-owned American company, who have been innovating in the forestry industry and building things the right way, right here in the USA, since 1946. Includes Free Lower 48 state US Shipping

Produce your own lumber for any number of construction or hobbyist projects.

The HFE-21 is perfect for sawing your logs into boards, posts, or re-sawing boards to virtually any needed dimension. This mill is pushed through the log with almost no effort. The HFE-21 lets you ditch overpriced lumber yards, and produce your own custom-building material from repurposed logs. These economical sawmills can be easily stored when not in use. It’s lightweight and compact requiring no more than a 3’ x 7’ storage space.

The blade guides are Hud-Son blade guides and provide the best blade support available. This mill has the same heavy-duty bearing system and guide system that Hud-Son‘s larger bandsaw mills have.

Heavy-duty 1 1/2” shafts and bearings
Produce lumber at any dimension
Manually adjust board thickness, even paper-thin cuts
Effortlessly guide mill through log
Lightweight compact; store in space 3’ x 7’

TECH SPECS:

CUTTING:

Max Log Capacity: 21″ Diameter

Distance Between Guide: 19″

Standard Track Length: 12′ / 2 – 6′ Sections

Log Dogs: 2 Cam Style Dogs Square Posts

Max Log Length (with standard track): 9′

Blade Lubrication: 2.5 Gallon

POWER:

Engine / Motor: 6.5hp Gas – Manual Start

Clutch Engagement: Centrifugal

CONSTRUCTION:

Guide System: Dual Shoe Guides, Fixed

Measuring: Dual Scale 1″and 4,5,6,8 Quarter

WARRANTY:

3-Year Limited Warranty: Residential Use

6-Year Warranty: Main Shafts and Bearings

SHIPPING

Free continental US Shipping, includes home delivery.

After purchase, please contact us to let us know if you’ll need a liftgate to unload it for home or shop delivery.

LUMBER PRE-TREATMENT:

Prior to use, we recommend seasoning your lumber (air or kiln drying) under controlled conditions until it meets the moisture level requirements for your building project.

Replacement parts and accessories available at www.hud-son.com

LogOX customers will receive a confirmation email upon purchase and then a tracking number via email or text message, based on the customer’s selection at checkout, upon shipping. Customers will receive updates at significant shipping milestones and a link to a page where they can track their orders.

Shipping carrier options, between 2-day expedited and 3-7 day ground shipping are made available at checkout for the customer to choose from. Shipments outside the contiguous US may take longer to receive, while International orders may require additional duties to be paid upon arrival, as per their local tax regulations beyond our scope.

Orders are processed within 24 hours M-F. Orders received before 12:00pm CST will ship the same day, otherwise, they will ship on the next business day. Any expected delay in shipping times will be posted on the product listings. In the event of an unexpected shipping delay, an attempt will be made to notify the customer via the contact information provided and backorders will be shipped in the order they were received received once inventory is replenished.

Tools that give you the Power to Create!

TRU-CUT TRACK

The perfect companion to our high quality sawmills and surfacers is one of the factory track options. Available in any length! The standard track is 30 feet long (allows cutting a 25 foot log or a 20 foot log if track is shared with a surfacer). No need for separate tracks if you have a mill andsurfacer. The equipment is designed to share a common track if desired. If you prefer to fabricate a custom track essential details can be supplied.

Build Your Mill Surfacer with the Track length you need!

TRUCUT TRACKS

CONCRETE MOUNTED TRACK

These tracks are 6 inch x 17.25 pounds per foot “I” beams with caster rails welded on top, stop plates on ends, chain support hooks every 5 feet, base anchor plates and side braces every 7 to 8 feet, depending on track length. Comes complete with shims and anchor bolts ready to anchor to your slab.The standard length is 30 feet, other lengths available.

TRUCUT TRACKS

GROUND TRACK

This is a super heavy duty track system with 8 inch x 31 pounds per foot “H” beams for main beams and 6 inch “I” beam log bunks spaced 3 foot on center. Track must be supported every 10 feet maximum (anchor plates are on 10 foot centers).

TRU CUT TRACKS

TRUCUT TRACKS

LOG BUNKS

Log Bunks – Made of heavy duty steel to carry the weight of heavy logs….

APPLICATION: Ground and Cement Mounted TrackCATEGORY: Options for Mills SurfacerPRICE: Request Price

TRUCUT TRACKS

LOG DOGS SQUARE

Log dog and square arm – These heavy duty fold down square arms can be raised and lowered with a handle on the operator side of the mill and have a jamb bolt to hold them at the proper hieght. The log clamp slides over against the log on a 1.75 inch diameter stress-proof shaft with a binding action, then the cam action handle on the log dog securely clamps the log.

APPLICATION: Ground and Cement Mounted TrackCATEGORY: Opitons for MillsPRICE: Request Price

TRUCUT TRACKS

SURFACER CLAMPS

These clamps are designed to bolt onto the “I” beam log bunks and have the ability to clamp wide surfaces.

APPLICATION: Ground and Cement Mounted TrackCATEGORY: Options for SurfacerPRICE: Request Price

TRUCUT TRACKS

TRACK RISER

6 Inch Track Riser – 4 inch x 6 inch ¼ inch wall tubing with holes in the top to match track anchor plates and holes in the bottom for anchor bolts. This raises the tracks 6 inches making cleanup of sawdust and debris easier.

APPLICATION: Ground and Cement Mounted TrackCATEGORY: Options for Mills SurfacerPRICE: Request Price

TRUCUT TRACKS

TRACK SPACERS

These are a multi-purpose option for the concrete mount track. 8 inch x 8 inch x ½ inch bearing platesare large enough for soft ground or can be bolted to concrete. The 4 inch x 4 inch cross tube cansupport logs (additional bracing/support recommended) and raises the track 4 inches off the concrete/ground to facilitate cleaning of the track area. They also serve to accurately space the track rails while allowing disassembly and moving the track to a new site. Track spacers can be cheaper to ship than a ground bed.

APPLICATION: Cement Mounted TrackCATEGORY: Options for Mills SurfacerPRICE: Request Price

Hud-Son HFE-30 HOMESTEADER sawmill

Timber!

Albright sawmill workers, Red Star (Madison County), 1918–1920. The white-oak logs came from the Fitch place on Reeves Mountain. They were 12 feet long, 44 inches in diameter, and each produced over 1,200 board feet of lumber. The logs were so heavy they had to be brought to the sawmill on a heavy-duty boiler wagon. Back, from left: Nathan Ward, Virgil Holland, and Newt Ward. Front, from left: Squire Eaton, Bill Killian, Demps Ward (barely visible), Dave Samuels, Jim Eaton (seated on ground), and Lewis Samuels. Frank Eaton Collection (S-87-55-20)

To the newly arrived settler, the Arkansas Ozarks offered many resources for building a new life. The area’s vast stands of virgin forest were full of possibilities. Timber was used for building structures and furnishings, for heating homes and cooking food, and as a way to earn cash by making roof shingles and other products for sale. A few entrepreneurs built sawmills, selling lumber and trim to homebuilders.

The timber industry began in earnest around 1881 when the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad (the “Frisco”) steamed through Benton and Washington Counties. The line was built in part because of the great demand in other markets for railroad ties and mine props. The rich forests of the Missouri and Arkansas Ozarks were the last source of timber this side of the vast western prairies. Eager settlers and expanding railroads needed the wood to build homes and rail lines. With the coming of the Frisco, increased transportation and business opportunities meant new growth for the region. Soon other railroads and branch lines sprung up. Farmers and businessmen rushed to harvest the forests.

Albright sawmill workers, Red Star (Madison County), 1918–1920. The white-oak logs came from the Fitch place on Reeves Mountain. They were 12 feet long, 44 inches in diameter, and each produced over 1,200 board feet of lumber. The logs were so heavy they had to be brought to the sawmill on a heavy-duty boiler wagon. Back, from left: Nathan Ward, Virgil Holland, and Newt Ward. Front, from left: Squire Eaton, Bill Killian, Demps Ward (barely visible), Dave Samuels, Jim Eaton (seated on ground), and Lewis Samuels. Frank Eaton Collection (S-87-55-20)

The Great Forest

Removing the Forest

C. M. Jones and Company, Pettigrew (Madison County), 1910s. Bob Besom Collection (S-82-213-53)

When the first settlers came to Northwest Arkansas, they found forests thick with large, ancient trees—one-hundred-foot-tall white oaks, red cedar trees two to four feet in diameter, huge stands of hickory and walnut flanking the hillsides. The settlers cleared the land for crops and used the timber to build new lives. Then the railroads came, opening new markets for the region’s greatest natural resource.

Hardwoods were the first to be logged, the old-growth timber perfect for railroad ties and mine props. Commercial uses were found for other woods—ash and hickory for making tool handles, locust for making fence posts. In Newton County red cedar trees were virtually ignored until 1903, when the Houston, Ligett and Canada Cedar Company began harvesting them and floating the logs down the Buffalo River to Searcy County, over 50 miles downstream. All that hard and dangerous work to make pencils!

“Many thousands of acres of valuable farm lands [have been opened up]. Hence, the removal of our vast forest is merely opening the way for greater possibilities.”Green Forest Tribune, 1913

Sawmill near the Little Buffalo River, Possum Hollow (Newton County), 1900s–1910s. On the left stands a wagonload of logs waiting to be off-loaded onto the skids (center), before being rolled onto the log carriage. A ramshackle shed offers weather protection to the mill equipment inside. In the foreground boards are loosely stacked for air-drying. Richard and Melba Holland Collection (S-98-2-403)

Once an area had been heavily logged of the first- and second-growth timber, there often wasn’t enough vegetation to hold back erosion. Soil washed down the hillsides, exposing bare rock. Habitat for animals was destroyed and new plant species took over. Some folks tried to farm these areas or use them for grazing animals, but found it difficult. In some places the land was left to heal itself. In others it was burned to clear vegetation after which low-value plants (at least in the lumberman’s eyes) moved in.

Others thought to “reclaim” the land for different purposes. Scientists with the U.S. Soil Conservation Service and other agencies believed that the “low-grade” trees in “much of the so-called Ozark Forest [was] not true forest.” In 1953, at a time when Texas and other southwestern states were experiencing drought, cattlemen looked to the Arkansas Ozarks and neighboring states as possible places to graze their herds. They bought Arkansas land and sprayed chemicals to kill off blackjack and post oaks and other “useless” scrub plants to allow bluestem and other native grasses to grow.

“If trees were planted on this land, and even down in the fertile valleys, the seed would come up and grow. It is too bad the landowners and others did not look to the future of reforesting the cedar brakes.”Daniel Boone LackeyNewton County Homestead, April 1960

Boomtowns and Lumber Barons

Stacks of railroad ties, split-rail fencing, and boards await shipment in downtown Pettigrew (Madison County), 1900s–1910s. R. W. Schroll Collection (S-89-51-20)

For a time it seemed that anyone with a saw could turn hard work into a fortune. Near War Eagle (Benton County), Peter Van Winkle and his enslaved workers began a lumber empire in the 1850s, supplying material for many fine area homes. Over in Carroll County in the late 1870s, Franizisca Massman and her logging crews were hurriedly chopping down trees (sometimes without the landowner’s permission) in the fast-growing town of Eureka Springs. By 1887 Hugh F. McDanield of Washington County had exported over 2 million in railroad ties at about 25 cents each. That’s about eight million ties!

McDanield was among the first to exploit the railroad. He bought thousands of acres of land along the Frisco and sent out his loggers. Once he exhausted the resources of southern Washington County he looked east. In 1886 he began building a railroad line from Fayette Junction to Madison County (later the St. Paul branch of the Frisco), sparking a string of lumber boomtowns like Baldwin, Elkins, Durham, Crosses, Delaney, Patrick, Combs, and St. Paul. People flocked to the hills to get in on the action. Towns sprang up overnight with all the amenities of bigger cities. At one time St. Paul had three hotels, a number of businesses and churches, a baseball team, a brass Band, and twelve nearby sawmills. Today its population is less than 200.

A few miles east of St. Paul, Pettigrew sprang up virtually overnight because of the logging industry. Although the town’s population was small, a number of businesses were started to meet the needs of the lumber industry and offer amenities to the surrounding population. Since Pettigrew was the end of the line for the Frisco’s St. Paul branch, lumber from the surrounding hills and communities was brought there and piled as closely as possible to the railroad tracks to make loading easier. Lightweight fence posts could be loaded easily by teenage boys but it took strong men to load the heavy railroad ties. At the Frisco tie yard in Rogers in the early 1900s, it was said the African-American workers were able to load ties singlehandedly. Unlike the rest of the local black population, which was sometimes harassed or threatened in those days, these tough men were left alone.

Saturdays were often busy as that was the day many folks hauled their lumber into town to sell. They took their payment vouchers to the bank, cashed them in, purchased food and supplies, and perhaps grabbed a bite to eat at a café. In the morning a bank’s cash reserves were depleted; by evening they had been replenished, thanks to the merchants depositing the day’s take.

“Before noon wagons were lined for from a quarter to a mile along all roads heading into town. At times the timber was stacked so high that only a narrow road remained for wagons to move between.”Robert G. Winn Northwest Arkansas Times, March 10, 1986

Boomtowns and Lumber Barons

Stacks of railroad ties, split-rail fencing, and boards await shipment in downtown Pettigrew (Madison County), 1900s–1910s. R. W. Schroll Collection (S-89-51-20)

Hudson Sawmill Training

Sources:

https://google.com/patents/US1590107
https://www.thelogox.com/products/hud-son-homesteader-portable-sawmill-hfe-21
https://www.trucutmills.com/track/
https://shilohmuseum.org/project/timber/

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JUSOF.COM

Hud-Son Homesteader Portable Sawmill HFE-21. Sawmill log dogs

US1590107A. Mechanism for controlling movement of hook dogs for sawmill carriages. Google Patents

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