,the ,evolution of ,modern    ,band ,saw
 ,mills for    ,sawing ,logs            
,illustration        ,,presented ,,by   
,,the ,,prescott ,,company              
,,menominee1 ,,michigan                 
,,copyrighted    #aiaj    ,d4 ,,clint   
,,prescott          ,preface      ,the  
history herein given and the facts      
stated are taken from authentic  records
 and also are the result of the personal
 experiences and  observations of the   
author4 ,it is intended to show the     
efforts made by  the ,saw ,mill         
,machinery ,builders of this country    
from about the year  #ahhj and          
thenceforward1 to produce a ,band ,saw  
,mill that would render  acceptable     
service to large saw mill operators4    
,no attempt is made to display all of   
the productions of later days1  the main
 object being to show the transition    
logically from earlier  types to the    
splendid machines now built by ,,the    
,,prescott ,,company of  ,menominee1    
,mich41 under whose auspices this work  

has been published and  is now presented
 to the ,saw ,mill world4               
,by the author1                  ,d4    
,,clint ,,prescott4          ,the       
,evolution of ,modern ,band ,saw ,mills 
for ,sawing ,logs      ,it is not the   
purpose to begin this narrative with a  
history of the  crude methods employed  
by our ancestors to obtain lumber for   
building  purposes2 it is enough to know
 that they were able to obtain the      
necessary material with which to provide
 homes for themselves1 as well  as      
establishments in which to carry on     
business1 to say nothing of  schools and
 houses of worship2 and some lumber for 
these purposes they  certainly did have1
 and it was not cut by anything like a  
modern saw  mill1 either4    ,it is     
sufficient to state that we have        
advanced from the early ,hand  ,whip    
,saw to machines in order about as      
follows3 ,the ,sash ,saw1 the ,mulay    
,saw1 the ,round or ,live ,gang1 the    
,slabbing ,gang and its partner the     

,flat  or ,stock ,gang2 then the        
,circular or ,rotary ,mill1 and lastly  
the ,band  ,saw ,mill1 and one          
generation of men1 some of whom are now 
alive1 has  seen all of these machines  
at regular work in saw mills sawing     
logs4    ,in passing it may be of       
interest to state that the old ,sash    
,saw was  usually run by undershot water
 wheels1 and a man would start a cut in 
the morning and then1 go to plowing out 
in his field4 ,by noon1 that cut  being 
finished1 he would set over the log for 
another board1 go home  to dinner1 after
 which he would resume his plowing1 and 
by evening the  second cut would be     
completed2 so that by close attention to
 business a  man could get two boards a 
day4    ,a sawyer on one of these mills 
once told the writer that he could sit  
on a log that was being sawed and go to 
sleep4 ,when the log had moved  up far  
enough the saw would scratch him when it
 came down and he then  had plenty of   
time when the saw went up to wake up and

 get off the log  before the saw came   
down again4 ,but since then times have  
changed and  we have progressed far away
 from the ,stub ,shot to the ,circular  
,mill and  to the ,band ,mill for sawing
 logs1 the ,stock ,gang being still in  
use in  some instances for sawing cants 
prepared by both of them4    ,the use of
 the ,band ,mill in place of ,circulars 
and ,gangs became very  desirable for   
two important reasons2 one of them was  
that the saw kerf  of a band saw is so  
much less than that of a circular saw   
that the  saving in sawdust yielded a   
greater quantity of lumber from the     
logs1  thus accomplishing a clear saving
 of valuable material4 ,the other       
reason was that while ,gangs made       
perfectly sawed lumber1 they produced  a
 great deal of cullen stock from rough  
or unsound logs1 for as the  saws are   
hung in the sash so must the lumber come
 out1 and there is no  way of varying   
the thicknesses to accommodate the      
quality of the stock4  ,while a ,band   

,mill will not cut so much lumber in a  
day as a ,gang1 it is  a machine with   
which a log can be sawed to the best    
advantage1 and that  with a saw as thin 
as a gang saw4 ,so that if the lumber   
coming from a  ,gang and often rated as 
cull1 could have been sawed into piece  
or thick  stuff1 it would make it       
valuable and marketable4    ,this made  
the ,band ,mill attractive1 and         
lumbermen began to take an  interest in 
it and to investigate the operations of 
those known to  exist4 ,the result of   
their inspections1 however1 was far from
 being  satisfactory1 because none of   
them were doing good work or anywhere   
near enough of it1 and with exceedingly 
few exceptions the mill men  rejected   
them and regarded them as an            
impracticable machine for sawing  logs1 
and few dealers would buy lumber that   
was cut with a band saw4    ,mr4 ,l4 ,l4
 ,hotchkiss who operated a mill in ,west
 ,bay ,city1 ,mich41 and  was very      
desirous of saving as much of his logs  

as he could1 told the  writer that the  
men to whom he sold his lumber had      
refused to buy any  of it if he cut it  
with a ,band ,mill4    ,a prominent     
lumberman of ,minneapolis also told the 
writer that he would  not take a ,band  
,mill as a gift and be obliged to put it
 in and use  it4 ,and that was the      
prevailing view among mill men of the   
northwest  generally in #ahhf4    ,band 
,mills that would satisfy the lumber    
manufacturers of ,indiana and  the      
valley of the ,ohio where they were to  
be found1 could never meet  the         
requirements of the men of ,michigan1   
,wisconsin1 ,minnesota and the          
,mississippi ,valley as far south as    
,st4 ,louis4    ,now what was the       
trouble8 ,it was simply because a band  
saw if forced to  do a satisfactory     
day's work1 invariably would cut snakey 
or crooked  lumber2 and even when sawing
 a small amount of lumber each end of a 
board would have a crook1 showing that  
the saw for some reason would  deflect  

from a true line when entering a log and
 also when leaving it1  while the cut   
through the center might be quite       
straight2 but in all  cases the effort  
to push things so as to get a           
satisfactory day's work  as demanded by 
the northern mill men1 would result in  
bad snakey lumber  every time1 and      
dealers did not want such lumber4       
,previous to #ahhg there was not a ,band
 ,mill in existence for sawing logs     
that fully met the wishes of lumbermen  
engaged in large operations1  although  
quite a number of such machines were    
then at work with varying  success in   
mills owned by men who felt encouraged  
to try them4    ,the builders of saw    
mill machinery were then studiously     
endeavoring to  produce a ,band ,mill   
that would perform the full duty of     
making straight  lumber and plenty of   
it1 and a number of them had already    
devoted  several years of hard work upon
 them4 ,they appeared to know what the  
trouble was1 but were greatly at a loss 

to know precisely how to  correct it4   
,the story of the trouble briefly told  
is as follows3 ,a band saw runs on  its 
wheels just the same as a belt runs on  
pulleys4 ,the saw1 just the  same as a  
belt1 has a tight side and also a slack 
side4 ,the tight side  is on the log    
side and the slack side is opposite on  
the back side2 and  if for any reason   
the saw should slip on the lower or     
driving wheel1  then in that case the   
momentum of the upper wheel would carry 
the slack  over to the front or log     
side1 and a snake or crook in the lumber
 would  be the result4 ,this was        
generally understood to be the trouble  
and  various expedients1 some of which  
were very amusing1 were adopted 7as     
hereinafter shown7 by machinery         
builders1 only to be discarded later  as
 band mill construction developed4      
,illustration3 ,,the ,,hoffman ,,band   
,,saw ,,mill    ,built by ,j4 ,r4       
,hoffman  ,co41 ,fort ,wayne1 ,ind41 and
 advertised in the  ,,northwestern      

,,lumberman ,may #i1 #ahhe    ,the first
 ,band ,mill to attract the attention of
 mill men was in  operation at ,fort    
,wayne1 ,ind41 in a saw mill operated by
 the ,hoffman  ,bros4 ,they had used one
 for several years1 and the writer      
visited  their mill in #ahhe4 ,they were
 then buying large first clear logs up  
in  ,michigan and sawing them into stuff
 for pigeon holes and other cabinet     
stock4    ,the wheels were of wood five 
feet in diameter1 with rubber faces and 
iron spoke centers4 ,both wheels were   
alike4 ,they used a saw five inches     
wide1 which they procured in ,france1   
claiming that no saw makers in  this    
country knew how to make a band saw1 and
 they probably did not2  but their      
operations attracted so much attention  
that they commenced to  build and market
 ,band ,mills of the same character as  
the one in use by  themselves1 and they 
did sell quite a number of them4    ,the
 iron work shown is mounted on a wooden 
post1 and while this mill is            

insignificant when compared to our      
modern mills1 it nevertheless made a    
serious impression upon the men who     
inspected it at work4    ,j4 ,j4        
,kennedy of ,rib ,lake1 ,wis41 had one  
of them1 and was the first man  to      
employ a ,prescott ,steam ,feed to      
operate its carriage1 which he did      
under the protest of ,hoffman's expert  
who did not believe it could be  used2  
but really it materially increased the  
cut of the little ,hoffman  mill4       
,illustration3 ,second ,band ,saw ,mill 
of ,j4 ,r4 ,hoffman  ,co4               
,subsequently the mill of ,j4 ,r4       
,hoffman  ,co4 was enlarged to an all   
iron ,band ,saw ,mill4 ,it was written  
up in the ,nov4 #bh1 #ahhe1 issue of    
the ,northwestern ,lumberman1 and       
thenceforward they advertised until     
they quit the business4 ,an illustration
 of the mill is shown above4            
,illustration3 ,band ,saw ,mill of      
,cordesman  ,egan ,co4    ,in the ,dec4 
#ae1 #ahhc1 issue of the ,southern      

,lumberman1 ,cordesman   ,egan ,co41 of 
,cincinnati1 ,ohio1 enjoyed a write-up  
in connection with a  new ,band ,mill   
for sawing logs which they had devised  
and placed on the  market4    ,it sold  
to some extent in the ,ohio ,valley1 but
 never in the northwest4  ,the wheels   
had wooden rims with rubber faces and   
both were alike4    ,illustration3 ,band
 ,saw ,mill of ,london1 ,berry  ,orton  
,up to #ahhh1 ,london1 ,berry  ,orton of
 the ,atlantic ,works1 ,philadelphia1   
were builders of log ,band ,mills and   
enjoyed quite an extensive trade1  and  
some of them found their way into the   
northwest4 ,their mill is here  shown4  
,the wheels were six feet in diameter   
with wood rims attached to a metal  rim 
inside of them2 the faces were rubber   
and the saws were six inches  wide4     
,illustration3 ,band ,saw ,mill of      
,sinker-,davis ,company    ,next we have
 the celebrated ,gold ,dust ,mill built 
by ,sinker-,davis ,co4  of              
,indianapolis1 ,ind4 ,they were         

advertising this mill in the ,southern  
,lumberman as early as #ahhd and were   
building band mills for some time       
previous4 ,their improved mill of #ahhe 
is here shown1 wood rims with  rubber   
faces composed the wheels1 and their    
market was the middle  sections of the  
country but never in the mills of the   
northwest4    ,illustration3 ,band ,saw 
,mill of ,smith1 ,myers  ,schnier    ,a 
,log ,band ,mill was also built at      
,cincinnati1 ,ohio1 by ,smith1 ,myers   
,schnier1 and this mill was advertised  
by them in the ,mississippi ,valley     
,lumberman as late as ,mar4 #i1 #ahhh4  
,it is a crude looking affair with      
wooden wheels built on iron flanges4    
,they were builders of ,band ,mills1    
however1 for many years previous and    
were in competition for business  with  
those previously named4                 
,illustration3 ,,band ,,saw ,,mill ,,of 
,,the ,,stearns ,,manufacturing ,,co4   
,inspected by the writer at ,cadillac1  
,mich4 in #ahhe    ,the operation of all

 these mills did not escape the careful 
attention  of the men who were builders 
of the machinery found in the great     
lumber  mills1 realizing as they did    
that the right kind of a ,band ,mill for
  sawing logs was yet to be created1 and
 they went at it4    ,and to the        
,stearns ,manufacturing ,co4 of ,erie1  
,pa41 must the credit be  given for the 
first vigorous measures taken to        
introduce the band saw  into the large  
mills of the country1 and for their     
efforts to convince  lumbermen of their 
usefulness and value4 ,to that end they 
built a mill  having wheels nine feet in
 diameter for saws eight inches wide4   
,the  rims were of wood with rubber     
faces1 and the spokes were of wrought   
pipe4 ,it was their belief that a band  
saw would be less liable to crack  if   
run on large wheels4    ,in combination 
with this mill they mounted on the same 
frame a large  circular arbor so that a 
lumberman could use either a ,band or a 
,circular should he so desire4          

,illustration3 ,mr4 ,wellington ,w4     
,cummer in #ahhg    ,mr4 ,wellington    
,cummer1 of ,cadillac1 ,mich41 was the  
first to install one  of them in his    
mill2 and no lumberman in this country  
has been more  ready to adopt improved  
methods than he4 ,mill men generally do 
not  wish to try machines they look upon
 as experimental in any respect1 no     
matter how good they may appear2 usually
 they want somebody else to try  them   
first1 overlooking the fact that an     
inventor must find some one  broad      
enough to permit their mill to be used1 
or one who is willing  perhaps to invest
 in a machine that apparently is a good 
thing4 ,mr4  ,cummer was just the man   
for ,mr4 ,stearns to apply to in the    
effort to  introduce his new ,band      
,mill4 ,and looking back the writer     
recalls with  so much pleasure the many 
delightful and helpful interviews had   
with  him4 ,what a comfort it is to an  
inventor to find a man of his qualities 
of mind and heart to whom he can go1    

knowing that he would surely be         
interested in whatever he might have to 
say4 ,such men move things1 and  ,mr4   
,cummer did4    ,other mills of the     
,stearns ,company were put in at        
,pequaming and  ,menominee1 ,mich41 and 
also at ,minneapolis1 ,minn4 ,but these 
mills were  not a complete success4     
,they did serve1 however1 to open wide  
the eyes  of the lumber world generally 
and set the pace for other machinery    
builders to follow4    ,the ,stearns    
,company finally abandoned this         
construction and adopted  a plan modeled
 on the ,hoffman mill1 which they       
advertised in the  ,northwestern        
,lumberman1 ,january #bi1 #ahhg4 ,their 
first mill1 however1  was the better of 
the two4    ,the writer pauses here to  
pay a tribute to the memory of ,mr4 ,e4 
,h4  ,stearns who possessed the brains  
from which sprung the splendid          
machinery built by the ,stearns         
,company4 ,to him more than to any other
  man living or dead1 are the lumbermen 

of this country indebted for the  mill  
equipments which brought the greatest   
success to them4 ,he was the  first man 
to give grace and beauty of design as   
well as strength to saw  mill machinery4
 ,he was the first to produce carriages 
with accurately  setting head blocks    
with self-receding knees1 in place of   
the old time  wooden head blocks with   
screw sets4    ,the eccentric setting   
blocks1 and subsequently the double     
acting set  works1 which we all now     
copy1 came on the market through him4   
,the big  circulars with reversed top   
saw models of construction1 came from   
him4  ,live ,rollers and labor saving   
machines originated with him1 as also   
did  the splendid ,gang ,edgers which we
 now have in place of the old single    
saw edger with its traveling table4 ,he 
designed and built the first of  the    
special heavy class machinery required  
in ,california now largely in  use in   
that state4    ,and yet1 with all the   
splendid service he rendered the        

lumbermen of  this country1 he was      
allowed to go down to his death with not
 enough  to pay his funeral expenses1   
and few to do him honor4 ,the men with  
whom he dealt are now mostly dead1 but  
the living successors should  remember  
that to him they are largely indebted   
for the full measure of  prosperity they
 now enjoy4    ,illustration3 ,mr4 ,e4  
,h4 ,stearns in #ahhe    ,illustration3 
,,band ,,saw ,,mill ,,of ,e4 ,p4 ,,allis
  ,,co4    ,described as the latest     
candidate in the ,,northwestern         
,,lumberman of  ,january #i1 #ahhf      
,in #ahhe ,e4 ,p4 ,allis  ,co4 of       
,milwaukee1 ,wis41 actively began       
operations  with ,band ,mills for sawing
 logs4 ,in principle their constructions
 were  similar to all the others        
heretofore named1 but for nearly four   
years  they persistently adhered to a   
mill having at least one glaring defect1
  namely1 overhanging wheels2 that is1  
there was no supporting boxes  outside  
of them4 ,in #ahhi they corrected this  

defect4    ,but the amusing feature in  
the mill of ,e4 ,p4 ,allis  ,co4 is     
shown in  the effort to keep the slack  
slide of the saw on the back side of the
  mill where it belongs1 and thus       
prevent making snakey or dishy lumber4  
,the overhanging wheels1 nine feet in   
diameter for eight-inch saws1 are       
shown4 ,the top wheel was almost        
entirely of wood1 and the spokes were   
flat and wide1 the object being to      
obtain an atmospheric resistance        
continually as a pull back on the       
cutting side of the saw4 ,a tightener   
pulley was also applied to the saw on   
the rear side4    ,this sounded good and
 they sold a lot of mills on the        
strength of it2  but the wind that came 
from them would blow the sawyer out of  
the mill  unless the wheel was boxed in1
 and finally it happened that a saw came
  off and the wheel did not meet with   
resistance enough to stop itself1  but  
kept on going1 and that burst the       
bubble4    ,attention is also directed  

to the fact that the combination of a   
circular saw with a band saw1 as in the 
,stearns' mill1 was adopted by  the     
,allis ,company4    ,illustration3      
,second ,band ,saw ,mill of ,e4 ,p4     
,allis  ,co4    ,improved ,reliance     
,band ,saw ,mill of ,e4 ,p4 ,allis  ,co4
 ,advertised in  the ,southern          
,lumberman1 ,january #a1 #ahhi1 as the  
8best on earth40 ,this  mill they       
continued to build until #ahib4 ,it     
shows metallic wheels and  supporting   
arms outside of them as in the ,stearns 
mills4    ,illustration3 ,band ,saw     
,mill of ,benjamin  ,fischer    ,feby4  
#ad1 #ahhe1 ,the ,northwestern          
,lumberman caused a shiver to run       
through the mechanical world by         
publishing an account of 8,a ,new       
,entry10  and showing two illustrations 
of a ,band ,mill for sawing logs        
invented  by ,mr4 ,benjamin of the firm 
of ,benjamin  ,fischer of ,chicago1     
,ill4 ,it  was extensively advertised1  
and really was an ingenious mill4 ,it   

was  intended to correct the defects    
existing in other mills which had made  
such crooked lumber1 cracked saws1 and  
performed all sorts of mischief1  which 
they really had1 and there was no doubt 
about it4    ,apart from the fact that  
the lower wheel was much larger in      
diameter than the top wheel1 the main   
distinguishing feature in the  ,benjamin
 mill was the application of a ball     
centrifugal governor to  automatically  
adjust a tightener pulley impinging on  
the back side of  the saw to instantly  
take up and prevent a slack from going  
over to the  tight side and thereby     
making snakey1 crooked lumber4    ,one  
of these mills was erected at ,chicago4 
,a car of logs was brought  there and   
many prominent mill men were invited to 
see the mill at  work4 ,a large number  
attended2 but the mill did not satisfy  
any of  them4 ,there was just one thing 
,mr4 ,benjamin did not take into        
account1  namely1 a governor cannot act 
until there is a perceptible increase or

  diminution in the speed of an engine  
or a machine2 consequently in a  band   
mill it got in its work too late to stop
 the mischief4 ,the mill  never went    
into general service4 ,its wheels were  
of wood with rubber  faces4           99
       99       99       99       99    
,early in #ahhf ,mr4 ,charles ,esplin1  
of the ,pray ,manufacturing ,co41 of    
,minneapolis1 ,minn41 built a ,band     
,mill upon an entirely new principle1   
and one of them was operated that year  
by the ,superior ,lumber ,co41 of       
,ashland1 ,wis4 ,it was illustrated and 
advertised in #ahhg as 8the only        
perfect ,band ,mill in use40 ,it        
transpired1 however1 that the analysis  
of  band saw troubles and their causes  
as published by ,mr4 ,esplin was truly  
perfect1 but the ,band ,mill built by   
him to correct the troubles was         
imperfect to the extreme1 as will be    
seen2 and the wonder is that he  did not
 see it himself1 when clearly on the    
right track4    ,illustration3 ,band    

,saw ,mill of ,charles ,esplin    ,to   
understand this construction it is      
proper to state that the attempt  is    
made to apply an exceedingly sensitive  
and automatic strain to the  band saw2 a
 strain instantly responsive to any     
change in the run of the  saw1 whether  
due to expansion or slippage2 no matter 
what might happen  the strain would     
always be uniform1 and perfect lumber   
with lots of it  would be the continual 
result4    ,the top wheel with its shaft
 was mounted in fixed boxes1 adjustable 
only in order to change saws4 ,but the  
heavy lower wheel with its large  shaft 
and belt pulley was mounted in boxes    
integral with an iron rocker  or        
tightener frame to which was attached a 
long weighted lever like  an old        
fashioned safety valve lever2 and the   
wheel thus equipped was  placed in the  
saw4 ,thus it will be seen that the     
weight of the wheel  with its shaft and 
the rocker frame1 lever1 weight and     
pulley1 was  employed to strain that saw

 downward automatically2 and it was     
designed  that this wheel acting through
 gravity should respond instantly to    
changes which might occur to the saw1   
whereby all slack would be taken  up and
 a perfectly uniform tension be         
maintained4    ,this kind of talk was   
certainly catchy with lumbermen for it  
also  sounded good4 ,there was1 however1
 just one thing ,mr4 ,esplin and others 
overlooked1 namely1 if an adjustment is 
at all necessary to meet  changing      
conditions in a band saw running from   
#i1jjj to #aj1jjj feet in  a minute1    
then that adjustment must of necessity  
take place almost like  a flash of      
lightning1 and that automatically4      
,mr4 ,esplin's lower wheel1 boxing1     
shaft1 belt pulley1 rocker frame1  lever
 and weight probably weighed four tons4 
,such a weight cannot move  like a      
flash1 and goes too far when it does    
move1 and broken saws or  snakey lumber 
were the logical result4 ,the inertia of
 such a mass  prevents quick action4    

,this mill was a failure like the rest1 
and the designers of ,band ,saw  ,mills 
for sawing logs were left groping in    
darkness4 ,to be sure1 ,band  ,mills to 
some extent were in use though largely  
under protest because  of the poor      
lumber they made1 the small quantities  
produced1 and the  troubles experienced 
with cracked and broken saws4           
,illustration3 ,cunningham ,inclined    
,band ,saw ,mill    ,it was in the same 
year1 #ahhf1 that ,the ,filer  ,stowell 
,co41 of  ,milwaukee1 ,wis41 flattered  
themselves into believing that other    
machinery builders did not really       
understand just how a ,band ,mill for   
sawing logs should be built1 and being  
perfectly cognizant of the  difficulties
 experienced and of the remedy to be    
applied1 they designed  and brought out 
and advertised the ,cunningham ,inclined
 ,mill1 an  illustration of which is    
here shown4    ,for a unique            
organization this mill took the cake4   
,the idea of it was  good1 and it should

 have been a winner1 but for some reason
 it was not4  ,they built and sold quite
 a number of them1 and then later they  
changed  to a more sensible kind of a   
mill4    ,as will be observed1 this mill
 inclined to the rear twenty or more    
degrees1 with the result that the saw   
would enter a log like a circular  saw1 
cutting under in a manner similar to the
 circular instead of  straight down     
across the grain as band saws usually   
do4 ,it was  understood that a circular 
could do straight work and very much    
more  daily than was possible with a    
band saw4 ,it was1 therefore1 quite     
natural to suppose that if a band mill  
could be constructed so as to  operate  
substantially like a circular with equal
 advantages1 then there  appeared no    
reason why it should not do as good work
 if not quite so  much4 ,at all events  
it was expected that this mill would do 
more work  and better work than any of  
its predecessors4 ,but it did not1 and  
proved to be quite a nuisance as it     

required about six men to place the  saw
 on its wheels every time they were     
changed2 and the mill went out  of use4 
,illustration3 ,band ,saw ,mill of      
,wilson  ,hendrie    ,in #ahhf ,wilson  
,hendrie1 of ,montague1 ,mich41 tried   
their hand at ,band  ,mill construction4
 ,their mill as here shown is an        
enlarged copy of the  ,hoffman mill1 but
 having a cast frame of apparently large
 dimensions4  ,locally this mill may    
have gone into use to some extent1 but  
it found  no market among saw mills     
generally4    ,illustration3 ,band ,saw 
,mill of ,the ,wilkin ,manufacturing    
,co4    ,and then in #ahhh ,the ,wilkin 
,mfg4 ,co41 of ,milwaukee1 ,wis41       
advertised  and marketed a ,band ,mill  
designated as 8the most common sense    
,band ,mill  made40 ,it had overhanging 
wheels of wood with rubber faces4    ,in
 one respect this mill demonstrates how 
easy it is for one to imagine  a trouble
 and then spend a lot of money to       
correct a trouble that  really has no   

existence4    ,it was known1 of course1 
that a band saw under stress would be   
inclined  to gravitate to the rear4 ,in 
this mill the attempt is made to prevent
  this and compel the saw to follow its 
proper path around the wheels by        
raising or depressing the tail end of   
the top wheel shaft2 and in order  to do
 this automatically a steel trolley was 
applied to the rear edge  of the saw1   
closely following it1 whatever its      
position might be2 but  any movement of 
the trolley towards the front or rear   
was followed by a  corresponding        
adjustment of the tail box of the top   
shaft4 ,the effect  of the trolley on   
the edge of the saw was bad2 and besides
 that there  really was no special need 
of any device of the kind4    ,in       
connection with this mill there are also
 three other interesting  features      
worthy of mention1 as one of them in    
particular illustrates  the method then 
prevailing of preventing a log from     
rubbing or dragging  against the saw    

when the carriage was run back or being 
gigged for the  next cut4 ,at the       
present time an off-setting mechanism is
 applied to  the carriage trucks1 but   
previously a depressor1 so-called1 was  
applied  to all mills substantially as  
shown in the ,wilkin mill and others    
illustrated herein4 ,that is to say1    
both the upper and lower saw guides     
were movable transversely1 and the      
off-bearer by means of a hand lever1    
forced the guides back from the saw     
line1 carrying the saw sideways  away   
from the log1 and in this manner contact
 with the face of the log  was          
prevented2 but it was hard on the saw4  
,in this mill1 however1 there is a new  
departure as shown by the  application  
of two small friction rolls or pulleys  
behind the saw1 in  place of the usual  
saw guides2 the idea being to force the 
saw out to  the saw line by means of the
 rolls1 and then when the carriage was  
gigged the rolls were moved back and the
 saw permitted to fall away  from the   

face of the log2 this feature being an  
imitation of the same  thing embodied in
 the ,allington mill previously built at
 ,saginaw1 but  not shown herein4 ,this 
arrangement1 however1 proved to be      
severe on the  saws1 because such short 
bends will crack them in a short time1  
and  besides this the rolls made such a 
roar in a mill that not much else  could
 be heard4    ,next in this mill a      
spring was employed to maintain a       
sensitive  automatic strain on the saw2 
and this1 like the other special        
features  of the mill1 proved worthless1
 and the mill1 like the ,allington1 went
  out of use and is unknown to the art  
now4    ,now in all the preceding it is 
shown that ,saw ,mill ,machinery        
,builders  were studiously striving     
during all the years between #ahhj and  
#ahhg1  and some of them to a much later
 date1 to produce a ,band ,mill for     
sawing logs that would do good work and 
as much of it as lumbermen  would be    
satisfied with1 and that1 too1 without  

so much cracking and  breaking of saws4 
,the simple fact that they were         
continually devising  new constructions 
with a statement each time that now they
 had struck  it1 and the further fact   
that without an exception all of these  
were  entirely abandoned and            
fundamentally new machines brought out  
at a  later date1 prove indubitably that
 all of their former efforts had  failed
 to meet the full requirements which    
lumbermen expected and  demanded4       
,the question then naturally arises1 how
 did it come about that  successful     
cutting band mills of a wholly different
 type are now  universally in use8 ,who 
is the man who originated the strictly  
modern  band mill that served as a      
pattern for all to follow8 ,the         
following  will explain it3    ,aug4 #bc
 and ,sept4 #ac1 #ahhg1 patents were    
issued to ,d4 ,c4 ,prescott1  then of   
,marinette1 ,wis41 for improvements in  
,band ,saw ,mills1 and other  patents   
followed shortly thereafter on further  

improvements4    ,illustration3 ,d4 ,c4 
,prescott in #ahhg    ,the creation of  
these mills was purely upon the         
principle previously  described by ,mr4 
,esplin who so signally failed in its   
application4  ,plainly it was evident   
that to secure a nervous1 sensitive and 
constant  strain on a band saw1 it was  
imperative to reduce the weight upon    
the straining levers to the least       
possible quantity consistent with       
strength1 and to make all the pivotal   
points as near frictionless as  possible
 by the intervention of knife edges or  
ball bearings2 and  while it was        
impossible to reduce the weight to a    
point so as to  accomplish an automatic 
adjustment as quick as a flash1 it is a 
fact1  nevertheless1 that in the        
,prescott mills of that date a strain   
was  automatically maintained sufficient
 to successfully accomplish the  work of
 sawing lumber accurately and in        
acceptable quantities4 ,and  these were 
the mills that set the pace for all     

other builders and  revolutionized saw  
mill constructions4    ,illustration3   
,,prescott ,,band ,,saw ,,mill          
,patented ,september #ac1 #ahhg2 over   
#aej built and most of them are in      
service at the present time1 #aiaj      
,illustration3 ,,prescott ,,band ,,saw  
,,mill    ,patented ,november #bf1      
#ahhi1 with set-off for increased space 
from saw  line to column4 #h foot       
wheels1 #ab inch saws    ,the light     
metallic top wheel with its shaft1 runs 
in boxes mounted on  plungers1 and from 
them stems lead down to the straining   
levers1 and  all were made as light as  
possible4 ,characteristically about all 
band  mills now employ this system1 and 
whether they have a single column or  a 
double column1 the arrangement is       
substantially the same4    ,we often    
read of big day's work performed by some
 make of band mill1  but it is proper to
 say that the day's work performed in   
the saw mill  of the ,north ,wisconsin  
,lumber ,co4 at ,hayward1 ,wis41 has    

never been  equaled4 ,this was done by  
two of ,prescott's ,no4 #c mills1 being 
the  second one illustrated1 as follows3
      ,,north ,,wisconsin ,,lumber      
,,company                ,hayward1      
,wis41 ,aug4 #bc1 #ahic4      ,d4       
,,clint ,,prescott4        ,dear        
,sir3--,the ,north ,wisconsin ,lumber   
,company made the following      cut3   
,august #bb1 #ahic1 with two ,prescott  
,band ,mills only1 #fji      selected   
logs1 scaled full4 ,average #a4ig to    
#a1jjj feet1 #cji1djj      feet4        
,lumber scale1 #a inch1                 
#de1bcf                      #a and #b  
inch1      #bid1jgg                     
-------                                 
#cci1cac feet        ,the cut of ,august
 #bbnd shows what can be done with large
 logs1      and the cutting was as      
perfectly done as any day's cut we ever 
made4 ,w4 ,h4 ,elliott1 ,superintendent 
of ,valley ,lumber ,co41 ,eau           
,claire1 and ,a4 ,l4 ,ulrich1 of ,rice  
,lake ,lumber ,co41 will vouch      for 

the cut of ,august #bbnd1 as well as    
,captain ,rogers1 our                   
,superintendent1 and myself4            
,yours truly1                ,r4 ,l4    
,mc,c,o,r,m,i,c,k1                      
,secretary ,n4 ,w4 ,l4 ,co4    ,it is of
 interest to note the gain of about     
#cj1jjj feet by sawing the  logs with a 
,band ,mill instead of a ,circular      
,mill4    ,this record1 widely published
 at the time1 coupled with the fact that
  nearly three hundred ,prescott mills  
were then in successful service1  is    
evidence enough to show that all other  
,band ,mills as herein shown  had become
 obsolete and were back numbers1 and    
were abandoned for the  later           
constructions all are now familiar with4
    ,but before any of them1 or any of  
the others that have appeared on the    
market since then1 can boast of big cuts
 or a superior grade of mills1  it is up
 to them to show a better record than   
the one above given2 a  record that will
 be vouched for by ,mr4 ,mc,cormick who 

is still alive4    ,illustration3 ,r4   
,l4 ,mc,cormick in #ahic    ,there are  
also two of this same type of ,band     
,mills now running  in the saw mill of  
the ,fosburgh ,lumber ,co4 at ,norfolk1 
,va41 and  notwithstanding they are     
nearly twenty years old1 there are no   
,bands  on the ,atlantic seaboard       
anywhere that equal them today1 either  
in the  quality or extent of daily      
output4    ,the short1 compact mill with
 the base above the overlays of the saw 
floor1 originated with ,prescott4 ,wood 
rims with rubber faces on the  wheels   
were speedily abandoned by him1 and     
wheels all of metal were  brought into  
use1 so that a filer in rolling tension 
into the saw had  a clean wheel free    
from bunches of pitch and sawdust which 
stuck to  the rubber faces and produced 
unbalanced wheels2 but then everybody   
supposed that rubber faces were a       
necessity4 ,mr4 ,prescott demonstrated  
that the mill was vastly better without 
them4    ,the late improvements made in 

frame constructions merely add stability
  without increasing the quality or     
extent of the output1 this being        
entirely dependent upon a light weight  
of the top wheel with its  shaft and    
boxing in combination with a straining  
lever system made  as frictionless and  
sensitive as possible2 for without these
 good  conditions no band mill will     
render duty of the highest grade4       
,logically1 then1 the same principles   
and elements of construction have  been 
embodied in all the splendid ,band ,saw 
,mills now built by ,the  ,prescott     
,company herein shown4    ,illustration3
 ,,standard ,,heavy ,,band ,,mill    ,of
 #aiaj1 for sawing logs    ,of this type
 ,the ,prescott ,company builds the     
following sizes1 both  right and left   
hand1 single or double cutting3         
,diameter of wheels #g feet for saws #aj
 inches wide4       0      0   0    #h  
0    0    0  #ab or #ad inches wide4    
0      0   0    #i  0    0    0  #ab to 
#af    0    0    ,next is shown the     

,pacific type of the ,prescott ,band    
,saw ,mills for  cutting large logs1    
having wheels #i feet in diameter1 and  
using saws  from #ab to #af inches wide4
 ,they are built for double cutting as  
shown1  as well as for single cutting4  
,their dimensions are about as follows3 
,base #i #g by #aa #g4    ,maximum      
distance between guides #f #f4          
,distance from saw line to column #d #f4
    ,maximum length of saw #ec #f4      
,weight from #db1jjj to #de1jjj lbs4    
,when desired a steam cylinder is       
applied for operating the upper guide1  
and a reversing engine for adjusting the
 top wheel when changing saws4    ,their
 straining mechanism is exceedingly     
sensitive1 their shafts are  large1     
their boxes #ah inches long and water   
cooled2 so that in every  respect these 
mills are perfectly equipped1 and a     
#bj-;inch double belt  is necessary to  
drive them4           99       99       
99       99       99    ,for the largest
 logs of the ,pacific coast cut with a  

,band ,saw ,mill1 ,the  ,prescott       
,company advanced to a mill of the same 
type but having wheels  #aj feet in     
diameter for saws up to #ah inches in   
width4    ,the base of this mill is #aj 
#g by #ad #f4    ,maximum distance      
between guides #g #c4    ,maximum length
 of saw #fj #i4    ,distance from saw   
line to column #e4    ,weight from      
#ed1jjj to #eh1jjj lbs4    ,the shafts  
are large with #bj water cooled boxes4  
,steam is applied to  operate the top   
guides and adjust the top shaft when    
desired4 ,a #bd-;inch  double belt is   
necessary to drive it4    ,illustration3
 ,,pacific ,,coast1 #i ,,foot ,,single  
,,and ,,double ,,cutting ,,band  ,,mill 
,illustration3 ,,pacific ,,coast1 #aj   
,,foot ,,band ,,mill    ,in every       
respect these mills are splendid        
creations and exhibit a vast  stride in 
advance of the earlier mills described  
herein4    ,all of these mills are      
provided with a surrounding base1 a     
powered  upper guide1 quick opening     

lower guide 7as shown on page #de71 live
  roller1 means for maintaining         
alignments and adjusting the upper wheel
  when changing saws1 the latter being  
done either by hand or power as         
required2 and the upper wheel in all of 
these mills when raised to the  maximum 
point admit of the use of a long saw for
 sawing occasional  large logs1 a saw   
two feet shorter being in use normally  
for medium  sizes of logs which are     
mostly cut4 ,and these mills in         
combination with  a ,prescott carriage  
constitute an equipment absolutely      
unrivaled by any  other productions in  
the world4    ,rack and pinion head     
blocks1 every piece of which is an open 
hearth  steel casting1 are furnished in 
sizes varying from #cf inches to #gb    
inches1 being the distance the knees    
recede from the saw line2 and  these    
with frames proportionate in dimensions 
and composed of well  seasoned southern 
pine timber1 well ironed and braced1    
comprise great  strength and durability4

    ,for mechanically exact setting1 all
 racks1 pinions1 taper sets and  ratchet
 wheels are cut from solid blanks in a  
gear cutter4 ,the knees  are operated   
either by hand lever and quadrant1 the  
familiar way1 or by  a ,prescott ,steam 
,setting ,machine1 which advances them  
for #d-;inch lumber  or any thickness   
less1 varying by #a-fdth of an inch to  
every click of  a pawl on the ratchet   
wheel1 and that too with a single       
rearward and  return stroke of the      
piston1 so that great speed and accuracy
 are the  characteristics of this       
machine2 and with it an increase of cut 
is  obtained by reason of the fact that 
the setter does not get tired1 and  no  
sawyer will have to wait for him4 ,and  
more1 with them a mill man can  keep a  
good setter who otherwise might be on   
the hunt for an easier job4    ,these   
carriages are also supplied with        
,friction1 ,spring or ,steam  ,receders1
 which latter can be employed in all    
cases where ,steam ,sets  are used for  

which steam is delivered to the moving  
carriage4 ,the value  of steam receders 
consists in the ability to advance or   
recede the  knees at any time whether   
the carriage is moving or at rest1 and  
for  receding the knees of large blocks 
sawing short logs only4                 
,illustration3 ,standard #c-;,block     
,carriage with #d-;inch combined steam  
and  ratchet set works    ,a ,revolving 
or ,flat ,scale always indicates the    
position of the knees4  ,dogs hold the  
logs4 ,an ,automatic ,offset gives a    
clearance of the saw  when on the gigg1 
and ,steel ,trucks and ,steel ,track    
necessarily go with  such a carriage1   
composed either of heavy ,t ,rail1 or   
the lighter rolled  track1 according to 
the size and weight of the carriage4    
,for accuracy and speed these carriages 
have no equal1 especially when  handled 
by a ,prescott ,direct-acting ,steam    
,feed4    ,illustration3 ,,pacific      
,,coast ,,screw ,,blocks    ,both the   
knees and bases of these blocks are     

composed of solid open  hearth steel    
castings faced with heavy steel bars1   
presenting wide  surfaces for the knees 
which are grooved to fit them4 ,the     
knees are  supplied with rolls1 spud and
 extension hook dogs4 ,the screws are   
#d-;inch pitch and triple threaded4 ,the
 gears are steel and cut in a gear      
cutter and are actuated in setting by   
hand levers and quadrant or by  power in
 accordance with the wishes of a        
purchaser4    ,the ,prescott ,company   
furnishes these blocks in the following 
sizes1  viz43 #gb-;inch1 #hd-;inch and  
#if-;inch2 being the distance the knees 
recede  from the saw line4    ,and in   
all other respects the equipment of the 
carriage is very heavy  and fully up to 
date in every respect4    ,illustration3
 ,,quick ,,opening ,,lower ,,guide      
,these ,guides are applied to all ,log  
,band ,saw ,mills built by ,the         
,prescott ,company4 ,when slivers1 bark 
or sawdust wedge in the ,guide and      
cause trouble and heat the saw1 then the

 ,guide is promptly opened by  the      
off-bearer and the stuff falls through4 
,when changing saws the ,guide can be   
promptly opened4    ,illustration3      
,,vertical ,,band ,,resaw    ,made in   
#g-;foot1 #h-;foot and #i-;foot sizes   
,the ,prescott ,vertical ,band ,resaw   
,this machine is built in three sizes1  
viz43      ,with wheels #g feet in      
diameter for #aj-;inch saws4     0     0
    #h  0    0   0       0  #ab   0   0 
0     0    #i  0    0   0       0  #ab  
0   0    ,it is distinctly a machine for
 resawing plank1 cants or timber up to  
#af inches in thickness4 ,the mill      
proper is provided with a surrounding   
base and is constructed upon the same   
principles as are all ,prescott  ,log   
,band ,mills4 ,the feed works being     
driven by the machine itself  makes the 
whole self-contained4 ,the outside      
pressure rolls1 are  adjusted by power2 
and the inside rolls are operated by    
hand levers  and notched quadrants1 and 
regulate all thicknesses of lumber to   

#a-cb  of an inch4 ,and all of these    
rolls are power driven4 ,all gearing is 
steel1 the upper guide is power         
operated1 and the mill itself is made   
self-centering when desired1 although   
this feature is not specially  necessary
 in this machine4    ,no finer machine  
exists for resawing lumber and timber   
coming from a  log ,band ,mill or a     
,circular4    ,it is not adapted for    
resawing slabs4    ,illustration3       
,,horizontal ,,band ,,resaw    ,built by
 ,the ,prescott ,company1 ,menominee1   
,mich4      ,standard ,prescott         
,horizontal ,band ,resaw ,mill    ,for  
,resawing ,slabs and ,planks    ,the    
machine shown upon the opposite page has
 wheels #f feet in diameter1  and admits
 upon the feed rollers a slab nearly #cj
 inches wide and about  #ab inches high1
 so that half logs of considerable size 
may be sawed as  well as slabs4         
,numerous feed rollers are employed     
instead of the endless platen or  apron1
 thus insuring efficiency and           

durability4    ,the feed rollers are    
mounted upon an independent frame which 
can be  withdrawn when necessary for    
purposes of repair4 ,this is adjustable 
vertically by means of a hand lever with
 quadrant for setting the  machine to   
saw lumber into the required            
thicknesses4    ,the base and frame are 
heavy and substantial1 and the machinery
 is  located above where it is          
accessible and out of the way of the    
dirt  which may accumulate4 ,a very     
sensitive saw straining mechanism is    
applied4    ,the pressure sprockets are 
supplied with power for such material as
 may  require it1 and is omitted1       
however1 when it appears unnecessary4   
,the  feed can be increased1 diminished 
or reversed4    ,the machine is located 
upon beams on the line of the overlays1 
requiring no special substructure to    
support it4    ,other sizes are supplied
 for special uses and further           
information will  gladly be given by    
correspondence4          ,the ,prescott 

,company    ,manufacturers of           
,strictly ,modern ,saw ,mill ,machinery 
of standard sizes for medium logs  and a
 heavy class for the large logs of the  
,pacific ,coast or elsewhere            
comprising3      ,band ,mills      for  
logs and resawing purposes1             
,circular ,mills1      ,carriages1      
both ,rack and ,pinion and ,screw       
,setting      ,steam ,setting and ,steam
      ,receding ,machines1              
,edgers--#c types      ,trimmers--#c    
types      ,log ,stops and ,loaders1    
,slashers1      ,lath ,mills1      ,live
 ,rolls1      ,transfers1      ,log     
,jackers1      ,steam ,niggers1         
,log ,turners1      ,kickers1           
,dogs1      ,rift ,sawing ,machines1    
,steam ,jump and ,swing ,saws1          
,offsetts1 etc41 etc4    ,and a full    
line of ,transmission ,machinery all    
built for either ,wood or  ,steel       
,construction4      ,,plans ,,of ,,saw  
,,mills ,,with ,,specifications ,,and   
,,estimates ,,furnished4    ,,send ,,for

 ,,catalogues        ,,branch ,,offices 
,chicago1 ,ill4    ,seattle1 ,wash4     
,new ,york      ,,california ,,agents   
,the ,eby ,machinery ,co4    ,san       
,francisco      ,illustration3 ,plant of
 ,the ,prescott ,company    ,works and  
,main ,office3 ,menominee1 ,michigan    
,transcriber's ,notes      ,punctuation 
and spelling were made consistent when a
 predominant  preference was found in   
this book2 otherwise they were not      
changed4    ,simple typographical errors
 were corrected2 occasional unbalanced  
quotation marks retained4    ,ambiguous 
hyphens at the ends of lines were       
retained2 occurrences of  inconsistent  
hyphenation have not been changed4      
,page #bj3 8slack slide0 was printed    
that way4