Sawmill of Central Europe 491 



Under primitive conditions construction timbers were hewn, just 

 as the meal was ground between two stones. Later came the 

 saw and, with the development of water power, the sawmill. 

 Naturally each community developed sawmills of its own and, 

 in this way, resulted the numerous small mills of Europe, each 

 community having a supply of from one or two to a dozen or 

 more. Even with the introduction of improved methods of 

 transportation, there is a strong tendency to cling to the old type 

 of mill and the large mills are usually nothing more or less than 

 a combination of the equipments of several small mills under 

 one roof. Thus, the equipment of a small mill might be one 

 gangsaw with a capacity of 5,000 feet board measure ; while that 

 of a large mill, 10 similar gangsaws with a capacity of 50,000 

 feet board measure. Naturally, in the larger mill, there is greater 

 efficiency of labor as well as closer utilization. In addition to 

 this, the large mill buys the raw product outright and derives the 

 profit of a commission man, while the small mill, as a rule, manu- 

 factures the raw material belonging to another for a certain 

 stipulated amount, bearing the same relation to the farmer as 

 the old-fashioned "grist-mill." This raw material which the 

 farmer brings to the mill to have manufactured is obtained on 

 his right, under what is known as "right of user" — that is, the 

 right of his family to fuel and construction material from the 

 communal forest. (See illustration on frontispiece.) 



The first improved saw to be used extensively, and one which 

 is widely used at the present time, is a single blade (approximately 

 5 feet long by 6 inches wide by 1/16 inch thick) with triangular 

 "ripsaw" teeth. This is fastened in a wooden frame operating 

 between parallel, greased tracks, there being a threaded arrange- 

 ment of the end of the saw and a burr to preserve tension. In 

 remote mountain districts there are mills of this character to be 

 found in which the saw blade is the only metal used in construc- 

 tion, wooden pins being used in place of nails. Later came the 

 all metal "gangsaw" with its capacity of from 20 to 30 inches, 

 and this now seems to meet every demand for cheapness and 

 efficiency, for it doubles or triples the output without increasing 

 the labor. Its manipulation is simple and it can be quickly and 

 easily adjusted to manufacture boards, planks or timbers, sawing 

 the log completely in one operation. Two sets of toothed rollers, 



