I may just get a circle mill - Woodworking Talk

**Daren** · 02-06-2009, 10:26 PM

3 miles from the house, auction in a couple weeks. Unless the Amish show up, then I step off. A Corley 35, 40' rail with 2 newly retipped 52" blades. I would drag it home for a free, or close to it (it has not been ran for 5 years

) The old man slammed alot of wood through this machine, gas start-IH diesel drive. It will take a week to get it all home...if they give it to me

I have more pictures of the carriage and setworks, but this is off the auction site and I am afraid the picure links will die soon (I will modify this post if they no longer work)

**joasis** · 02-07-2009, 06:14 AM

So are you seriously going to try for it? The engine is worth more then the mill by a lot, the blades are worth $400 each.....and the mill has very little value. So what is the little yellow gas motor winch gizmo for?

creative novice · 02-07-2009, 06:39 AM

lol....i was going to college about 10 years ago ...and wanted to go to an an estate auction up the road....husband, kids, mom all shot me down when i said i wanted to skip classes to go ( i NEVER skipped) so i went to school...on way home i stopped at a country store and there was a truck leaving filled with furniture from the auction...i found out it was still going on ...so i raced to it....they were down to a few things in the garage....only about three people still paying attention to the auctioneer....they had a wall of old and new shovels, rakes, log turning tools etc.....bought them for a few dollars.....again same....bought them for a buck....then the auctioneer was standing on the steps to the upstairs...he started bids...looked at me and asked me...i told him i didn't know what he was selling...he told me to come up on the steps...AND THERE THEY WERE........my antique table legs and apron..under a large piece of mdf (the owner was a retired carpenter)....so again i asked him what he was selling....he said "the whole upstairs (three rooms of stuff) ..i laughed and said i only wanted the table bottom.....got the whole room for $7.... two days later i had (not my decision, husband brought 4 truck loads all home!) my table legs and alot of other treasures....antique 2 man saws, 40 or so hand made boxes of nails for tool bench, antique metal scroll wall brackets, squares, straight edges (10 ' long) hand tools, odd things like old store nail sizing guide posters, alot of wormy chestnut and oak and there was a hidden room..really!...with an antique wash stand and more great finds....BUT, i got my table legs and made my first harvest table from them! the hunt and catch really adds to the pleasure of creating what you want!

have fun at the auction! julie

**Daren** · 02-07-2009, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joasis

So are you seriously going to try for it? The engine is worth more then the mill by a lot, the blades are worth $400 each.....and the mill has very little value. So what is the little yellow gas motor winch gizmo for?

I don't think I am, I really don't have a place for it...but they are selling everything the house and it's contents, 80 acres with several outbuildings. I am not so sure this mill will not get lost in the shuffle and nobody show up to bid on it ? It's on a real estate sale bill.

I thought (but I have not seen this one run, or even been to look at it) from reading the sale bill "starts on gas" and seeing others like it run that the gas motor was the starter motor for the big diesel ? It seems kinda elaborate just for a starter, but in the picture from the deck side (3rd one) the gas motor goes nowhere but to the diesel.

Bill-G · 02-07-2009, 09:03 AM

I sawed with one of those UD power units for years. Saw all day on 5 gallons. They start on gas and then you switch over to deisel. One of the best power units ever made. I can tell you that setup is worth its weight in gold. I've sawed a lot of lumber and the best setup ever made in my opinion is a handset circle mill. Once you have everything aligned and learn how to care for the saw teeth your golden. I replaced mine years ago with an automatic mill and I still miss the old handset.

Just my 2 cents

**Daren** · 02-07-2009, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill-G

I still miss the old handset.

Here are pictures of the carriage and setworks, bring back any old memories ?

jeffreythree · 02-07-2009, 10:58 AM

Maybe you need to bid on the land to. Then you would have a place to run the mill and not move it

. You would also have plenty of room for all of those extra special one-of-a-kind boards that you hoard

.

**Daren** · 02-07-2009, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeffreythree

Maybe you need to bid on the land to. .

I just talked to a buddy this morning before I came in for lunch...he is seriously bidding on the house, he said he really wants it. It is a weird auction, the house and 5 acres...where the mill shed sits is selling as one tract and they for some reason are splitting the rest of the 80 in 4 tracts. I will see how it all works out but he said if I did want the mill and he did get the house bought "arrangements" could be made. I need another mill like I need a hole in the head, but whatever.

drcollins804 · 02-07-2009, 01:28 PM

Found these pictures from when my mom and her family sold my grandfathers mill. One picture has my dad holding the carriage control lever. I miss both the mill and all the people involved. This is one of 3 engines I remember on the mill. Carriage was built from an old truck chassis after the old one disintegrated when it ran off the end of the track and the bluff that it was built on.

You at least brought back alot of memories. By the way the amish that owns the farm next ours bought the mill but only used the engine. Not sure what happened to the carriage or saw unit.
David.

a few additional pictures in the album.

Kirk Allen · 02-07-2009, 04:57 PM

So when and where is the auction Daren?

**Daren** · 02-07-2009, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirk Allen

So when and where is the auction Daren?

Feb. 21st, starts at 10:00. 3 miles straight north of Lovington on a hard road (coal mine road, it goes to 36). I saw the signs where already up when I was out and about today. Open house tomorrow, Feb. 8th.

ARECHER · 02-07-2009, 08:00 PM

Daren,
Here's a local (2nd) sawmill for sale...I haven't the space or budget for it.

http://springfieldil.craigslist.org/tls/1022758446.html

I used to like watch the the old steam engines turn the circle mills though...

Good luck either way.
Andy

dirtclod · 02-07-2009, 08:39 PM

Daren,

This brings to mind something my cousin was fond of saying "Be careful of what you want...you might just get it."

I'm sure all these things have run through your mind: moving it, restoring it, having a place for it, learning to operate it, maintaining it, how will it fit in with the band mill, moving material from mill to mill and then to storage. It complicates things doesn't it? Still, it's sometimes fun to think "What if..."

On the other hand I would look for any good log tongs, etc. and see if I could get a deal on them.

drcollins804,

I think I see 2 rare hornbeam logs (a.k.a. musclewood and ironwood) on the deck.

BHOFM · 02-07-2009, 08:56 PM

And don't forget those words;

"You bought WHAT?"

**joasis** · 02-07-2009, 09:46 PM

In one of the pictures, I can clearly see the starter on the UD 15 or 18 power unit...it is one or the other.

The way it works is pretty simple...the head has a set of valves opening up the chambers to include an intake valve and spark plug....the intake is a standard gas carburetor and when opened, has lower compression....after the engine starts and warms the head up, the valve train is closed and the compression is high enough to run on diesel. Pretty neat set up.

The mill looks decent, and the F style blades are great for all purpose sawing....you might be surprised by what it brings.

**Daren** · 02-07-2009, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirtclod

I'm sure all these things have run through your mind: (and more) moving it(don't want to), restoring it (yea belts and hoses etc. to chase), having a place for it (don't have it), learning to operate it (not as easy as a bandmill, but I reckon I would manage), maintaining it (WAY more work than a bandmill), how will it fit in with the band mill (2 different types of operation), moving material from mill to mill and then to storage (material handing not so bad...I am already out of storage just on a manual bandmill...a lumber/RR tie slamming machine like that I would have to have a market/trucks waiting to haul it off before I even fired it up or be buried). It complicates things doesn't it? Still, it's sometimes fun to think "What if..."

On the other hand I would look for any good log tongs, etc. and see if I could get a deal on them.

The old man has been dead for 2 years...the vultures already hauled off what they could

. He used to run a flooring processing operation, bust out oak/maple on the circle mill and had a gang rip saw and planer/jointer/profiler for millwork...that is long gone. And sell to pallet companies off the gang rip. His set up was 180 from mine where I take the time to grade saw or even way too much time to wrestle out funky stock from odd logs. IF I had both I could switch it up, but like I said all is left is the bones that have been picked over.

**Daren** · 02-07-2009, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joasis

The mill looks decent, and the F style blades are great for all purpose sawing....you might be surprised by what it brings.

I will let you all know what the Amish paid for it

coffeetime · 02-07-2009, 11:02 PM

Wow just yesterday I spent probably an hour watching one of these mills work. I was just amazed the whole time. I had did some work for the owner and told him I would bring it buy when I was done. He agreed to trade some wood for the work I did. There was 5 guys there and as soon as a slab came off the saw one guy stuck it into a planer. When it came out the planer it was also cut to width. From there they just stacked it on a palllet ready to ship. From log to lumber in just seconds.
They where running oak and pecan, got me a couple of chunks for the lathe.

Mike

Kirk Allen · 02-08-2009, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirtclod

On the other hand I would look for any good log tongs, etc. and see if I could get a deal on them.

Thats what I was hoping for. Sorry to here the vulchers have picked the place clean

Wife and I plan on driving over to look anyway but were not getting our hopes up on anything.

**Daren** · 02-08-2009, 10:14 AM

Kirk if you make it over this way the auctioneer has a website williambeckauctions.com with directions and pictures of the stuff. (click auction calender) I just tried to look again and his site is running SUPER slow on my end, couldn't get it to load you may have to try again later ? I have looked at it before and it worked fine.

The reason I wanted to go to the online sale bill was to pull a picture for this discussion. I heard through the rumor mill when he died a couple years ago there was 2 semi loads of rough cut walnut and cherry waiting to go to market and it would be auctioned off (and they have waited almost 2 years for said auction). If I can get the site to work I will post the picture from the sale bill "miscellaneous lumber for sale"...it is a puny pile stacked on the floor with maybe 60 bft in it of poplar or something

Those other 1000's of board feet seem to have evaporated

, I asked a guy who has access to the place...the sheds are empty.

So it is pretty safe to say anything that was not bolted down (ie. a big circle mill) has just walked off since he died. He logged his own for example, but not a single chainsaw in the sale bill ?...but they list costume jewelry ? I am willing to bet there ain't a peavey or anything good to be had unless it is buried in a pile of sawdust under the mill where it could not be found and hauled off.

EDIT: I finally got the site to work...here is all the lumber for sale at a once relatively high production mill