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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1996-09-04, Page 29"lee /996 PONTIAC - BUICK - CADILLAC - GMC TRUCKS ARE ME CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 19%. PAGE A-9 35th Pioneer Thresher Reunion Sawmill comes out of storage for annual reunion FAVOURITE ATTRACTION — One of the favourite exhibits at the Huron Pioneer Thresher Reunion and Hobby Show is the steam — powered sawmill. Boards cut during the event will eventually be used in the construction of furniture and other wood products. The Thresher's Reunion and Hobby Association has many sights not often seen by the young generation, with its collection of antique threshers, tractors and trucks, but there is one exhibition which even antique enthusiasts may only get to see once a year. Each September, the members of the reunion haul the steam powered sawmill out of storage and spend a couple of days reassembling and oiling the equipment and sharpening the blade. A group, including operator of the mill, Wilbert Phillippi of Chepstow, gathers a few days before the event to put the machine together because it has to be dismantled and put in storage. The belts and blades are removed for the safety of children playing in the area throughout the year. The mill, which shows spectators what it was like 50 . to 100 years ago, is run completely by steam engines, 10 in all, which come from Lucknow, Auburn, Moorefield, Mitchell, St. Thomas, London and includes two Sawyer Masseys from Watford. The engines used range in horsepower from 10 to 75. They have great lugging power and each size is useful for specific woods. The 10 hp is used for softwoods and the 75 hp is used for beech logs. The logs are sawed to rough lumber and are then used for the construction of furniture. There is no waste with a steam powered sawmill because the scrap wood is then used to fire the engine. The mill used by the Threshers was donated to the club more than 20 years ag6. It has an all steel track and cuts nice and true. The mill has a 54 inch blade and an edger for edging the logs. The sawmill will be set up near the tractor pull site, at the southwest side of the park. Church service, Sunday The 35th Annual Thresher Reunion and Hobby Association is hosting a non- denominational church service on Sunday, Sept. 8 for the campers, community and all interested in a music filled sermon. Don Vair, of the Westfield Fellowship Hour Church, will be the speaker at the 10:30 a.m. service. Several local talents will add a touch of music, song and storytelling to the service. Everyone is invited to attend the open air church service at the Main Stage, which runs from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon. Englishmen suggest use of steam power Continued from A-8 Newcometis design in the 18th century, raising the efficiency and power output, and paving the way for steam power to be applied to boats and railways in the 19th century. • At the same time, there were other inventors trying to devise ways of using steam for farming, especially for ploughing and cultivating. This was still impractical in the 18th century, when steam power was firmly stationary, and portable or self- propelled engines were still years away. • Credit for being the first to suggest steam power goes to David Ramsey and Thomas Wildgosse of England, who filed a patent in 1618, almost a century before the Newcomen engine was invented, that vaguely refers to "newe, apte, or compen- dious formes or kindes of engines or instru- ments and other pfitable invenciones." It is not all clear what they had in mind, but there is no reason to believe it was steam - in 1618, steam was just an interesting curiosity. The idea was probably based on the energy in gunpowder, or even on the hope of some other suitable power being developed. There was, however, a later patent taken out by Ramsey that indicated that fire was involved in powering the invention. • During the next 150 years, there were other suggestions and patents aimed at replacing horses and oxen for field work, but none of these were obviously based on steam, and none appeared to advance beyond theory. 35 Years Celebrating History ALL WINDSHIELD PRICED WITH "KNOCK DOWN ", "ROCKBOTTOM " CLEAROUT PRICES AND NO HIDDEN COSTS TO BE ADDED. ONLY APPLICABLE TAXES AND LICENSING EXTRA AND WE WILL BE REAL GENEROUS ON YOUR TRADE IN ALLOWANCE AS WELL! AND WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD STOCK TO CHOOSE FROM... 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