Sawmill Demonstration
DEMONSTRATION FRIDAY/ AUGUST 21ST, 2020
Picture of the original site (no date). Ben Lear pictured near log pile.
It all started back in the May of 1850 when a son entered into partnership with his father. Squire James O’Hara had sold his son James Jr. a parcel of land on the river. He had proposed a business offer to his son: he would build the sawmill and his son would provide the water-power and the timber. The sawmill proved to be a great asset to the O’Hara family and remained operational for 58 years (1850-1908).
In 1954, the Moira River Conservation Authority purchased the Sawmill and its land. They had begun to reconstruct the mill to working condition, which reached completion in June of 1957.
Some changes needed to be made in order to ensure the functionality of the mill. The dam was additionally reconstructed in the form of a rock-filled cedar crib dam, which allowed for more water control. The mill had originally two water wheels: one that moved the log cradle forward, one that reversed it. This was converted to a singular wheel so the sawmill could be running for longer periods of time, as the water levels were not high enough to operate two wheels. A series of gears allows the water wheel to move the log cradle forward and switch to reversing it.
Completed sawmill reconstruction in 1957.
The mill works by converting the rotary motion of the water wheel into an up and down sawing motion. The movement of the saw moves the log cradle forward because of a “walking arm” attached to a large gear. Logs would be rolled into the front of the sawmill and the lumber would be taken out of the back, across a bridge over the spillway.
The bridge has since been removed from the back of the sawmill and the cedar crib dam was replaced by a concrete covered bridge. The O’Hara sawmill remains to be the last operational water powered frame sawmill in Ontario, and is still as valuable today as it was when it was built.
To view a demonstration of the mill in action click the button below: