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Tiny History
By Jill Teunis
It was all there, and all in working order. The powerful saw blade, the moving carriage, the dogs holding the log in place, the men ready to load the timber and unload the finished planks. A conveyor belt carried away the sawdust. And it was all in miniature.
Lanny Wesche of Wellsville, N.Y., spent 15 years handcrafting an authentic scale model of a sawmill rig. He used a lot of research but no kits. He said the project would have taken him much less than 15 years to complete, but he kept adding to it.
With a background as a welder and machinist, Lanny brought his sawmill, along with a model of a 19th century wood working shop, to the 5th annual Cabin Fever Expo held at Lebanon, Penn., in January. A log-cutting scene and one demonstrating 19th century steam-driven surface oil pumping equipment completed an extensive exhibit that demonstrated superior engineering knowledge and impressive attention to detail.
"When I get an idea of what I want to make, I go to the library or go to shows and look around," he said. "This was the start of the Industrial Revolution and kids don't know about it. The working models draw a lot of interest and the more detail there is, the more people are interested. I enjoy watching the kids."
Lanny's wood cutting scene includes a handcrafted scale model of an 1870 Case steam engine, one of the earliest made. The belt-driven frame saw is copied from one built in the 1880's at St. Alban's Foundry in St. Alban's, Vt. Back then a new one sold for $50. There is also a horse-drawn water wagon ready to keep the steam engine topped up. "Initially steam power was an alternative to the tread mill or sweep power," he said. "Both were horse-powered. Development of the locomotive was an important factor in harnessing steam power."
The oil-pumping model demonstrates surface pumping machinery powered by a steam engine, a method that was used for only a short time before gas engines took over as a power source for both drilling and pumping.
"The surface equipment was one of the methods used to pump oil in the late 1880's," Lanny said. "The steam engine was belted to the gearcentric to operate the pumps."
The miniature equipment in the woodworking factory includes aband saw, a table saw, a planer, a drum sander, a cut off saw and a wood lathe, all hand-crafted from scratch. Only the bench grinder and the drill press are made from kits. Such equipment was belt-driven using pulleys and leather belts, with line shaft power provided by a steam engine that also generated electricity.
Born in Germany in 1930, Bill Huxoll of Ontario, Canada started his tool and die apprenticeship at age 14. He had been building models since he was 10 years old, mostly boats and trains, but it was not until the 1970s that he launched into machinery. The first time he saw a lathe he wanted to build one for himself.