Gordon Smith at Double slab machine Kinnoir Sawmil
Photograph courtesy of Gordon Smith, Cairnie, Huntly and shows Gordon working at the double slab machine in the Kinnoir Sawmill near Huntly which was owned by Riddochs of Rothiemay at this time part of a large finance company. The Sawmill had been rebuilt following a large fire in 1979 which devastated most of the buildings and saws.
Gordon received the logs off the log intake ramp in front of him and positioned the log on the moving bench and set the two saw blades at the most suitable distance apart for the selected log by operating the round wheel device below his right arm. Multiples of three inches for fence posts were common requirements namely six or nine inches but could not be set lower than four inches as the two blades could flex enough to touch each other. Once the log passed between the two saw blades the side boards dropped off and the slabbed log moved forward to the next sawyer on another double slab saw to take the other two sides off. And so the operation repeated as log after log was hand rolled onto the bench, lined up, cut and passed on with many tens of tons going through his hands and arms every working day!
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Groups: Forestry in Action, Northeast Scotland , Sawmills, pulp mills, chipboard mills