Definition of sawmill Sawmill

/sɔˈmɪˌl/ - [somil] - saw•mill

We found 7 definitions of sawmill from 6 different sources.

What does sawmill mean?

WordNet

Noun Plural: sawmills
sawmill - a large sawing machine
sawmill - a mill for dressing logs and lumber
		lumbermill

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Wiktionary

sawmill (Noun)
A machine, building or company used for cutting milling lumber.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

sawmill (n.)
A mill for sawing, especially one for sawing timber or lumber.

OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω

sawmill
A facility where logs are cut into boards.

Wikipedia

A sawmill is a facility where lumber is cut into boards.

A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of 100 years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end.

History.

Sawmills seem to have existed in the medieval period, as one was sketched by "Villard de Honnecourt" in c.1250. On the other hand people think they were introduced to Madeira following its discovert in c.1420 and spread widely in Europe in the 16th century.

The Dutchman "Cornelis Corneliszoon" (1550-1607) invented his type of sawmill by applying a pitman arm onto a wind mill, which converted a turning motion into an up-an-down motion. Corneliszoon patented the sawmill on December 15, 1593 and the pitman on December 6, 1597. He built the first sawmill there in 1594.

Before to the invention of the sawmill, boards were sawn by two men with a whipsaw, using saddleblocks to hold the log, and a pit for the pitman who worked below. Sawing was slow, and required strong and enduring men. The topsawer had to be the stronger of the two because the saw was pulled in turn by each man, and the lower had the advantage of gravity. The topsawyer also had to guide the saw so that the board was of even thickness. This was often done by following a chalkline.

Early sawmills simply adapted the whipsaw to mechanical power, generally driven by a water wheel to speed up the process. The circular motion of the wheel was changed to back-and-forth motion of the saw blade by a Connecting rod known as a "p