This thread was started in October, 2021
Kevin L
October 2021 in New Member Introductions
I have ordered my first kit the Sawmill Project from Brett a few weeks ago can’t wait to see when it is on its way.
Have not done any model making for about 20 years due to looking after my sick wife and moving house a couple of times.
In the past I modelled Victorian railways in HO then switched to Victorian Railways in HON30 then finally to free lance logging in ON30which I did for about 2 years before finally having to stop.
I have also for over 30 years been a active member of Puffing Billy railway in Victoria thou at the moment not to active since the this railway is closed down due to covid.
It is now my intention to still model a freelance narrow gauge railway based on logging and mining which I intend to call Bunyip Creek.
Now for some questions in respect to Brett’s Sawmill kit,
Firstly I have noticed that some modellers have included working lights in their completed model of the sawmill and in respect to this how did they model the power source for this electric lights? However in my research so far into sawmills in Australia in the early 19 hundreds sawmills where built right out in the bush without any electric power supply, so I assume any work to be done in the dark they would have used hurricane lamps. Does anyone know if there are any O scale models of hurricane lamps one can buy?
Lastly to my knowledge most sawmills are built close to a creek so I assume water for the mill was pumped from the creek, so can anyone help me to what type of pump was used in the 19 hundreds for this purpose.
Hopefully when I do get my Sawmill kit from Brett I can come near to the standard of other modellers in this forum.
Comments
Jerry
October 2021
Welcome to the forum Kevin.
Jerry
Robert.G
October 2021
Welcome amongst us Kevin.
tomtom
October 2021
Welcome Kevin,
Regarding prototypical lighting for 1900’s sawmill: Hurricane lamps use an open (if shielded) kerosene flame which, in a saw dust filled, all wood structure is nothing short of a time bomb. Absent rural electric lines, the typical would be a DC dynamo running off the main steam engine, or with a small steam engine running off the main boiler, or even with an accessory boiler. Wiseman Model Services has a nice, prototypically correct mining generator/dynamo for this purpose.
For the record, Robert’s sawmill is beyond all superlatives, he is the finest of modelers.
Good luck, and please share your journey.
brownbr
October 2021
Welcome aboard
Joel
October 2021
Welcome Kevin, looking forward to seeing some of your work. This is a great place to learn and share ideas.
CarlLaskey
October 2021
WELCOME TO THE FORUM KEVIN.
vietnamseabee
October 2021
Welcome board, Kevin
Terry
EmeryJ
October 2021
Welcome Kevin. Good to have you along for the ride. These guys are great!
Kevin L
October 2021
Thanks guys for your warm welcome and to TomTom for his suggestion re electric power supply. It will be a few weeks before I can show the start of this model project, still got to receive the kit and when Brett does send it postage is rather slow here due to covid. And once received I believe it is a good idea to study instructions fully and carefully before starting.
KKarns
October 2021
Sound wisdom Kevin!
Pappy
October 2021
Welcome Kevin! you will meet the best modelers here on this forum on the planet. Brett’s kits are by far the best and his detailed instructions are also the best.
Keep us posted 
admin
October 2021
Kevin! Welcome to the forum. Great to see you here. Looking forward to seeing what you do with the sawmill kit.
Kevin L
November 2021
Still waiting to receive the sawmill kit from Brett, not his fault since postage to Australia was stopped due to covid however hopefully this will be resolved soon since flights have recommenced and I will be able to get started on this great looking kit soon.
However in the meantime I have almost completed a kit I had lying around for 20 years i think it looks OK
Karl.A
November 2021
Looks good Kevin, welcome to the forum.
You are going to be amazed by the sawmill and how much you are going to learn while building it.
Have fun with it, and of course, share your progress with us.
Robert.G
November 2021
Nice work Kevin. Hold on just a little more… The joy will be great opening the Sawmill boxes…
TomMich
November 2021
Nice work on that gas station. It makes a nice small station.
Kevin L
November 2021
Yes Karl I will share progress on the sawmill once I start it.
KKarns
November 2021
Nice hearing from you Kevin and share your excitement at the thought of such a nice SWSM kit arriving at my door step!
Kevin L
April 2022
I have finally received my sawmill kit from Brett. Long delay in getting it due to USPS not sending parcels to Australia they say due to covid, anyway they are now sending. Will show my progress in this forum and any helpfully comments will be appreciated, hopefully I can get near to the standard of over modellers in this group. Must make sure I don’t rush and take my time.
kebmo
April 2022
excellent! how about a couple pics of the contents of the boxes?
Karl.A
April 2022 edited April 2022
Great news to read that your package has arrived, opening those boxes is a joy in itself.
Reading the manual is an education in modeling due to Brett’s outstanding wordsmanship and un-waivering commitment to us, the modellers, and giving us the guidance we need through simple, step be step instructions.
Cant wait to see pictures of the boxes as you open them as per Kevins request, and also to watch, follow and enjoy seeing your progress on this great kit as you bring it to life.
admin
April 2022
I am really glad we were able to make this work! The Universal Postal Union controls the movement of mail around the globe and they are part of the UN. Enough said about that government mess. But - you got the sawmill kit, even the UN couldn’t prevent that from happening, although they certainly tried!
Cannot wait to see your progress on this Kevin.
randyp
April 2022
Kevin Welcome to the forum. Your station looks good. I can vouch for Brett’s excellent kits. I just finished my firs one and have received two more to work on, even though I model in S scale. Looking forward to seeing your sawmill build. Randy
Kevin L
April 2022
At the request of those above here is picture of my open boxes and the little progress to date. I have sorted the resin castings into groups oil drums crates etc. Also have started to grain some strip wood and have stained one length just to get an idea on how much chalk to apply.
kebmo
April 2022
cool, thanks. what’s in the other box?
CraigH
April 2022
When the sawmill was mailed to me years ago I got 3 boxes …one green box called the sawmill project and one white box that was the sawmill machinery both came in one box…the long stripwood was mailed in a longer box that came the next day.
Kevin L
April 2022
Yes the kit came in 3 boxes if you look at Brett’s O gauge sawmill project it tells you what is in each of the 3 boxes.
Kevin L
April 2022
Was wondering if any one has used Bondic glue and if so what do you think .
Kevin L
May 2022
Started the build of the Saw Mill slow going, not always easy to get the time I would like at the same time not to rush it. Constructive comments welcome
admin
May 2022
Outstanding Kevin! Agreed, never rush it. I am always saying “it’s not a race”!
I love seeing the sawmill project come to life. Karl and I had such a great time creating this kit, brings back a lot of good memories.
Wonderful start, cannot wait to see more, can’t have too many pics!
kebmo
May 2022
i sure am looking forward to this…
Jim M
May 2022
I’ll be following this too. I think this will be my next project. Great job so far.
MuddyCreekRR
May 2022
My sawmill is a shelf sitter right now as it’s going onto the layout and I stalled on that area too…hoping your build generates enthusiasm with me to continue soon…Looking good so far…
randyp
May 2022
Kevin L., I am glad you got started on your sawmill. It looks like a good start. Keep the pictures coming. As Brett said "cant have to many pics. Have fun, Randy
Karl.A
May 2022 edited May 2022
Terrific start on the subfloor framing Kevin, square and true. Such a joy to follow along and watch this amazing kit getting built.
Indeed many great memories creating this kit with Brett, a highlight of my time modeling.
Looking forward to following closely and enjoying your build.
(Good to see the scale rule in the picture to give an idea of the structure size.)
Jerry
May 2022
Nice start Kevin. Take your time read the manuel as you go along and it will be a perfect model when finished.
Jerry
KKarns
May 2022
Hey Kevin, Brett’s design and materials of both the O Scale and the iconic HOn3 Sawmill kits are the finest available, and lucky you are to be working one up right now! Look forward to your progress.
Kevin L
May 2022
Thanks every one for the encouraging comments.
David_C
June 2022
Welcome to the forum Kevin. You have chosen the best kit of all, the sawmill is a great structure. I still have yet to finish my build, the roof is the last thing to build because I’m in the middle of trying to add LED lighting. It’s a bit difficult for me as my eyesight and hands are giving me lots of problems. I got all my parts to do the lights from Tim at Ngineering in Washington. He offers a lot of items to make some great lighting effects for all .scales.
Mike Engler
June 2022
Looking forward to seeing it Kevin. As a finished and here today to tell the tale about it sawmill club member I can tell you two things: Real sawmills likely had no lights. And by the time you are finishing up the sawmill sans lights you will be happy to go on to the next project. I did the HO Twin Mills sawmill and it might have been the most modeling fun few hundred hours I’ve ever had.
Kevin L
October 2022
Finally managed to make some progress on the SawMill. Getting time to work on it has been difficult due to looking after my wife with numerous medical appointments also it was hard to find a supplier for the extra timber and brass rods needed for the machinery. Did eventually find someone who helped with the timber, however had to resort to music wire instead of brass rods.
With the saw husk had a couple of challenges firstly when trimming the blower shaft to the correct length had to use a cutting disk on my rotary tool and due to vibration, a number of parts came a drift. Also with the actuating lever made the error of it slopping into the frame to far so had to carefully remove it and re assemble.
Still need to add sawdust to the Circular Husk also more stumps to be added to the floor.
Stumps added to date were cut using a fret saw but with the rest I will use the desk saw I have just brought, using the fret saw did not do my arthritis any good.
A big thanks to Karl Allison for pictures of his build of the saw husk really assisted with my build.
Karl.A
October 2022
Glad to read my posts helped you Kevin, and thanks for the feedback.
You’ve made some great progress so far and everything looks superb, this is a very exciting time in the build, when things start to come together.
Glad to read that you have been able to source the materials needed, the saw looks terrific, I found the rest of the machinery easier after learning on the saw.
We’re all looking forward to following more of your progress on this amazing kit.
Keep up the great posts.
vietnamseabee
October 2022
Looking very nice, Kevin
Terry
admin
October 2022
Excellent progress!
brownbr
October 2022
Glad to see this coming together.
EmeryJ
October 2022
Hey Kevin, keep up the good work. Gotta love a great sawmill. Hope to see more pics as this progresses.
KKarns
October 2022
Nice update Kevin.
Robert.G
October 2022
Oh, that Sawmill… nice work..
kebmo
October 2022
boy those machines look intimidating to me…
Karl.A
October 2022 edited January 2023
Nah, just follow the instructions Kev, you’ll be OK,
the first step is the biggest, (getting started), after that, no worries…
Kevin L
December 2022
Progres to date on my sawmill project. Log roller, Log Carriage and Live & Dead Rollers.
randyp
December 2022
Really looks good Kevin. Nice color on the wood. Might need a little rust in the NBW castings. Randy
Kevin L
December 2022
Thanks randyp I agree some thinks are better seen in a photo.
KKarns
December 2022
Nice seeing you back at it Kevin, nice work!
brownbr
December 2022
Nice update
admin
December 2022
Excellent progress and work!
TomMich
December 2022
Coming along nicely! Looking forward to further progress.
mikemettelka
December 2022 edited December 2022
Missed this one before… looks great so far!
EmeryJ
January 2023
Sorry Kevin, I missed this one somehow during the holiday. This is outstanding work sir. Keep coming with the photos.
Robert.G
January 2023
Nice progress on this fantastic kit !!!
kebmo
January 2023
looks awesome!
Karl.A
January 2023
This is a fantastic update Kevin, your work looks great.
Kevin L
February 2023
Progress on my sawmill Edger saw build, Log Stop and saw Dust Blower and ducting
Kevin L
February 2023
Started laying floorboards. The white patches to the right of the picture is putty, silly me used petroleum paint on the foam base board and it ate into the foam, so used putty to fill the craters with. Nevertheless, uneven ground looks more realistic. Also, I only made the ground layer rise to a height of 1/2 inch above the base, to me that looked more real for sawmills built in Australia they tended to be on flat ground near creeks.
The floorboard height above the ground I made at 5 feet, the drawings with SierraWest made it 6 feet. By doing this the floor height is about that of a wagon height so sawn timber can be loaded easily into wagons, I will be adding track to collect the sawn timber.
brownbr
February 2023
Nice progress. The bark on the log is an eye catcher.
TomMich
February 2023
Machinery turned out really great! The floor boards look very nice as well.
KKarns
February 2023
Great work Kevin. The debris field well constructed!
randyp
February 2023 99.20.9.49
KevinL, your build looks great. As Bryan said the bark on the log looks really great. The Machenry color and ware look just right to me. Randy
admin
February 2023
Love it, the ground cover is fantastic. Really capturing the look and feel of a small backwoods mill. Your machinery is very well done too. Thanks for the great update.
Kevin L
February 2023
Mill engine now built and ready to install on the Sawmill project.
mikemettelka
February 2023
That looks great… mine is on the way!
Joel
February 2023
Wow looks fantastic. Can’t wait to see it in situ
kebmo
February 2023
i have the sawmill looming in the near future and i hope i can do half as good a job as you are. nice progress!
mikemettelka
February 2023
I just got mine in the mail… So I came to take a second look… and got blown away a secon time… great job!
Kevin L
March 2023
ALCOALCO
March 2023
Nice weathering on the boiler. Looks like real concrete!?
admin
March 2023
ALCO said:
Looks like real concrete!?
That’s a resin casting included with the kit.
Looking great Kevin!
Robert.G
March 2023
This sawmill is coming together really fine. Nice work on the mill engine as well !!
Kevin L
March 2023
Thanks Robert but your work leaves me way behind.
Robert.G
March 2023
Kevin, this is not a contest !!! We all learn from each other.. Starting with one hell of a kit !!!
Kevin L
March 2023
I agree it is not a contest and yes we do learn from each other.
Kevin L
March 2023
Also, for a tip I used a piece of fiber optics to represent the water glass on the boiler, felt it looked more realistic than wire.
Karl.A
March 2023
Looking good Kevin, and a great tip with the fibre optics strand for the water glass. I used a clear toothbrush bristle on mine.
Def not a contest, we all learn something new here.
Robert.G
March 2023
Kevin L said:
Also, for a tip I used a piece of fiber optics to represent the water glass on the boiler, felt it looked more realistic than wire.
When you go back to my building thread, you’ll see that I did that for the same reason …
Kevin L
March 2023
Robert, wish I saw your thread sooner might have saved some brain strain of working out how I was going build the water glass. When I joined this forum, I searched using the word sawmill and all threads and comments with sawmill came up, numerous ones and unfortunately I did not find your thread at the time. Certainly aware of it now so will keep checking it out for more tips in building this great kit.
KKarns
April 2023
Nice work Kevin!
Kevin L
May 2023
on my sawmill build, cut off saw, log turner and drive shafts and belts added.
kebmo
May 2023
wow. it looks great. i hope i can do it this well.
brownbr
May 2023
Nice progress
admin
May 2023
Awesome!
Karl.A
May 2023
Making great progress Kevin,
it’s amazing how complex and authentic it is all beginning to look at this point now that everything on the internals are coming together.
Keep on with the great updates, most enjoyable to see.
I guess you are getting into your winter/modeling season right now so we will have lots to look forward to.
Thanks for sharing with us.
Robert.G
May 2023
Great work Kevin on this awesome kit !!!
Robert.G
May 2023
kebmo said:
wow. it looks great. i hope i can do it this well.
Kevin, when I see what you do with the tractor repair, of course you can… !!!
vietnamseabee
May 2023
Great job, Kevin…. I’m about ready to begin my O Scale sawmill and will certainly be using your build as a reference
Terry
Kevin L
May 2023
Saw dust bin, roof will be added later. For reasons unknown the saw dust I have placed in the bin is turning black used foam per instructions to build a base then added the saw dust fixed with white wood glue, when this is dried will try and fix the problem by adding another fin layer of dust and fix it with AK gravel and sand fixer.
vietnamseabee
May 2023
Kevin… nice color variation on the boards…glad to have you ahead of me on this build
Terry
Kevin L
May 2023
Thanks Terry, I am sure I will also pick up a few good tips from you during your build.
Kevin L
June 2023
Kevin L
June 2023
Kevin L
June 2023
Kevin L
June 2023
Kevin L
June 2023
Kevin L
June 2023
Latest progress been working on walls and painting clutter. Unfortunately, did not find the shelf supports that should have been in the kit, did go carefully through the castings a couple of times in case my 73 year old eyes missed them, so I made my own. I am shore Bret would have sent some but did not want to wait on postage.
Karl.A
July 2023
Wonderful work on the details Kevin,
I always loved that tool cart and you are doing a great job on your version of it.
Kevin L
November 2023
Been a little slow in posting to this forum and my modelling time has been restricted due to sickness, garage ceiling collapsing with me having to fight with my insurance to get fixed, they did finally come to the party, but it was a tough fight. Also have our daughter and grandkids moving back home with us since they cannot afford the rent, rental properties in Australia are going up beyond believe. Currently working on to install lights purchased led chandeliers and a distribution panel on ebay from wehonest will install the distribution panel in the roof above the office which I will hide by making tarps.
Karl.A
November 2023
Great to see some of your progress on this amazing kit Kevin.
Despite all of the other things going on you have been making some great progress.
Wonderful work and progress so far, I am enjoying following your progress every step of the way.
Thanks for sharing your update with us all.
vietnamseabee
November 2023
Great progress, Kevin….looking very nice indeed
Terry
KKarns
November 2023
Nice detail work here Kevin. You’re really doing that kit right!
EmeryJ
November 2023
Kevin, you are doing a splendid job on this. Lots to take in on those photos. Thanks for sharing them with all of us.
randyp
November 2023
Wonderful work Kevin. The uneven ends on the boards add a nice touch to the docks. It would have saved a lot of time on the prototipe. No use cutting boards at a angle when not needed. Great job, looking forward to more of your work. Randy
Joel
November 2023
Looks great. I love the clutter and detail work.
brownbr
November 2023
Nice progress.
Robert.G
November 2023
Oh , that sawmill. Still my favorite. What a kit, what a build !! Love the German Shepherd Dog…
Kevin L
March 2024
Progress on my sawmill. Lights installed, used a light distribution unite purchased on eBay from wehonest and installed it above the office, made tarps to hide it. Corrugated roofing added above boiler house, maintenance shed and saw dust bin. Brett supplies ribbed iron for the boiler house, but I stuffed cutting it up, got width and length around the wrong way, however on reflection in Australia it appears from research we mainly used corrugated iron so used that instead..
Joel
March 2024
Looks great. Can’t wait to see some night shots with the lights out.
MuddyCreekRR
March 2024
Does that module (lighting) get hot?
Kevin L
March 2024
In regard to the lighting unit getting hot, to be honest I only have left the lights on for about 30 minuets at one time and it did not appear to be getting hot.
glandesjr
April 2024
Welcome to the forum Kevin. For additional inspiration, Robert’s sawmill is among the best out there and his landscaping is second to none. If you want some additional ideas his sawmill link will be a great help. Enjoy watching your build.
Kevin L
April 2024
Update on my build, roof now installed, and lights tested. Smokestacks and landscaping still to be done. In regard to the earlier comment above, yes I have seen Roberts excellent build of the sawmill and hopefully when I do the landscaping I will be able to achieve some were near to his standard.
Jim M
April 2024
Fantastic job all around.
Joel
April 2024
Wow! those last few shots are fantastic. Love the lighting effects. Adds a lot of atmosphere. Roof looks great.
RayK
April 2024
Kevin, I had a chance to read this through in it’s entirety this morning. Very well done all around. I agree the roof is outstanding as well as the detail work. Nicely done.
MuddyCreekRR
April 2024
An excellent build…Well Done
randyp
April 2024
Very well done building. love the lighting. Randy
Robert.G
April 2024
Kevin, this looks fantastic and I am sure the scenery will be the same. Great job man !!! Oh, what a kit 
Kevin L
May 2024
Finally built my T Model Ford from Brett.
MuddyCreekRR
May 2024
Nicely done…love the color and weathering…
vietnamseabee
May 2024
Well done, Kevin
Terry
TomMich
May 2024
Turned out very nice!
Robert.G
May 2024
Great work Kevin !!
KKarns
July 2024
Mighty fine work my friend!