The sawmill from Hinsbeck

Woodworking through rasping, sawing and drilling of the wood can be traced back until the New Stone Age (5500 until 2000 AD). In the course of the millennia new tools were invented consistently which made woodworking easier. One of these tools was the reciprocating saw of the 13th century. It was either powered by sheer physical strength, with water- and wind mills, or by animals and later it was steam powered or with an electric drive. The increasing demand for wood asked for more powerful sawmills. In the 18th century the people first used cast iron to build sawmills, which made them better and better.

The sawmill from Hinsbeck, which you can see here, was used until the 1990s. The main part of the sawmill is the horizontal reciprocating saw, which was built around 1900. In the end it was powered with an electric drive. Sawmills were usually independent businesses, which produced materials for carpentries and joineries. But there were also owners of sawmills, who worked as carpenters, cartwrighters or coffin builders as well.

Did you know that…… wood has always been a very important construction material? The people built houses, wagons, bridges or furniture of wood. It was very difficult to cut wood into little pieces with just a handsaw. That is why the people invented machines, which could cut whole trunks into planks. One only had to cut off the branches and the bark and the rest was done by the machine.