Water powered gang saw

A truly exceptional exhibit at the Technik Museum Sinsheim is this water powered gang saw from about 1870. For many decades it was doing its work in a sawmill in Geislingen. The trunks were ferried to the mill by water and the processed beams and planks were transported by horse or oxen carts. It is almost entirely made of wood.

In contrast to modern saws which are equipped with four or five blades this gang saw has but one saw blade. Human labor was inexpensive at that time. To saw one beam the trunk had to be rechucked four times and sawn through completely. Thirty years later already several sawblades were used which permitted to significantly reduce labor time.