Newspapers / Iredell Citizen (Statesville, N.C.) / Dec. 4, 2003, edition 1 / Page 1
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Volume 6, Number 33 • 32 Pages Rav and Jav are the... Bob PNfec'CmZEN Jar and Ray ready to cut DECEMBER 4,2003 704-872-1200 *edltor^HwlcUcitizefi-coni PiihHshgri Weekly m the Crossroads of Carolina* Statesville, NC 28677 • 50C BobFfvfer IREDELL CITIZEN Me> have % love fob wood that women find hard to understand. Some work. it. some finish il some build with it. Jay and Ray Vilhelm. of Statesville, just enjoy sawing it. You see. Jav and Rav are twins, which doesn't have anything to do with the storv except we thought it was interesting and we threw it m. Anvwav. thev retired from Dana Corp. in 19*J*>. Since then they ve been ptd dlimt around the house and in their "spare time they ve taken in a tot of old machinery shows like the Southeastern Thrasher's Reunion in Denton. But. it was last year's old-timev machinery show at Tumersburg that really got them hooked. There, an old saw mill was sold, but not before the boys took a good look at it and figured right away they wanted to make one for themselves. -Now. thev tiidn t try ro huy a sawnmi iut. us ir vou couia nnu >ucn u nuns. No. thev did what men who make things do. they >crounged tn their work shops off the Amity Hill Road. Thev found steel girders. gears, switches, motor, wires, just the kinda sniff most people throw away but people like Ray and J*ay pick up. put up and use later on. For one of the two power supplies, a neighbor came up with a Gilson engine that Ions since had erven up. sighed and died. They cleaned it up. tore it down, rebuilt it and put its 'putt-putt ' back in. This engine supplies the saw ing power. A DC motor, converted to run on AC power provides the powerful slow pullinu torque necessarv to ease the heavy logs under and through the con tinuous band-saw cutting blade. It took about a vear. thev said, “working off and on. and they finished it off with a bright coat ot' AIKs Chaimer orange. The whole unit can best be described as a big band saw tying horizontally instead of sitting upright There's more to it than that but you get the idea. Keep m mmd rhar cut with a fine-tooth blade, lumber comes off the log with a smooth surface. Fine adjustments on the saw can turn out a board as small as an eighth ot an inch thick. A thin Wade, yields more usable boards per log Tins is important when you consider a rhtn blade cutting an expensive walnut log could yield a hundred dollars ot more usable lumber. Building tt was a challenge just to >ee if they could, and they did. Is it a mon eymaker' Well, it could be but the boys just do sawing for their friends. Why Jo thev do it ’ Well, tt could be the fun of operating a machine they created in their workshop out back. Could be the smell of new-cut wood. It s proba bly both. Ask their wives and they would probably shrug their shoulders and laugh While telling you they don't know why' they built it-but is keeps them out of trouble. See What the Twins Saw on page 16
Iredell Citizen (Statesville, N.C.)
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Dec. 4, 2003, edition 1
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