Log Dump For the Sierra West Sawmill

Log Dump For the Sierra West Sawmill

This blog entry acts as an update on our sawmill build.

My good friend, Rob Kazakoff, came on board and created the wonderful stiff leg derrick you see in the image below - which Rob took.

The diorama has been out to two public displays already and will be in attendance at the next local NMRA meeting here in Ottawa.

This shot was snapped outdoors on Doug's property near the Rideau River south of Ottawa.

Rob also snapped this image of the log dump end of the sawmill diorama down in my basement.

I still have to add some tree stumps in and around the scene.

And...here is a later shot I snapped from the delivery end of the sawmill...with a single tree stump noticeable off to the right

A lower angle view.

The team of horses get a well-deserved break after hauling the log wagon down into the log dump area.

Rob built the stiff leg derrick from a Crow River Products offering.

I constructed the twin drum hoisting engine and its accompanying inclined oscillating steam slewing engine; both offerings from Crow River Products.

Eventually I will create blog entries on the construction of all these machines.

The Russell Hi-Way patrol grader is a kit available from Wiseman Model Services.

The oxen come from Berkshire Valley Models.

Berkshire Valley offered up the farmer's wagon and team of horses.

An outdoor shot.

Doug gave a seminar to the Rideau Township Historical Society on lumbering in Eastern Ontario at the turn of the century.

The model proved to be a valued asset to his power point presentation.

That's Rob in back with his arms folded.

The fifty or so audience members were 'gob-smacked' by the level of the modelling!

That's Doug in the middle chatting it up with Bruce on the right and an unknown lad on the left.

Doug, Rob & I fielded many questions on how a sawmill works and on the various modelling techniques utilized in completing the diorama.

Following Doug's presentation, the model came back to my home where I added a few more items such as the wood pile and the wheelbarrow filled with sawdust.

Keep in mind that Doug didn't want sawdust strewn all over the sawmill floor as he wanted to keep it clean for educational purposes.

Yes, there would most likely be sawdust in every nook & cranny, but Doug tells us that a teenager may have been paid a pittance to sweep the mill floor at the end of each shift!

I also added a few tree stumps which you can see in the top left corner of the image and a lad who would be cutting the wood into scraps to fit in the boiler's door.

Up on the log ramp where the ladder is located to the left you see another worker about to hose down the logs as they roll onto the carriage.

His water supply is the elevated tank beside its pumphouse.

The water tank also supplies water to the boiler through the elevated piping.

Yes, even a little O-scale wheelbarrow can add so much to the scene.

Filled with sawdust.

Doug sent a black and white image from a logging book to the gentleman who owns Mini-Prints as Doug wanted a well-dressed O-scale figure to play the role of Liam Hicks, the owner of the mill.

The gentleman at Mini-Prints took the 2D image and created a 3D version of the owner of the sawmill for Doug.

Before I painted the Liam Hicks figure I first painted all clothing black then drybrushed white atop to let all of the amazing details 'pop'.

Finally I added washes of colours which you can see in the next image.

This is an image Rob took of Liam Hicks, on the right, which appeared on the cover of the NMRA Mail Car magazine which is the newsletter of the St. Lawrence Division.

Doug, Rob & I wrote a six part series article detailing the construction of our build.

Part Five appears in this issue from the month of November.

To see and read Part Five, simply 'copy and paste' the web address below into your computer's browser.

https://sld-nmra.ca/wp-content/uploads/mailcar/2025_11_high.pdf

Part Four of our article appears here in the September issue.

(Image of CP Railway Bridge over the Rideau River at Merrickville, Ontario taken by Lorne Munro)

https://sld-nmra.ca/wp-content/uploads/mailcar/2025_9_high.pdf

Part Three

(Image of East Broad Top machine shop taken by Stan Conley)

https://sld-nmra.ca/wp-content/uploads/mailcar/2025_3_high.pdf

Part Two

(Image of diorama built by me for my late friend Mike Rozeboom with Mike's CP E8 #1801 passing the engine facility with photo taken by my friend Mike Rozeboom)

https://sld-nmra.ca/wp-content/uploads/mailcar/2025_1_high.pdf

Part One

(Image of the coal dealership I built for Doug after he had started the building on the left which I completed)

https://sld-nmra.ca/wp-content/uploads/mailcar/2024_11_high.pdf

Part Six to come soon!

This was the poster for Doug's speech.

For transport purposes, the two modules are actually quite lightweight.

Here I have them resting atop foam my wife, Lisa, provided.

They are being taken to the Ottawa Valley Associated Railroaders dinner meeting to be shown on the display table there.

A lamp offers ample lighting for the combined diorama.

The lamp actually has a handful of light settings to choose from!

For the setting at the OVAR dinner meeting I pushed the date up a couple of decades to circa 1920.

This allowed me to introduce the Linn Half Truck and the Ford Model TT Truck onto the scene!

Again...many folks had many questions regarding the model and all aspects involved in its construction.

Some 85 members attend our monthly dinner meetings.

For Doug, Rob & me it is always fun to share our modelling projects with the greater railroading community!

In this video we are back in my basement and Doug is explaining to another of our model railroad friends, Jeff Hill, the workings of the log carriage.

To engage the video click on the white arrow in the center of the picture two times, once, then pause, then again.

Yet another video explanation.

Continued explanations from Doug as seen in this video effort.

Funnily enough, one of my favourite aspects of the build was the retaining wall you see at the extreme right of the diorama which holds back the land from the sloping roadway down into the log dump!

Here is a closer look at the retaining wall.

You'll note the trees stumps now in place as well as the sawmill worker carrying the peavey.

Initially, the worker was actually holding a sledgehammer which I cut off.

I then split the peavey in half and glued it to his hands on either side with the handle of the sledgehammer remaining in place between his two hands and painted silver.

Video of the log dump area showcasing the road grader being pulled by the team of oxen among many other items.

To create the oxen handler's 'goad' which assists him in directing the team of oxen I simply used an old guitar string!

Another video of the log dump area.

Final video of the diorama.

I'm posting this entry at 6:00 PM on October 31st.

It's that time when the witch gets out her flying broom...

...and the black cat arches its back...

...so-o-o...Happy Haunted Halloween!

Here's Doug on the left of the image, Rob on the right and little ole me in the middle!

Hey, thanks so much for checking in on this latest blog entry showcasing the fun Doug, Rob & I have had working as a team on this amazing project!

In future entries I will share with you more detailed notes from the various aspects of this build.

I will intersperse other builds I have been working on in between the various developments on the sawmill or previously completed projects that I have yet to blog about.

All the best, Mike Hamer, 

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Sierra West Scale Models Sawmill Progress Videos

Sierra West Scale Models Sawmill Progress Videos

Hi folks.  I have been so busy working on the sawmill project in O Scale with my good friends Doug Matheson & Rob Kazakoff that I have not had time to create any progress posts of the various stages of the build.

I will do that in short order, but how about we 'jump ahead' and take a look at a dozen or so videos of my progress thus far.

I would imagine that there are some 600 hours of benchwork time involved at this point and there will be plenty more to go.

Brett at Sierra West calls the project the "Deer Creek Sawmill".  Doug has decided to call this build the "Liam Hicks Sawmill"...a typical small sawmill in Eastern Ontario.

To engage the videos, click on the white arrow in the center twice (slowly - once then once again).

You will notice that I have yet to put the rafters in place.  

I have constructed them but will wait to build them up as Doug, Rob & I are on the hunt for suitable O Scale figures.  It will be much easier to place them on the shop floor with the rafters off.

Doug wishes to use the diorama as a 'teaching tool'. 

For this reason we have decided to not build a full roof to allow visual access to all parts of the mill.

Yes, we know that there should be sawdust 'everywhere' but Doug wishes to keep this version of the mill rather clean.

The sawdust would have to be miniature in scale even if this project is in 'O'!

Brett at Sierra West may notice that we chose to place all of the drive shafts and belting 'above' the cross beam members. 

The kit instructions have them hanging below the beams.  By going 'up' this calls for some ingenious rafter design for later on - already done but not in place!

The Dolbeer Single Spool Donkey Engine is from Wiseman Model Services as are a few other vehicles and wagons (oxen and horses too) that will eventually appear on the diorama.

The Model TT Truck and the Linn Half Track truck are from Brett at Sierra West Scale Models.

I estimate that this mega-project thus far has consisted of some 70 mini-assignments, each taking up a few hours to a few days to complete.

I may also add that this project has brought me pure joy working with such an amazing kit from Brett with super detailed castings!

I can categorize more succinctly the 70 projects into 15 main categories.

1.  Construct, paint and weather all relevant vehicles

2.  Prime and paint all machine parts, assemble & weather

3.  Build up diorama base with all contours and add initial spartan scenery (scenery to be built up later)

With every progressive mini-scene, the sawmill's purpose came to life more fully!

4.  Construct the floor (piers, beams, joists & decking - decking in increments)

5.  Build up the main wall supports and cross beams

6.  Assemble the boiler, the engine and adhere to the base, then join together with piping

Building up the stacks of finished lumber to be shipped was fun as were all other assignments.  Doug asked me to make sure to place stickers between each layer of the finished product to allow air to move around and keep the lengths from warping.

7.  Create main headframe and main driveshaft

8.  Build remaining drive shafts and countershafts, placing the pulleys and miter gears in their proper order along the length of the shaft

9.  Belt all machines, both below and above floor decking to upper drive shafts using TYVEK material (the TYVEK does not warp with humidity and temperature changes)

The location in Doug's home where the two modules will eventually reside is against a wall tucked into a 'cubby' with smaller side walls (one being shelving) so scenes at the rear of the sawmill may not be seen very well...thus the limited detail here.  I do like the appearance of the sliding rear door.

10.  Construct all roof rafters - but hold off gluing in place

11.  Construct three main back walls with interior framing (studs and supports)

12.  Prime, paint & weather all detail parts that will bring the mill to life

While Brett has created some 'enclosed' areas such as the office area, Doug wanted everything visible from the one main viewing angle, therefore only three main walls were constructed.

13.  Create a variety of 'mini-scenes' both inside the mill and out

14.  Build sawdust bin

15.  Create upper 'jack slip' section and butt against the log ramp

I have enjoyed having Doug & Rob venture over to my home here in Ottawa each week for our morning discussions of the modelling efforts.  

Then I 'go to town' each week on a new area of the build.

As I have mentioned, this project is nowhere near complete.  We still have to create the log dump on an adjacent module.  Rob has agreed to take on the build of a nice derrick Doug purchased from Crow River Products.  

I have many more projects on my workbench including building some more wagons pulled by teams of horses and teams of oxen.

I also will add more earth and include grass and weeds to cover up some of the piers that currently 'float' in the air!

Here we see Doug holding the lamp to illuminate the sawmill as Rob photographs the module.

The lads look out over the scene.

I just finished painting and weathering this water/oil steam transfer pump from Ozark Miniatures as I will be scratch building a pump house to feed the boiler with water.

Thanks so much for checking in on this fun build of the Sierra West Scale Models Sawmill.

Mike Hamer, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Sierra West Scale Models Sawmill

Sierra West Scale Models Sawmill

Note:  This particular blog entry will be 'on-going' as the sawmill develops, so check in each week or so to follow the progress!

In the past I scratchbuilt a machine shop in O-scale for my good friend Doug Matheson after constructing the various machines from Sierra West Scale Models.  The machine shop begged to be in a nice setting so we created a massive four segment diorama depicting the machine shop in a small eastern Ontario town circa 1910 with a train station, general store and a coal dealer.

To visit the blog entry dealing with the machine shop build itself (with a multitude of Sierra West machines) but not the dioramas, visit the blog entry from April 2021 in the blog archive in the right hand column.

The link below will take you to a "Modeler's Minute" where my friend Doug and I share the larger diorama with some NMRA friends.  Doug was the inspiration for the build and I did all of the modeling.

Copy and past the link into your computer's browser:

https://sld-nmra.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bytown-Express/Modeller%E2%80%99s%20Minute%20-%20Mike%20Hamer%20Doug%20Matheson%20-%20Tyrone.pdf

To see the four part diorama, machine shop, coal dealership, general store and train depot, there are four blog entries from March 2023 in the righthand column.

With that project having been completed a couple of years ago, Doug approached me to see if I was interested in building the Sierra West Scale Models Sawmill and place it on a diorama...once again, we'd be doing the modeling in O scale.

"Sure!" I said to Doug.  

So, Doug ordered the kit from Brett at Sierra West.  But before we go ahead with the build, we decided to build a few vehicles from that early time period circa 1910 which I will share a few pictures of with you before the sawmill build proceeds.

Just a quick note from Brett in his instructions.

He writes,  "While I use a high strength tooling resin that is very flexible and strong, the parts in these kits contain incredibly fine detail that must be handled carefully to prevent damage.

Instructions relevant to his kits can be viewed and downloaded at his website:

Copy and paste the link below into your computer's browser:

sierrawestscalemodels.com/instructions.html

One of the vehicles Brett offers is the Linn Half Truck.  This is a great looking model that was built in a day at the workbench after a primer spray of black offered up the day before.

The Linn Half Truck build involved more of an effort in painting and weathering than model building itself as there were only a small handful of resin sections to be glued together.  The quality of these parts is 'second to none' in my books!

Another model I built offered from Brett at Sierra West Scale Models is this exquisite specimen, a Ford Model TT Flatbed Truck

Yet another great looking model offered by Brett.

Doug loved the appearance of the Best Sixty dozer offered by Sierra West so it arrived my workbench as well.

Here was how the model appeared before the canopy option was applied.

A 3/4 view from the rear with the canopy applied.

And...from the front!  Such a cool-looking model in my books!

Another model which will play a significant role in the sawmill diorama will be this steam donkey offering from Wiseman Model Services Inc.

This was a rather intricate, yet rewarding build.

This photo was taken beneath a forested area on the large scale outdoor railroad we operate every Saturday morning throughout the late spring and into early fall up here in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Wiseman Model Services also offered up this lovely little kit of a logging wagon in O scale.

While these aren't really authentic logs for the image (old pencils) it gives you the idea of the purpose for the logging wagon.

A lower angle look.

Doug liked the look of this Russell Hi-Way Patrol Grader, so we built it!

I snapped this image after painting and building the model - but before weathering and adding the tongue to hold the harnesses for the horses or oxen who would be pulling the grader.

The model has been weathered and the tongue is in place.  It is erect seeing as a team of horses or oxen will be harnessed on both sides of the tongue.

In later years the tongue was replaced by a shorter hitch and a tractor would have pulled the grader.  Two men would ride the grader with one steering the unit while the other used the upper wheels to raise and lower and change the angle of the blade.

Doug loves tractors so I built this Fordson tractor for him - another offering from Brett Gallant at Sierra West Scale Models.

This is a great looking model as well!

Yet another tractor offering from Brett at Sierra West is this Farmall tractor.

She's an 'oldie' but a 'Goldie'!

Ahh...there may even be more vehicles to come in the near future - even if they may not even appear on the sawmill diorama!

 

Let's get on with the sawmill build.

This will be an on-going thread as this will be a long-term project!

I began by running my grain-making tool along the beams and joists that will make up the subfloor.

I then stained  the subfloor beams and joists using the SAMAN Furniture Stain 'Colonial' and then offering a 'wash' of black acrylic paint.

The SAMAN furniture stain 'Colonial' is on the left and the black acrylic paint is on the right.

Brett recommends having the 'visible' beams and joists run no longer than 16 scale feet or around six inches...so here I am marking the border at one of these intervals.

The miter box allows for perfect cuts.

I chose to use painters masking tape to hold the beams in place atop the schematic diagram before gluing the joists in place.  I roughed up the exposed ends of the beams and joists although I have yet to stain the ends seen in this image.

Some of the longer beams required holes to accommodate the 'Live Rolls Drive Friction Shaft'.

While I had a smaller drill bit, I was able to enlarge the opening with this narrow awl.  This will allow the .047 diameter brass wire to pierce each of the seven beams.  

I used the first beam to act as a guide in order to drill the rest of the holes to keep the opening for the rod 'in line'.  Some of these beams appear longer on the model but I chose to shorten the area where the rod pierces them for ease of working with beams of the same length.  The beams will be lengthened when they are placed on the template.

This wheel will be attached to the end of the shaft.  I have blackened it with a wash of acrylic black paint.

The above image showcases the installation of the 'Live Rolls Drive Friction Shaft'.

The wheel is located at the end of the shaft as mentioned before.

The bevel friction items are in place.

Finally, the lever goes in.  In fact, all of these items had to be placed strategically along the shaft including the beams to ensure the proper order of things!  Big smile!

With the joists installed now atop the beams, my trusty weights hold them in place as the glue sets.

Mini-clamps also aid in keeping the 'side by side' joist segments in place as the glue sets for them.

Here is where the project stands for the time being.

The actual floor boards will not be placed for quite a while as many other projects within the framework will have to be addressed.  Check in every week or so to see how I am progressing with the build!

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Some new progress.

I found time to complete the Hyster Logging Arch from Brett at Sierra West Scale Models.

The arch came with a more substantial hitch than the one that arrived in the kit for the BEST Sixty dozer...which is, of course required for such a substantial item to be hauled! 😀😎😀

When I completed the Hyster, I needed something to take the place of a large log seeing as I didn't have any natural items around the house that would fit the bill...so, the handle of this tool sufficed for my photograph to send to Doug.

Doug's property has a lovely woodlawn area where his large scale outdoor railroad exists and he easily supplied me with a 3/4" branch that would suffice as the log.

For the image, I simply rested the log on the paper atop my workbench.  Eventually when Doug & I go to create a diorama for this wonderful 'beast of burden' the log will be raised somewhat in the front as it is being dragged off into the distance!  👍👍

I snapped this image of Doug snapping an image of four of the models I built...with all four making it onto the future sawmill diorama.

Next step is to add the front and rear rope sheaves and to glue the rails atop their wooden rail risers.

The sheaves are glued in place but I have simply rested the rail risers (with rails) atop the substructure.  

I don't want to glue them in place until I actually build the carriage for the logs as the gauge of the wheels on the carriage will indicate the rail separation even though the template shows the location.  I want to be 100% sure! 

Note too how the upper form of the carriage stop is now in place.  It will demand a lovely substructure in time that will fall below the floor level.

Here is the rope drum assembly.  It is not glued in place as of yet either but it rests snug in between the beams!  😄

An overall look of the progress thus far!

The next step in the process is the blower drive assembly.

It will eventually have a belt going down below floor level.

Another check of the overall appearance of things at this time very early on in the process but with many hours already put in to the project.  Loads of fun, for sure!  😀😁😄

This will be a year-long project, so feel free to check in every once in a while to see what happened next at my workbench.

It's fun making models for friends...my way of "giving back"!

Mike Hamer

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada