The wheel and its parts are fairly substantial and strong, and as we weren’t working intrusively, we did not need to be as protective.
The main challenge was in the project planning stage and finding people who could make the appropriate parts and getting it all to come together as you can imagine, parts for this type of technology cannot be easily purchased, and often have to be tailor made from scratch.
The specialist pattern makers and the foundries are regularly inundated with emergency projects, meaning we can be often bumped back in the queue.
The main challenge on site was definitely accessibility and working alongside the existing configuration.
The challenges however do not compare to the gratification of seeing the wheel turning again unaided, and watching the saw cut the first piece of wood in almost two years! The next phase in the project will be to replace the segments on the large drive wheel.
Come along and see the giant waterwheel that powers the sawmill back in working order on your next visit to Florence Court and keep an eye out for when we will be holding Sawmill Demonstrations in the near future!