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- unknown newspaper, May 1985, p. 1, cols. 1-3, & p. 2, col. 4
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NINA SCHELL (left) and daughter Harriet Stahl of Minneapolis said their goodbyes to the Schell sawmill before it was moved from its Blue River home of 42 years Saturday.
The Rock River Thresheree, probably the largest antique power show in the state, has become the new home of the Schell sawmill, which was moved from Blue River this past weekend.
The Schell sawmill has been in the Schell family for two generations, first owned by Fred Schell and later by his son Harry.
The sawmill has been used rarely in the last 20 years since Harry suffered a massive heart attack in 1964.
Although sawing lumber at Harry R. Schell Sawmill and Supplies has ceased, the business of tensioning saw blades and selling sawmill supplies is still thriving.
The sawmill was moved to the Thresheree Saturday by a crew of a dozen men led by Wendell Bennett of Platteville. The Threshereee organization owns land between Janesville and Edgerton, where they hold their annual show. Bennett is the treasurer of the Thresheree.
Building an exact replica
The club members erected a building which is an exact replica of the Blue River sawmill. The building will have a room of Harry Schell memorabilia complete with pictures and newspaper clippings.
The rough-hewn lumber used as siding on the new building was cut recently at the Schell sawmill by Gerald Peer, a long time friend of Harry's, and Rodney Johnson who works at Schell's as the "hammerman." It was the last wood cut on the saw before it was moved Saturday.
Master hammerman
The sawmill has inherited a degree of fame from the late Harry Schell, who was known throughout the United States as a master hammerman. Hammermen are a rare breed of individuals who put tension in the giant five-foot diameter blades used at sawmills. The blades are hammered one blow at a time at various places on each side until the job is done.
The blades will not spin properly at high speeds unless they are tensioned. It takes an expert hammerman to know precisely where to hit the blades.
Harry's skill at saw blade tensioning was the subject of an investigation 12 years ago by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor.
The professor studied a number of hammermen, taking careful notes on where each of the hammer blows fell. He fed this information into a computer and came up with nothing.
Professor was stumped
The professor, then considered the top metallurgical expert in the saw industry, was stumped by the achievements of Harry Schell who was mentioned in a Untied Press International story about the hammermen.
Harry was considered by Simonds company (who produce the large blades) as the most accomplished hammerman in the entire country.
In a recent news release from the Rock River Thresheree, it was pointed out that the sawmill will be presented as "The world famous Harry R. Schell sawmill."
