Sawmill Portrait

(Photograph copyright 2015 by Dan Routh)

Gary Mac at the sawmill. Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

Rolling Logs

(Photograph copyright 2015 by Dan Routh)

Denton, North Carolina.

Working the Carriage

(Photograph copyright 2014 by Dan Routh)

Sawing lumber. Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

Jawing at the Sawmill

(Photograph copyright 2013 by Dan Routh)

Gary McMasters and Charlie Latham take a break at Gary's sawmill in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

Taking Off Lumber

(Photograph copyright 2013 by Dan Routh)

At my neighbor's sawmill in Grays Chapel, Nort Carolina.

On The Loader

(Photograph copyright 2012 by Dan Routh)

Loading logs. Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

Moving Logs

A skidder works moving logs on my cousin's land in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

(Photographs copyright 2012 by Dan Routh)

Sawyer

(Photograph copyright 2012 by Dan Routh)

Gary McMasters saws at his mill in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

Sawmill Revisited

Poplar boards come off the saw at Gary McMasters' sawmill near my home in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

(Photographs copyright 2012 by Dan Routh)

Sawmill Afternoon

Images from my ongoing project at Gary McMasters' sawmill in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

(Photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Afternoon at the Sawmill

Neighbor Gary McMasters saws lumber recently at his sawmill in Grays Chapel, North Carolina. 

Gary Mac at the Sawmill

Neighbor Gary McMasters moves logs at his sawmill in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

(Photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Sawmill Portrait #2

Charlie Latham at Gary Mac's sawmill in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

(Photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Sawing Cedar

I walked out my back door on Saturday morning and with the wind coming from the southeast, I heard my neighbor Gary McMasters' sawmill running in the distance. I went by and found Gary, Charlie and Cecil sawing cedar logs for another neighbor Ronnie Horrell. It fascinates me every time I go by the mill. My Grandfather was a saw miller and I have great respect for Gary's ability as a sawyer. It is an art and takes a tremendous amount of skill and coordination to saw consistently straight and uniform lumber on a mechanical mill like Gary operates and to do it quickly. It's hard, it's dangerous and yet he operates the sawmill fluidly and effortlessly. On Saturday, Gary rolled the logs and operated the carriage while Charlie and Cecil stacked the lumber and slabs.

Below is Ronnie Horrell, for whom Gary was sawing. Ronnie is a thirteen year cancer survivor.

(Photographs copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Sawmill Portrait

(Photograph copyright 2011 by Dan Routh)

Cecil Bailey stacks lumber and slabs at neighbor Gary McMasters' sawmill on Saturday in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

Sawing Poplar

Neighbor Gary McMasters and his crew saw lumber on his vintage circular sawmill earlier this week. Gary custom saws for folks in and around Grays Chapel, North Carolina. Monday, they were sawing poplar for a local farmer for use as a floor in his barn loft. Scenes like this take me back to my childhood, when my Grandfather and my uncle ran a sawmill business with a mill very much like the one Gary uses.






(Photographs copyright 2010 by Dan Routh)