THE STORY OF THE SAW by Helen Mayne

The members of the Traction Engine Club of Ulster have recently embarked upon a major restoration project. Some of the committee members became aware of an 1880 Kerr horizontal saw bench which was coming up for sale, just couldn't resist it and this is where the story begins…. The saw spent the first part of its working life in the Crumlin sawmill. When the mill suffered fire damage, the saw was purchased by the Aldworth family of Crumlin and it was retained and used on their farm for the next 60 - 70 years. Driven by a Ferguson tractor the saw was used up until quite recently. The next chapter in the life of the saw began when the Aldworth family decided to relocate to the South of England and it became apparent that the saw would become available for sale. It was at this point that club members went to inspect the machine and decided to purchase it. The restoration of his mammoth piece of machinery will be a major project over the forthcoming months. The saw will be totally dismantled, parts refurbished, new parts manufactured if necessary, repainted, rebuilt and mounted on a trailer for ease of transportation. Funding for this project was going to be a major stumbling block so the club decided to see if any type of funding would be available to aid them. An application was made to Awards for All and the club have been successful in achieving a substantial grant to cover the complete restoration project under the Heritage Lottery Fund. Now it is time for the project to commence! With continued work it is hoped that the saw will be in full working order and in action at the club's 2005 rally. To see vintage machinery in working action, the place to be is Ballymena Showgrounds on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th July for the Traction Engine Club of Ulster annual steam rally.