I wonder if the Dadant factory in Hamilton, Illinois has any of the tools they used when they first started production of bee hives. I think it was 1875. No power tools so it must have been quite a process to produce all the mortice cuts and all the cuts on the frames etc. I imagine a hundred men with hand miter saws and special jigs. Could be wrong.
Is there a museum? Has anyone been there?
I have an AI Root catalog from the 1880s or 1890s. Among other things, they list (and show) saws setup to make beehives...tablesaws with ganged blades on a common spindle spaced to cut hive components. Saws are described as being treadle powered, with steam power being available at an extra cost.
I bet they had a steam jenny pulling belts for power if not next to a river then it could have been water power. 1875 was pretty well into the industrial revolution. Low cost items like bee boxes and frames would not pay for all that hand labor.
Sorry aunty, but 1875 were not the dark ages anymore, certainly no pc's but he people in thus days (I feel) made more changes then we can imagine! North America in thus days was short of people and long of work.
Saw mills in those days were probably powered by water, or coal fired steam. Gasoline was not used at that time, it wasn't until 1892 with the invention of the automobile that gasoline was recognized as a fuel. Good topic, will try and dig up some info on early mills that manufactured beeware.
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