Show visitors seem to get a great deal of fun collecting
souvenirs from the wood cutting exhibit and exhibitors delight in
giving them out. Consequently, wood cutting is one of the most
popular areas at the show.
At the Butterfield, Minnesota Show last year the big saw mill,
powered by steam & gas, ripped its way through huge logs. Then
show-goers saw this lumber turned into all sorts of things. A
shingle mill cut shingles, a lath mill turned wood into laths, and
an antique planer showed how ingenious the early craftsmen
were.
Cord wood splitting was made easier in the early days by
homemade devices which used auto and tractor parts. John Pankratz
has a fine collection of early cord wood splitters and he was there
demonstrating the gas engine’s welcome alternative to the
axe.
Courtest of Bill Paulson, Butterfield Advocate, Butterfield,
Minnesota 56120
