Waldhusche Hinterhermsdorf - Flywheel with gate saw

At the Neumannmühle Technical Monument and Museum in the Kirnitzschtal valley, you can experience how mills in the Saxon Switzerland were once powered by water.

Sky-high and full of energy – wood is a precious raw material that gives people a lot, but also demands a lot from them. 

What electric motors do today used to be done by water power in the past.

This flywheel with a gate saw is an example of how water wheels were used to transfer and utilise mechanical energy in so-called board mills.

The energy of a flywheel is being converted into the thrust of a saw, which cuts round logs into flat beams.

The saw is driven by the continuous motion of the flywheel, making sure to keep an upright posture.

At least 400-year-old single-blade saw, known as a Venetian saw, in the Neumann Mill

A well thought-out design, skilfully implemented by carpenter Bernhard Witte from Dresden.

The saw is driven by the continuous motion of the flywheel.

Please note: Use is at your own risk!