Back in 2010 I built a saw mill. It houses the landscape transformer for lighting my buildings, well, future buildings, and has stood guard by the pond ever since.

As you can see in the construction photo, I had put Hardiboard around the base, to give it a finished look, and the keep the wood away from ground contact. I used the Hardiboard on the recommendation of another modeler (Bob Gentile) whom I respect and admire. Well, the first spring, the Hardiboard turned into little flakes and eventually disappeared. So the wood structure of the mill has been in contact with the ground ever since. This year the mill really started looking bad, so this past weekend, I decide to lift the mill out of its location and see if I could salvage it.

It really did look like a lost cause.

There was actually termite damage inside the mill. The termites are gone now. So I cut off the first floor and repaired the wood frame structure inside the mill. To keep wood away from contact with the ground, I replaced the first floor with coroplast, corrugated plastic election signs that just happed to come into my possession.

At first, working on the mill was like handling an eggshell, very delicate and fragile. As the repairs went along the structure became more solid and ridged.

I plan on covering the coroplast with the cut stone tile I picked up at The Home Depot.

I still have a lot of work to do to salvage the mill, one of the roof panels has broken a seal on the standing seam roofing, so the wood sub roof had rotted in the center. But for an afternoon’s worth of work, I am rather happy that I have saved as much of the original mill as I have.

Geez David, seams like you’ve been busy lately. You are a true inspiration. Progress looks good, and must be aided by all that extra lighting you have now. Looking forward to the mills transformation and also to getting back over there to see it all in person. Keep up the good work!

Randy, it was just one of those weekends, where I got started and just kept going. I even ran a train.

Hey cool, just like on This Old House! (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)

I would eliminate as much of the wood at the base as I could, otherwise you’ll run into the same problem a few more years down the road. And PVC board cut in 1" squares length wise along the bottom and vertically in the corners will also help keep it rigid. I like the stone tile idea. It’ll give it a more permanent and sturdy look.

Your 3 story mill is now a 2 story. If you gave it another 5 years it would be a 1 story. LOL

I like the look of it and using the plastic on the ground contact areas is a good idea.

Forrest, yea, but I don’t have the screen presence of the host of that show. So, its This Old Mill.

Ken, yes I am trying to have only plastic and stone down at the bottom. I really don’t want to be rebuilding the thing every 5 years.

Todd, I thought about making it a 2 story structure, but it just would not have the same “presence” at that height. I may have shrunk it a bit, since the original sketches are lost in the sands of time, or my workshop. But when I put the stone on it, if the courses don’t work out even, I may make what I have a tad taller.

In this episode of This Old Mill, Smokey extols the virtues of steam power, Chuck falls off the wagon, the coal wagon. Phil Thee demonstrates a new cleaner that he just discovered, Formula 409, and Old Lady Strawbridge…

Sorry, wrong script.

Today I started with covering the rebuilt first floor with cut stone. I started in the most visible corner of the mill, because I want that corner as good as I can get it.

Then I worked out where to tape my straight edge to the mill, so the stone would be laid (stacked) straight.

Then I started laying the stone. I am not going to bother wasting much stone under where the truck door will be. Later I may put some of the unusable stone there to support the door.

Once the stone was laid down to my straightedge, I moved it down a few more courses and continued laying the stone. I am adhering it to the coroplast with almond coloured silicone caulk. I chose the almond colour, so if any of it is visible between the stones, it wont stand out like white caulk would.

You may also notice, on the left side, that I am not laying stone over to where the remains of the truck door are. That’s because a man door goes there. I am not laying those stone until I build the man door. Then I can place the stone so that everything fits properly.

Once that end was done, what, no picture? Crud! I started on the side. Since I had laid the stone in the corner already, when I did the front, I knew where my courses should be, and I drew a few guidelines to help me keep the courses straight.

There will be windows in the first floor, and I was able to find, in my stash, some of the same type of windows that were originally in the first floor.

Yup, you guessed it. Those windows were cut from a florescent light diffuser.

This where I stopped for the evening.

Love it!

Wicked Awesome… (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)

Nice looking upgrade Dave. Those stones are getting a lot of use in LS builds (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)

Hollywood, I wanted stone on the base when I built the thing. But the method I used, when I built it, failed miserably. I hope this method works out better. And yes, thanks to LSC making us aware that these stones are available at Home Depot, they are being used a lot more in LS.

Its time for me to get my morning coffee and donuts, and then get back to stoning my mill.

That’s going to look real nice. Love the use of the lighting grates. I think moisture is going to run screaming in the other direction.

Randy I hope so. I see that I will have a lot of detail work to do to bring the mill back to where it should be. Right now though, I am still cutting and fitting stones.

In this episode of This Old Mill, Tom Morrow, the shop foreman pitches a fit, since the stone work may not be completed tomorrow, and threatens to fire Chip Cutter, the stone mason. Bob Callaway, the railroad photographer is A.W.O.L. And old lady Strawbridge…

As I said, my photographer was absent today. So I only have the end of the day picture to post.

I was interrupted a few times today during the stone work, and cutting the stone to fit the window openings takes some time. But, I am happy with the progress made, and I even got the window frames pained. Maybe, maybe, tomorrow, after work, I can make a little more progress.

Nice effect David. I love those stone tiles. Hard to find at Lowes. Good to know they are available at Home Depot.

In this episode of this Old Mill, Bob Callaway, the company photographer, makes an appearance. Tom Morrow, the shop foreman, is happy again, because he can see progress. Work stops for a while due to un-forecast thunderstorms, and old lady Strawbridge…

Due to the heat this past week, I didn’t work on the mill after work. Walking around downtown at work, with temperatures in high 80s and low 90s, with matching humidity, drained me. But today I got back to the stone work on the east wall.

I wasn’t sure that I was going to finish the stonework today, especially after taking a break for the thunderstorms, but by sundown, the east wall was completely stoned. I mean, um, the stone work was done on the east wall.

Tomorrow, I am going to start fixing the damaged wood that I still have.

Nice!

I’m beginning to think this is more than an “Old Mill” rebuild and being disguised for the Japanese business men investors looking at the RR .

Editing : don’t forget the watertable (drip edge) between the siding and stone foundation

Rooster, um, ah…ok.

And I did forget the drip edge. I am hoping that the silicone caulk will seal that gap, and since the wood siding is nearly flush with the stone work, the rain water should, hopefully, keep rolling down the wall.