Restoring and running the mill is hard work but the rewards are great. Give us a call and let us know if you want to stop by. We don’t mill everyday (it’s a hobby) but we’ll be happy to arrange a time to show off our mill. Better yet, bring us a log and watch us turn it into beautiful lumber!
Starting with a special tree we have the ability to mill it to lumber and make special things to be used and cherished for generations to come. We have logs from massive oak trees that grew on my grandfather’s property where I grew up and some that died and needed taken down on this property. These trees are from as early as 1888 and will be used as timbers in the timber frame barn we’re building.
Groff’s Sawmill is a small family run hobby mill in Limerick, PA. The mill we operate has been in its current place since the mid-1970’s.
Joy’s father, Bud, purchased the mill that sat in a local farmer’s field rusted and overgrown. He brought it to the property and combined it with parts from his Belsaw mill to make it functional.
The mill is a Frick-01 manufactured by The Frick Company in Waynesboro, PA pre-1911. It’s run by a 1949 Minneapolis Moline gas industrial engine (known as a Power-Plant). The engine reportedly was used to power the “line-shaft" tools at a local foundry. There are many unique features to this particular mill. It’s a true testament to the innovative spirit that arose from the Great Depression….making do with what’s at hand. Joy’s father was an innovative man. He used parts and pieces from at least 2 mills, a Cub Cadet lawn tractor, washer and dryer components etc. to build the mill.
For more on the original “Bud’s Sawmill” and the Savage family you can check out this website that offer’s Joy’s sister Sonia’s impressions of the mill: budssawmill.com
Joy and I purchased the property from Joy’s mom in 2013 and started the long and arduous task of bringing the mill back to life. Though we have a long way to go, we are now at a point in the process where we can offer custom sawing services for folks that have trees and logs and would like to have them cut into lumber.