Oppgangssag mm i Vikbekken (Frame-saw etc. at Vikbekken, Stream installations at Vikbekken)
Description
Viken, Setermoen, 9365 Bardu
Vikbekken belongs to the Viken farms and is situated 5.5 kilometres south of Setermoen on the west bank of the River Bardu. Vikbekken starts from the southern end of Svartvatnet and runs out in the bay, which in turn has its outlet in the River Bardu. Viken was the third farm to be established in Bardu, in 1793. In its very first year, the first grist-mill was built on the stream. The last installation on the stream – the farm’s power generator, of a type installed in mills from the 1920s onwards – was completed in 1943.
The frame-saw, saw station, grist-mill, mill and wadmal stamp-mill, as well as the dams in Vikbekken that exist today, were reconstructed from 1998 onwards, mostly through the efforts of volunteers. The reconstruction of the installations on the stream has been achieved against a background of records and surveys relating to the site, and oral tradition. In addition to the buildings with their technical installations, there are three types of dam, as well as irrigation ditches, in order to provide a stable supply of water to the various installations. The highest dam is a so-called needle dam, whilst a timber box dam regulates the flow of water to the stamp-mill and mill, and there is a simple log dam for the grist-mill and frame-saw.
There are very few frame-saws still in operation in Norway. From the early years of the nineteenth century onwards, there have been a total of sixteen frame-saws in Bardu alone. The last one in use was the saw that has now been restored at Vikbekken. This was dismantled during the 1940s. There are even fewer wadmal stamp-mills: there are thought to be only two remaining in the whole country.
The installations at Vikbekken work well and are used both in a historical context and to fulfil their original function. In this photograph there is just a glimpse of the saw station to the left, then the frame saw and grist-mill, and the mill is visible at the back on the right.
The frame-saw, saw station, grist-mill, mill and wadmal stamp-mill, as well as the dams in Vikbekken that exist today, were reconstructed from 1998 onwards, mostly through the efforts of volunteers. The reconstruction of the installations on the stream has been achieved against a background of records and surveys relating to the site, and oral tradition. In addition to the buildings with their technical installations, there are three types of dam, as well as irrigation ditches, in order to provide a stable supply of water to the various installations. The highest dam is a so-called needle dam, whilst a timber box dam regulates the flow of water to the stamp-mill and mill, and there is a simple log dam for the grist-mill and frame-saw.
There are very few frame-saws still in operation in Norway. From the early years of the nineteenth century onwards, there have been a total of sixteen frame-saws in Bardu alone. The last one in use was the saw that has now been restored at Vikbekken. This was dismantled during the 1940s. There are even fewer wadmal stamp-mills: there are thought to be only two remaining in the whole country.
The installations at Vikbekken work well and are used both in a historical context and to fulfil their original function. In this photograph there is just a glimpse of the saw station to the left, then the frame saw and grist-mill, and the mill is visible at the back on the right.
Year of construction
1998-2007
Client
Stiftelsen Vikbekken
Building Type
Technical stream installations
Construction System / Materials
Woodwork
Prizes / Recognition
Keywords
gate saw
woodwork
sawframe
mill
wadmal stamp-mill
dam
reconstruction
Map
