Wolf Iron Works Educational Museum

Branch 15’s Wolf Iron Works Museum is nearly complete and we opened to the public for the first time on June 2, 2016. Below are some photos of some of the first guests in our museum. Some finish work is continuing on the interior. 

Branch 15 of Early Day Gas Engine & Tractor Association recently acquired a complete early period line shaft fabrication shop in it's entirety that was used to manufacture drag saws. The shop was the former "Wolf Iron Works" of Portland, Oregon. This flat belt line shaft shop, which was opened in 1925, turned out to be the predecessor to the chain saw in the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s.

When Branch 15 acquired the shop you could push a button or flip a switch and overhead belts would whir and flop, providing power for the massive equipment. The shop was started as a garage operation by A. Kellog DeWitt. DeWitt learned about fabricating drag saws while working at Vaughn, an established Oregon manufacturer of that period. A small operation for 30 years Wolf Iron Works made and sold drag saws under the "Timber Wolf" name. They were also sold by Montgomery Ward as the "Ward Sawyer".

As we continue with finish work on the interior, please consider making a donation and send to Branch 15, 3995 Brooklake Rd NE Bldg #65
Salem, OR 97303-9732. You can also donate through PayPal:

This shop was constructed as close as possible to the original specifications. The only variations were required by current code and building requirements. Ken Lang and Roy Dasher helped to put in the conduit for the fire system, working with the John Deere group.

There are six machines all running at once from a single motor.