Refined Manufacturing · Wild West Pioneers
Sawmill
Waterwheel or draft-driven lumber processing facility. Consumes 2 Raw Timber to output 4 Wooden Planks every 45 seconds (5.33 Planks/min).
Construction Cost
40 Timber, 20 Stone, 4 Pioneer Tools
Worker Capacity
3 Sawmill Workers
Operating Upkeep
8 Gold / day
Input Ratio
2 Raw Timber / 45s (2.67 Timber/min)
Output Ratio
4 Wooden Planks / 45s (5.33 Planks/min)
Optimal Input Pairing
2 Lumberjack Cabins per 1 Sawmill
Pollution / Nuisance
-10 Residential Morale within 10 tiles
Frontier Tier
Tier 1 (Foundation)
Operational Overview & Strategic Role
The Sawmill converts raw logs into uniform Wooden Planks, the fundamental building block for Tier 2 Wooden Shacks, Blacksmith Workshops, and defensive barricades. Its circular saws and steam-driven flywheels represent the first step in industrializing the frontier.
Parametric Specifications & Workload Matrix
| Attribute | Operational Metric |
|---|---|
| Construction Cost | 40 Timber, 20 Stone, 4 Pioneer Tools |
| Workforce Capacity | 3 Sawmill Millers |
| Raw Consumption | 2 Raw Timber / 45 seconds (2.67/min) |
| Plank Output | 4 Wooden Planks / 45 seconds (5.33/min) |
| Environmental Impact | -10 Morale Penalty within 10 tiles |
Logistics Optimization & Placement Tactics
- The Golden Ratio (2:1): 2 Lumberjack Cabins yield 8.0 Timber/min, while 1 Sawmill consumes 2.67 Timber/min. Pairing 2 Cabins to 1 Sawmill produces an operational surplus of ~5.33 Timber/min for domestic firewood and export.
- Zoning Separation: Due to heavy saw dust and mechanical screeching, keep Sawmills at least 10 tiles away from residential clusters to prevent the -10 morale debuff.
- River Placement Perk: If built adjacent to a flowing river, the Sawmill gains a +15% waterwheel processing speed modifier.