The name already says: The sawmill 'De Rat' saws wood. But of course, in a much smaller scale than the current – modern - sawmills. Due to this limited size, it has been chosen to specialize the mill on three types of wood: pine, larch and elm wood.
The old-fashioned production of 'De Rat' is popular with many wooden traders. First of all, the wood is watered for a long time and then dried. The water pulls out the "wrong" substances out of the wood, which helps the wood to deform less during drying. Drying is also done in the old way: The sawn tribes are simply stacked together.
A piece of history: The mill 'De Rat' used to be in the Zaan region, around 1829 the mill was moved to IJlst. The mill was dismantled and then again built in IJlst. For more than 100 years, the mill still used wind power, but the "De Rat" had to accept it; The hood and wings were exchanged for an electric motor. This was reversed around 1967: The town of IJlst gave 'De Rat' her hood and wings back.
The unique sawmill is open during all year. If you would like to visit the mill, it is advisable to call the mill in advance.