A three year effort by volunteers and staff restored the engine to working conditions. The pieces were lowered into the Museum's galleria by crane before the roof was placed overhead, making this the first artifact installed in the new Van Andel Museum Center. Today the engine is run by a motor instead of live steam, to protect sensitive objects in the building from harmful changes in humidity. Its factory formed a cycle of energy by reusing the wood by-products created in the manufacturing process. Steam enters the steam chest.
Steam pushes the piston back and forth, making the crank turn the flywheel.
Belt carries energy from the flywheel to the line shaft. Line shaft carries energy to pulleys throughout the factory. Belts connect pulleys on the line shaft to pulleys on the jack shaft of the machine. The turning jack shaft makes the saw blade turn, cutting lumber into furniture parts, scrap wood and sawdust. The finished furniture is shipped to furniture stores.