Luis soon realized a simple truth.
Talking about improving the sawmill was easy.
Building something truly better… was another story.
For the entire morning, he, Rafael, and Matheus analyzed the existing machine.
The old saw worked.
But it was simple.
Limited.
And for what Luis had in mind, it was practically useless.
He crossed his arms while observing the mechanism.
"That won't work."
Rafael looked up.
"It won't?"
Luis shook his head.
"This machine isn't suitable for what I want to do."
Matheus, who was sitting on a pile of boards, asked:
"What exactly do you want to do?"
Luis answered directly:
"Automate the sawmill."
Rafael nodded.
"Right… but the machine already does that in part."
Luis pointed to the equipment.
"Not the way I imagine."
He took a deep breath.
"At the very least, we would need a steam-powered sawmill."
The silence that followed was immediate.
Matheus blinked.
"Steam-powered?"
Rafael frowned.
"That would be… a completely different machine."
Luis nodded.
"Exactly."
He continued:
"And not just that."
Luis raised two fingers.
"Two saws."
Rafael's eyes widened slightly.
"Two?"
Luis explained:
"One for the main cut.
Another for secondary cuts."
He pointed to the space inside the shed.
"With the right system, we could process much more wood."
Rafael remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he looked again at the current machine.
And then at Luis.
"That means…"
He realized it.
"We would have to design a new machine."
Luis confirmed.
"Yes."
Matheus raised his hands.
"Wait."
He looked from one to the other.
"You're talking about building an entirely new machine?"
Luis replied naturally:
"Yes."
Matheus fell back onto the pile of wood.
"I just wanted to escape from my father…"
Rafael completely ignored the comment.
He was looking at Luis with growing interest.
"How would it work?"
Luis grabbed a piece of charcoal and began drawing on a smooth wooden board.
Simple lines.
Axes.
Pulleys.
The flow of the wood.
He explained while drawing:
"The machine needs to be simple.
Easy to operate.
Fast."
Rafael moved even closer.
Matheus sighed.
"I think I'll go get some water."
"Bring three buckets," Rafael replied without taking his eyes off the drawing.
Matheus blinked.
"Three?"
"Yes."
"We're going to need them."
Matheus slowly realized something.
He wasn't just helping.
He was working.
Miguel had done that on purpose.
"My father threw me into a fire…"
Luis laughed.
"Probably."
The rest of the day was completely consumed by the project.
Luis explained concepts.
Rafael adapted the ideas into something that could actually be built with the available tools.
Matheus carried parts, wood, water, tools… and occasionally offered an opinion.
At first, Rafael believed they were only discussing small improvements.
Perhaps adjustments to the existing machine.
But the more Luis explained…
The more he realized this was something much bigger.
Rafael went through a real emotional journey throughout the day.
First came disbelief.
"That's impossible…"
Then skepticism.
"Even if it works… it must be too complicated."
Later, a new reaction appeared.
"Maybe… it could work…"
And finally, something completely different.
Excitement.
Rafael's eyes were shining as he analyzed the improvised drawings.
"If we make this shaft a little longer…"
Luis nodded.
"And reinforce this structure here."
Rafael lightly struck the table.
"This could work!"
Matheus looked at the two of them.
"You two are frighteningly excited."
Rafael immediately replied:
"Because this is incredible!"
Luis continued drawing.
"It's still just a sketch.
We need to simplify some parts."
Rafael pointed at one of the lines.
"And this power transmission?"
Luis answered:
"The steam engine would rotate the main shaft.
Then we distribute the energy using belts and pulleys."
Rafael stared at the drawing for several seconds.
Then he let out an incredulous laugh.
"Young master…"
Luis looked up.
Rafael slowly shook his head.
"I thought we were just going to adjust the sawmill."
He pointed to the drawing.
"But this…"
He smiled.
"This is practically a new era for the sawmill."
Matheus looked again at the drawings.
Then at Luis.
Then at Rafael.
"I still don't understand…"
He crossed his arms.
"But I have the feeling my father placed me in the middle of something very labor-intensive."
Luis smiled slightly.
"Maybe he did."
And as the sun began to set over the farm, three figures remained leaning over pieces of wood and charcoal.
Sketching.
Calculating.
Imagining.
This was the beginning of a great transformation.