ats to wpf difference !

[bodark55]

 : Another newbie , gota million questions, this is best forum on web, sure appreciate if someone could explain in more detail the difference between the two mills and some input from people who own both,and where does the almost 4 thousand difference come in , I just don't see it , on pictures anyway.

[Ianab]

Hi Bodark and welcome to the forum   

The main difference between and ATS and WPF mills is the way the sawhead is raised and lowered. On an ATS mill the main rails themselves are lifted up and down to adjust height. On the WPF the rails are fixed in place, either on the ground (lo - lo) or one on the ground, one up in the air (hi-lo). The rails dont move as you are sawing. The head is moved on a seperate mechanism within the production frame. The ATS is basically similar to the Lucas mill in that way. It's lighter and less expensive and more portable, but I dont think it's as accurate and the height must be adjusted at 2 points. (takes longer) The blade and powerhead are basically the same, but the mechanism that adjusts the cuts are very different.

I'm sure Captain or Jake can give more details, but once you see the 2 mechanisms working they are quite different.

Cheers

Ian

[Hammy]

Hey Bodark,

Firstly welcome to the forum, I am sure you will enjoy the range & wealth of knowledge available on this site.

Ok, the difference between the Peterson ATS & WPF. The main difference is the way the mills are raised & lowered. The ATS uses its tracks with winches to move the saw up & down. The WPF tracks stay in position, either Lo/Lo (both ground level) or Hi/Lo ( 1 on the ground & the other held up by supports - great for rolling logs under & dispelling the sawdust underneth the track). By having the tracks in a fixed position it allows access to the log from any side & track extensions can be added without needed extra supports for moving tracks. Specialty cutting such as long lengths become a diversity for your sawing.

The WPF has a frame which the sawhead moves up & down within. This elimnates the need for moving tracks.

The other difference is the fact that the ATS as 2 winches to rasie & lower the saw (both located at the operates end), whereas the WPF has only 1. This removes the risk of operator error adjusting the 2 points slightly differently (normally near the end of the day!) & is faster. 1 point sizing is a great advantage of the WPF, especially if you ever plan to mimll be yourself.

We advertise the ATS will realistically cut around 800-2400 bd ft+ per day & the WPF is capable of 1200-3000 bd ft+ per day. The main difference comes from not 1 big thing but many little things, such as two winches to adjust for every drop, human error with 2 adjustments, when loading a new log it takes time to 'crab' the ATS back up into a position to allow the next log to be rolled into place, restricted access to remove boards & waste from tracks etc etc.

Apart from that they are very similar - same cutting method, all come with 6", 8" or 10" cutting capacity & both have the same hp options ranging from 13hp - 27hp.

I hope this helps, please feel free to contact us direct if you need to discuss this further. All the best!!  ;)

[Captain]

While Ian and Hammie did a great job with words, I'll do it with pictures. 

We had a Demo Day here yesterday (and another next weekend thanks to Mother Nature, see Shows, Events, Places to Meet...)

As they both alluded, here is a shot of the ATS Tracks



This is taken at the end of the mill that includes the 2 winch boxes.  To raise and lower the mill, the tracks are moved simultaneously in equal amounts.  Adjustment for log taper can be made at a crank handle on the oppesite end of each winch box, on the far end.  To load logs, the tracks must be raised, the log loaded, and then lowered to start the cut at the desired height.  It is also difficult to work from the sides of the ATS mill, it is easier to move material out the ends, the track kind of "boxes you in".

Here is the ATS Center Unit



This Center unit is shown with the jockey wheels on, as I rolled it into the barn to get it out of our inclimate weather last night....The workings of the center unit as far as horizontal adjustment, blade flip, engine location, EVERYTHING is the same as a WPF Center unit.

This is a shot of the WPF tracks.  These are setup Hi-Lo.  The Hi-Lo tracks are an option.  The high track in this picture can be setup low, I often do for the times I setup around one big log to cut.  The two big advantages to the high track are:
1) Ease in repetitive log loading, the center support just slides up out of the way.
2) The track is out of the sawdust, no need to continually keep it clean.
(It is worth noting that the ATS tracks are always above the sawdust...)

One other distinct WPF advantage is the ease of adding additional track sections.  Because the ATS tracks go up and down, it becomes much harder to add track sections for great additonal length.  With the WPF, you just bolt them on to the desired length.



Lastly, this is a picture from one end of my WPF carriage.  As mentioned before, the whole business of raising and lowering the WPF center unit is on the carriage.  This picture is of my mill in the trailer for weather storage.



If you look closely, on the far end you can see an electric winch that is used from the operator's station to handle the vertical adjustments.  It replaces the single hand winch mentioned earlier, and is a real plus for speed when working alone.  Another WPF exclusive.

If you really want to see the difference, come to our Demo Day next Saturday and see!!
We look forward to more questions...

Captain

[sigidi]

Bodark, I can't offer help on the two machines, but I'm more than happy to welcome ya to the FF family.


Welcome.

[bodark55]

Sure would like to tell you all how much i  appreciate the info , it's exactly what I thought I would get from a bunch of good hard working people, my brother and I are planning to purchase a miil and I told him I could get good quality info from everyone here if I can ever help I surely will. I'm new at all this so bear with me. I'll beable to make my purchase of a mill and hopefully build my own timberframe one day . Thanks to Ianab,hammond,captain, sigidi, and all! Sorry have'nt gotten back fore now , hope to get better connected. This is my kinda place!