Any one heard of the ECO SAW?

[doublecut]

Has anyone heard of the ECO SAW swing blade mill? This mill swings 180 degrees.
doublecut

[Frank_Pender]

Sounds like something the Sierra Club to develope. 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) :'(

[leweee]

you mean this placehttp://members.iinet.net.au/~ecosaw ;D


NAHHHHH....never heard of dem bloks.. :D :D :D



If they want to sell them mills they need to spruce up that website or at least offer a demo video...or something ???

[Gilman]

"For softer timber, 3 or 4 tip blades are recommended."

Does "tip" mean something different down under, or did they mean to say, TPI?

I understand they are metric but, "tip" tranlates to ???

FF help out here please...

[Wife]

Sure have, they came on the scene after peterson as well. :
Based in Australia as is the Lucas. ;)
Yes the blade pivots 180 degrees.
has to be lowered by two winches at oppossing ends as the Lucas. :(
The side movment also requires adjusting from both ends for each board you cut. :-/
oh well, at least it has a good blade in the sense that it is a circular. ;D
The were actually called the "Lewis saw" after the gentleman who actually  patten the 180 degree pivot of the swing saw.
I dont think they are selling many now and that they have changed owners, i could be wrong but this is what I've been told.
Hope that this helps.  Chris (Husband) 8)

[Ianab]

Hi Gilman

Does "tip" mean something different down under, or did they mean to say, TPI?  

On a swing blade the saw has replaceable "tips". Usually between 4 and 8 actual cutters spaced around the outside of the blade. Actual number of cutters depends on blade size, engine horsepower, what you are cutting.. and some voodoo  :D

This is the blade on my mill, 4 tips.


Ian

[Gilman]

Thanks Ian.

Why so few teeth?

[doublecut]

Takes far less power and cuts as smooth as with more teeth.
doublecut

[Buzz-sawyer]

I run a 56" blade.....but only run every other tooth...I use a worn out tooth in every other socket to carry dust..but cut with only every other.....my saw RARELY bogs down with 150 h.p engine and this tooth configeration

[Hokiemill]

Sorry about taking this thread in a different direction but....

Wife-Chris-Husband, I run a lucas but long for a Peterson.  However, I think the only positive the lucas has over the Peterson is something you see as a negative and that's the vertical adjustments made at opposite ends of the log.  Yes, for a one person operation having them at the same end saves some time, but with the little bit of milling (1000 bf) I've done so far I've had someone tailing who could adjust the far end.  The big advantage as I see it is the easy adjustment of the tracks to run parallel to the pith (or parallel to the bark if you choose) without having to lift the log and use shims.  Just my two cents.  I'd be glad to help engineer a combination of the two designs for you and all I would charge is a free 8" ATS ;D

Ian and other swingers - any clever ways to help with the sawdust that gets packed tight (and I mean TIGHT) into the allen sockets of the bolts that hold the blade on?  Right now I'm just picking it out with an awl - kind of a pita.

[Gilman]

Hokie,
Have you tried the combo of the pick and air in a can for cleaning electronic equipment.  I dont' think there is enough pressure by itself, but with the aid of an awl I think it'd be worth a try.

[Ianab]

Hi Gilman
 When a circle blade is working right it will be throwing out relatively large chips instead of sawdust. Imagine each tooth as a small chisel. Rule of thumb, it takes 2 or 3 hp to drive each tooth on a circle blade. So my 8hp works fine with 4 teeth, more would just bog the saw down, scrape out finer sawdust and generally be less efficient. I'm not cutting as fast as Buzz with his 150hp, but each tooth is working in a similar manner.

Hokie
 Yes the different designs have their good and bad points depending on what you are doing. That Eco / Lewis looked like it could be very usefull on steep, uneven terrain where access was poor.
As for the Dang sawdust and sap mix that cooks into the screw holes... an awl is probably as good as anything, I use a tiny flat blade screwdriver.  Fortunately I haven't had to change blades very often, so I just sit down for a couple of minutes and pick the crud out.  :

Ian

[Captain]

Hokie,

With the Peterson ATS, it is easy to adjust for log taper.

All you need to do is go to the "far" end of the mill with the weight of the saw carriage on the "near" end of the mill and disengage the bar that attaches the far support.  There is a crank handle on the back side of the far support.  Turn the crank upward or downward, as necessary, in 1/4 turn increments (to re-engage with the bar).  Repeat for the other side, matching the amount moved.  Viola, taper compesated.

Much of my milling is done alone, and I find an ATS to wear much less miles on my boots than my friends Lucas.  Much much less miles with my electric winch WPF.....

Hey, you never did tell us how you and your dad made out with the lumber in Richmond.....

CAPTAIN

[Arthur]

you mean this placehttp://members.iinet.net.au/~ecosaw ;D


NAHHHHH....never heard of dem bloks.. :D :D :D



If they want to sell them mills they need to spruce up that website or at least offer a demo video...or something ???

Company bought last Christmas with new web site www.ecosaw.com.  This site is still being setup as we are extreamly busy with new mills and models.

[Arthur]

Sure have, they came on the scene after peterson as well. :
Based in Australia as is the Lucas. ;)
Yes the blade pivots 180 degrees.
has to be lowered by two winches at oppossing ends as the Lucas. :(
The side movment also requires adjusting from both ends for each board you cut. :-/
oh well, at least it has a good blade in the sense that it is a circular. ;D

The were actually called the "Lewis saw" after the gentleman who actually  patten the 180 degree pivot of the swing saw.
I dont think they are selling many now and that they have changed owners, i could be wrong but this is what I've been told.
Hope that this helps.  Chris (Husband) 8)
 

You need to get your facts right.

The Lewisaw patent was registered 4 days before the peterson one.  David Lewis still holds the patent and we hold the copyrights on these mills.  Lucas is a basic copy of the peterson.

As manual operated portable sawmills go the EcoSaw is the ONLY one which complies with Australian Safety standards for wood processing machinery.  In a recent tender peterson actually admitted this.

if you look up your local or federal regulation you will probably find this true in your area as well.

[Arthur]

Hi Gilman


On a swing blade the saw has replaceable "tips". Usually between 4 and 8 actual cutters spaced around the outside of the blade. Actual number of cutters depends on blade size, engine horsepower, what you are cutting.. and some voodoo  :D

This is the blade on my mill, 4 tips.


Ian

I have to agree and disagree with you.  Normal blades I agree but we are testing progressive cut technology which uses 3 to 4 times the number of teeth.  It allows a smaller curf (4mm) and gives a cut almost to dressed wood quality and actually cuts faster.

We are just testing to distruction at the moment.  I hope that the technology will reduce wood waste and increase wood production for the portable sawmills.

As portable sawmill operators we should be working together against the large sawmills who are destroying a valuable resource.

[Arthur]

Sorry about taking this thread in a different direction but....

Wife-Chris-Husband, I run a lucas but long for a Peterson.  However, I think the only positive the lucas has over the Peterson is something you see as a negative and that's the vertical adjustments made at opposite ends of the log.  Yes, for a one person operation having them at the same end saves some time, but with the little bit of milling (1000 bf) I've done so far I've had someone tailing who could adjust the far end.  The big advantage as I see it is the easy adjustment of the tracks to run parallel to the pith (or parallel to the bark if you choose) without having to lift the log and use shims.  Just my two cents.  I'd be glad to help engineer a combination of the two designs for you and all I would charge is a free 8" ATS ;D

Ian and other swingers - any clever ways to help with the sawdust that gets packed tight (and I mean TIGHT) into the allen sockets of the bolts that hold the blade on?  Right now I'm just picking it out with an awl - kind of a pita.

Not supprised that Lucas didnt tell you how to use your mill, typical.

As the Lucas is just a copy of the Peterson and the sawblade is a copy of the original from David Lewis its quite simple. You need to blueprint the Lucas and set the blade to correct alignment and this wont happen to you.  This does however cost $Ks and most Lucas dealers dont know how to do it.

A cheap option is to fill the bolts with something easy to remove

[Ianab]

Welcome to the forum Arthur

Good to have another Australasian on board  

I hadn't actually heard of your mill before this post was started, but it does look like a good piece of gear. Let us know how your thin kerf ideas work out. I know Peterson are testing new blades with the same aim, more speed / less waste. My post was related to existing technology, doesn't mean it cant be done better.

Cheers

Ian

[TN_man]

I too want to welcome you aboard Arthur. It will be good to get some info straight from the horse's mouth. ;) I am in the market for a swingblade mill and had never heard of the ecosaw until this thread. We are try to develope a niche market in our area to get those hard to get to logs and some logs that may be unwanted by the bigger guys (ie. tree-cycling). I understand your website is still under construction. Some more pictures would be one suggestion as I would like to check it out more. Price is always a big consideration when buying a mill. That would be why I would tend toward a Lucas right now. Are you going to be at any expos here in the States any time soon?  Jeff

[Wife]

mmm.. :P, yep, my facts are right.
Are yours??

[NZJake]

Do I know of the Lewis saw, yep, I got to see one up close at "Austimber".

Arther, I introduced myself to you the day before the show, you showed me around your mill. I asked you if you built a 10" model and you said that it could not be done due to the giroscopic forces or something to that effect. Anyhow welcome to the forum.

I checked out your site and it does look alot better than the earlier one. However 'ORIGINAL PORTABLE SAWMILL'. The statement seems very strong coming from a 14 year old saw design? Anyway all to there own I guess.

To truly discover who came up with what first you'll need to do a little digging, the truth is out there! "If you really care?".

By the way it's Kiwijake here, I had some problems with my user name when logging in. This topic had driven me to register again. By the way I'm still cuttin' hay with my super thinkerf blade, hopefully I'll get some more pics this weekend on the job. Chears.

[Arthur]

jeff

Lindsay from D&L Double Cut Sawmills has taken on the manufacture of our mills underlicence for America and invited me to the Sun Belt AgriTrade Expo, Georgia 19 to 21 October to show the EcoSaw Product.  If you want to see how to get the most out of a one man mill come and see us.

Id be happy to get you intimate with our mills.  Its like a high power quality car.  Once used you  can still use others but always want to use the best.  Those who havnt used dont know any better.

Thats why I bought the company.

Lindsey doesnt know this yet but we have just developed the Compact which has a 4" cut and is lessthan 120kg.  With double cut can cut 8" x 4". designed to mill those tree crowns left behind by the clear fellers.

arthur

[Hokiemill]

Captain

Funny you should bring up the wood from Richmond.  I culled out about 200 bf of the prettiest FAS qtr & rift sawn red oak you can get.  My dad came up that evening and hauled off a truck load of wood.  A few people were standing around looking like they wanted some so we left the pile.  Dad went back the next morning and it was all still there so he hauled the rest of it  off in two more truck loads - maybe a total of 1000 to 1500 bf.  He just used some of the oak this past week to rebuild a set of stairs and front porch at his place on the Rappahannock River.   He was very appreciative for the boards.

Arthur_Dyason

Welcome to the forum.  Nice to have more of us circle guys.  To straighten this out, I bought my mill used so Lucas didn't even have a chance to tell me "how to use my mill".  Based on everything I've read in the Lucas manual and on this forum from the Peterson guys, my setup is correct.  It's not a giant issue and I tend to believe that regardless of how the blade is set you're still going to get dust packed in the bolts.  Next time I switch blades I will try to pack some wax in there and see if that helps.

TN_Man

As a Lucas owner, I would suggest you take a closer look at the Peterson.  The price between the Lucas and ATS of the same size is not very different.  But I think it would be money well spent (if it can be found).  After a recent, long day of milling  with a couple of friends I was keenly aware of the benefits the extra dollars would buy you.  Sawing with a swinger is all about getting into a rhythm with your motions - adjust horizontal motion stop block, unlock carriage, slide to the new position, lock the carriage, make first cut, swing blade, make second cut, swing blade back, start over.  I think that locking, moving sideways, and swinging the Peterson are all substantially easier than the Lucas and as such would increase your speed and reduce your fatigue.  I'll give the details if interested.

My two cents.

[Hokiemill]

Captain

One more thing.  I didn't know about the additional adjustment method of the Peterson for leveling with the log - thanks for the info.  Now, if I were to create a spec for the perfect ATS redesign I would want this adjustment feature, but with a crank so you don't have to move the carriage to the other end.  The way I do it now is really quite quick - move the carriage to one end, measure from pith to the bottom of the carriage, move the carriage to the other end, hold the tape measure to the pith and carriage and have someone crank the track until the dimension is met.   If I could just have it all I would be a happy man.

[Buzz-sawyer]

Gotta love all you good folks south of the equator.........but there is no need to start dueling , eh? 8)

There is plenty of room for ALL of us including large mill owners, small mills swing mills non swingers....you get the idea , we are all here to enjoy what we have in common right?
I want to hear more from all of you ......any Tassie's out there to fill the bill?? ;) :D