Urban milling, what's the best sawmill for situation? Pictures included!

[oldsaw]

This is me, 6 feet by 215 pounds, along with my new Husky 3120XP.

So what mill would you use to mill this one in place?  I humbly await your learned opinions.

I think you got two thirds of a mill right there, Jim.  ;)

Woodbeard is on my page here.  You want to learn chainsaw milling?  You have your "crash test dummy" right there.  That will give you the least impact, the most experience, and the most personal satisfaction.  Lay out a tarp on the chainsaw side to collect the sawdust in the neighbor's yard while you are cutting, and everyone will live in peace.  Anything that will move it will further damage the yard, especially if it the ground is wet. 

"Low impact" is one of the key advantages of a CSM.  Add to that "portability" and "back yard accessibility".

What ever you do, show us pictures.

Mark

Mark

[4woody]

I wood just use my Tmber jig

[oldsaw]

So, what ever became of the tree?  No pictures?  No updates?  I feel cheated.

Mark

[Furby]

Read reply #8, it was headed for the firewood pile.
That log was only being used as an example. ;)

[oldsaw]

So, I'm apparently a bit slow on the draw today....or most days, actually.  Oops   :D

[JimBuis]

No pictures because the tree isn't there anymore to take pictures of. ;D  As Furby, that tree is in the firewood pile at the moment.

I really thought that my post with pictures would have gotten an interesting dialogue going on which mills are ideally suited to this sort of urban situation. My inexperienced opinion is that it would be ideal for a swinger, but which one?

Jim

[Ga_Boy]

Jim,

A swinger is a swinger.

The differances between manufactures is akin to the differaces between Chevorlet and Ford and Dodge.


For me I like the Peterson but that is what I own.....




Mark

[JimBuis]

Jim,  A swinger is a swinger. The differances between manufactures is akin to the differaces between Chevorlet and Ford and Dodge.
For me I like the Peterson but that is what I own.....  Mark

For me portability or at least the ease with which the mill can be positioned near the log without requiring extensive support equipment or extra help is important.  I have seen manufacturers' videos of some swingers that seems to show that some of them require two men to set it up.  It seems that other brands of swingers can be set up by one person.  That seems to me to be more of a difference than just the "Ford, Chevy, Chrysler" debate.

Jim

[beenthere]

Good, Jim
Now your question is shaping up to what you seem to want --- portability.

Upon re-reading the responses, several seemed to offer ideas along that line.

Do the mills speak to the one-man or two-man (or women as the case may be) set-up needs?  I guess it depends on who can carry how much and how far, too.

[Part_Timer]

Jim

I can speak only for the ATS I have but here it goes.

First off I don't have the regular set of 20' rails + 6' extensions.  Mine are in sections 13' long.  I splice them in the middle.  When they are stuck together they are a bit of a handfull.  I sure wouldn't want to carry them by myself much more than a 100 yards or so.  When they are broken down though it is not a problem at all.  The only drawback to the split rails is that I have to use my center supports on logs over 9' or so.  If I forget to tighten them and try to make say a 14' long cut the rails will sag in the middle up to 1/4" or so.  I can get away with not using the supports on shorter logs by off setting the splice toward one end one the left and the other end on the right.

As far as setting it up by myself it isn't much of a problem.  you just have to think it out a bit and do it in a certain order so the ends don't fall over. :  It is much easire to do with two people but you don't have to.  I'd say it takes me 20 minutes if I'm setting up by myself and about 10 if I have help.

When I load the mill head I like to take the large wheels off when I set it on the trailer   When it is on the trailer I just set one side on the fender and put a wheel on then pick it up and slide the other wheel in.

I find it very hard to load in the truck bed  by myself. As a matter of fact I only tried once and decided that dropping it on the ground would be bad so I get someone to help if I go that route.  Our Dodges set up in the air a bit and it is hard to get the head to slide forward.

When cutting by yourself it is helpfull to have a couple of wedges in your pocket to keep the horizontal cut from closing up and pinching the blade since it is the second cut.  If you have a tailman the horizontal cut is first so this is not necessary.

Sharpening on a swinger only takes about 3 minutes if you are just sharpening and not grinding out chips.  No kidding just 3 minutes for the 6 and 8 tooth blade.  The 12 tooth micro kerf takes a bit longer but not much.

I got to try a clip on slabber at the demo day last week.  it took us about 30-45 minutes to set it up but we had never done it before.  I think about 20 minutes would be about right once you got the hang of it.  It cuts very well.  We cut some 36" wide 14' long white oak table tops with it.  I didn't time it but I'd say it took around 10 minutes to make the full cut.  I wish I had timed it.  All we did was insert wedges to keep the chain from binding and away we went.  When we had about 12" of cut left I put wedges about 2' behind the cut and stood on the far end of the slab.  This way the wedges made the slab pop up off of the chain and bar at the end of the cut.  This way we didn't have to worry about the chain getting pulled off.  If you were by yourself all you need to do is stop pushing as the chain leaves the cut.  If you go to far you might pull the chain off of the back side of the bar.
Sorry this is so long winded but I hope this may answer some of your questions. 

Tom

[jack]

Jim, 
Im partial to the Lucas 825,  i have been running it for about 5 or so years,  i can fit the whole thing, (grease and shoehorn) into a 98 toyota 4x4 6 foot bed. and go on site,  Setting it up by myself isnt as easy as using a second back.  BUT it is totally do able.

as for moving it around, it has wheels to roll the carriage around,  like a wheelbarrow.  I have set it up by myself in many a back yard. 
The Lucas website shows the mill going down some river in a small, boat, A DUGOUT to  boot, if my memeory recalls correctly.

I have even milled 5 foot diameter trees on a step slope.  where i had to use two ppl to return the saw to complete the cut. 
We couldnt move the log,  no equipment available. BUT we had a guy on the down hill side to stop the carriage from running away...   As for sharpening,  the Lucas Blade has 5 teeth, and the diamond sharpening device 12V to do the job fast.
small nails,  ya there not pleasurable........but the blade eats them......
larger stuff.......not good,  no not good at all........insulators,.. lagbolts,  cables.....
(whos idea is it to place horse shoes in a  tree?) 

I like the Lucas,  because the rails are UP......not one up and one down.  i have used tractors, forlkifts and the like to move logs in and off the mill and dont worry about hitting the rails,  If i had a bottom rail, on the ground. i would have hit it many times.   (I cant see it from under all the sawdust. i would find i twith the forks tho)   
Best thing  i could say is look at your ROI.  how much would a mill cost, Peterson, D + L or any other swinger,  what type of customer service will you get?  PArts? etc......... When i was looking at swingers,  the folks at BAILEYS called me, sent me the video, and put me in contact with other lucas mill owners.  I had no response from Peterson.   I didnt have anyone that had run a peterson that I could talk to.  So my money went to Lucas.   
Imho,  Service is everything,  cost is second.   MY other equipment is VOLVO loaders,  i bought the first Volvo in California, in 1994.  They were hands down ahead of CAT, JOHNDEERE, CASE, adn anyone else...  Their service department was perfect... and i have had 2 of these loaders.  no problems,,,  oh off track i guess........ 10000 hours and no problems,, and no engine work either.   

when you make up your mind. 
let us know and then
WORK that mill  and have fun
Jack

[NZJake]

I find if your going portable, at least on the Peterson models. The WPF is much more portable than the ATS, only two skids, 2 lengths of tracks (which come in 4m sections) and the main head to break down VS the ATS which has 4 x uprights, 2 x skids, 2 x drive links, 2 x centre supports and long 6m tracks.

LO/LO is the quicker style to setup with, especially if you are setting up around each log, although, if you set up HI/LO you'ld have the flexabillity of loading logs under the high side (like the Lucas/ATS) or over the low side. The low track also allows easy access to the timber.

The distinct advantage of both the Lucas and ATS is the easy adjustment for rough terrain and log centre alignment.
They are also a little lighter to push up and down the track.

Just some thoughts on the design differences  .

Cheers, Jake.

[Captain]

I've got to agree with Jake.  A WPF sets up faster than an ATS any day.  Less parts to carry to boot.

Sorry about your no response scenario, Jack.  That just flat doesn't happen when folks contact me.  For the good of the forum readers, Peterson parts are stocked here in the US, and have been for the last few years.

Captain

[jack]

Thanks Captain,
I should reply, I recieved a phone call after i had purchased my Lucas.    BUT that was almost 7 yrs ago, From my reading and talking to ppl here and on other websites that Peterson has stepped into high gear regarding sales, service, and supply.  Things are looking up..

REgardless what ppl buy, just make sure you have done your home work.
run the numbers and then make your decision.

I so enjoy my mill and getting outside....

Fresh air, with a pinch of exhaust from the mill......
Jack