Saturday with Peterson! (New Photos! 1-11-05)

[CosmoPack]

Update- 2nd Saturday (actually Thursday and Friday!)

The first Saturday went fairly well.  I had a problem geting the fine adjustments correct on the mill.  I talked to Captain and he guided me towards better operation!  My tracks weren't set up just right so I couldn't be consistent in my adjustments.  Got the track set up right and installed a 6-tooth blade and I was able to get to sawing.  I sliced up 4 8-foot long pine logs (28-36" in diameter) and one Red Oak log - (8' long x 38" diameter).  I've even developed a power feed mechanism for the mill!!  All was rosy untill I tried to saw one of my STEEL log logs with the swing blade - not a good move.  Oh, well, at least I was able to search out a saw doc close to home.  Should have the saw back next week.  Chalk it up to another lesson learned.

[HORSELOGGER]

Hey Cosmo. If you are using steel dogs, you need to get a heavy duty hose clamp, and use that as a stop on the vertical stainless post right below the winch crank. With mill off ( safety disclaimer ;D) put the blade in the horizontal position, and lower the saw untill you are right over the dogs in their locked position(obviously, with out a log on the deck) when you find the place where the blade skims the highest dog, raise up a click or two, and place the clamp on the vertical leg as a stop so you will never lower to a point that will hit again.If you are sawing a lot of random width 4/4 lumber, you can raise up from the stop 1 5/16" and put a scratch mark or permanent marker line there on the post, above the clamp. That way you will know where to stop dropping down on the vertical cuts to save one last 4/4 board in the slab.

[CosmoPack]

Good tip Horselogger, I will install the hose clamps and check the clearance on the right and the left before sawing again.

I thought that I was prepared for cutting close.  I checked the clearance on the left side and assumed that I was good on the right.  What I didn't level was the log dogs.  The right side was about 1/2" higher than the left.  I just grazed the top of the right dog, just enought to strip all the carbides off.  I've got to get the jig to install the carbide tips myself.  

Does anyone have any experience with inserted teeth saws on the Petersons?

[Fla._Deadheader]

  I wanna see pics of that power feed system !!!!!  Great question on the Inserted tooth blade. I might get a couple of them with the new mills. Sounds like the learning curve was pretty easy ??? ??

[Wife]

yes you can get the inserted tooth blades to fit you mill.
In all honesty though I would stick to the standard blades as they are cheaper (about a third of the price) and if you want you can retip them yourself with ease.Petersons make a jig.
The inserted are good if you are in the jungle miles away from a half way decent saw doctor. They make it easier to send the claws via mail to get tiped. You will also find that the finish with the insert is never as good as the standard because of the way they are set up and sharpened.
Hope I haven't put you of inserted, but these are my views from what I have learnt using/selling them.
Chris

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Gidday Chris. Could you give some more info on the inserted, bein as how I WILL be in the Jungle. Price would be good, also. IM if you feel the need.  ;) ;D

[D._Frederick]

Fla._,

About 2002 there was a Peterson mill at the Logging Conference with an insert tooth blade, they were trying to saw red cedar and it sure made the Peterson sawmill look bad. They had too many teeth and too wide of a kurf for the 24 hp Honda engine. The mill was way under powered for the blade they were trying to saw with. For what I have seen, you want to stay with the factory blades, they have about 6 teeth and a little over 1/8 inch kurf which the 24 hp engine handles well. Learn how to re-tip the teeth is a better solution.

[Fla._Deadheader]

  I've brazed a few teeth on blades. Not too easy doin it in the jungle, keepin one eye out for slinkin critters.

  Figured one inserted blade wood be cheaper than 3-4 fixed tooth blades ???

[D._Frederick]

Fla._,

Can you get an insert tooth saw from Peterson that you will know will work on the type of wood you are going to saw? I am not sure that you can get an insert tooth blade with a kurf  less than a 1/4 inch, even with only 6 teeth, I am not sure that you wouldn't have a power problem with the honda.

[NZJake]

Good advice D_, it all comes down to personal preference. I know of  a few die hard Peterson owners here in NZ that swear by the insert teeth. Personally I've heard some stories about them coming off, ouch! Not something I'd like to look forward to.

The Peterson factory inserts run your standard amount of teeth and kerf is around 6mm for your eight inch model (not a big difference). If I was going remote perhaps I'd look at them to use, they are a neat concept 'just wouldn't like one in my #RS if you know what I mean'.

The honda 24 handles the inserts quite well. Blade technology will make or wreck a sawmills abillity, I'm thinking that D_ maybe right from what he had seen at the show, 8mm kerf, lots of teeth, or maybe the adjustments were off a bit?

cheers, Jake.

[Gentleman_Sawyer]

Cosmo - Where did you get the log dogs? I need some to go with my 8" ATS. When I bought the mill, securing the log was downplayed by Peterson, but it's been a real problem with me..
The Gentleman Sawyer

[CosmoPack]

They came from Mobile Dimension.  They really do a great job holding the log in place.  I've got two cants laid down that I have bolted the dogs to.  One is a 6" and one is 8".  I am turning the worst side down and taking most of the taper out there.  I can raise the 6" cant up if I don't have much taper, but so far, the logs I've been sawing have had alot.  

The first logs I sawed, I cut notches in the cants and the log stayed put until I made cuts on the lower pass.  The log rolled a bit once I cut a little over halfway across and had a large chunk of wood left on the right.  Just be sure to level the cants up and put the hose clamps on the end frame tubes to prevent the saw from going too far down and contacting the metal.

[CosmoPack]

Jan 8 update - I re-installed the 10-tooth saw on Thursday.  Since I had the tracks set up properly, I thought that the saw might do a better job – It did!  I sawed four Red Oak Logs 32-40" diameter, 12' long in 4 ½ hours – by myself.  I recovered a little over 1800BF sawing 6x6, 6x8, 6x10, 8x8 and 8x10.  I even did a double cut to produce a 6 x 14!  I didn't like the look of the saw completely exposed for the double cut process.  I didn't feel that there was a safe place to stand during that process.

I sawed a 18' White oak on Saturday morning into 11 - 2 ½ x 10 deck boards for a lowboy and 1 2 ½ x 4.  The White oak saws a bit tougher than the Red Oak.  I hope that the 6-tooth blade saw will improve this process.

My lumber handling process – I cut a cant from the log, roll it on the ground to the left.  After I cut three cants, I set them out of the way with the knuckleboom.  This is a time consuming process to stop sawing, climb up on the loader, move the cants and then climb back down.

To improve this process, I believe that I am going to install a conveyor belt on the left side of the log at ground level.  I will roll the cut boards and cants onto the belt as they are cut.  When I have a couple of pieces cut, I'll turn the belt on and pull the lumber out of the way onto a green chain for stacking.  The belt will also serve double duty to move some of the sawdust out of the way.

[Captain]

Sounds like things are rolling, Chris ;D

White oak is a fair bit tougher than red on the Peterson.  Seems to hit with a bit more impact on the blade. The 6 tooth saw will help.  

Keep the reports coming!!

Captain

[HORSELOGGER]

Cosmo, before ya go riggin up a conveyor... try off bearing directly to a set of bunks directly behind you. Move the mill as far down the tracks as it can go, then set up your log sawing bunks so the end of your log is about a foot in front of the mill when it is all the way back. if you start a stack of cants or lumber directly behind you, only the first layer will require lifting. everything else can be slid from the log on to the stack, with minimal lifting. If you start at the far end of the log, with the vertical cut, when you end up back there at the end of the horizontal cut, you are in the best place to grab the end of the cant and push/pull it onto the pile. Before it gets too high, just move that stack, and start another.

[CosmoPack]

More photos - log pile at sawmill.  Red Oak, White Oak, Yellow Poplar, Hickory



Close up of log pile.  logs up to 52" diameter!  There's about 200,000BF of logs like this to saw.


1st double cut on Peterson 6" x 14"


Stack of wood cut on Friday 1800BF.  I'm sawing the logs into cants from 4x8 up to 8x10.  I can saw cants 20" wide, but the time that it takes for the double cut setup and the saw exposure are going to keep me at a 10" maximum.

[Furby]

Pretty cool! 8)
Looking good!
What ya doing with the wood?

[iain]

Cosmo looks like your in good style 8)


swing andy, not been in this post for a while so just read some thing about some thing, short cutted it to decipher tonight after work :D

manauge atout mon cherrie


 iain

[Swing_blade_Andy]

Iain laddie

Se jest yer broar dappar wee laddie ain yer kilt n brodre

Iv no kin the liek afor tha nu heer bouts

Shud bee mur af at ya nu..

ma sel  em no kin tha kilt fur a wee whial tha nu.

Or do I misinterpret,should that be

parlez vou Français mon ami

Andrew

[CosmoPack]

bump for greg