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swing blade mills

Started by woodbeard, February 09, 2003, 06:09:57 AM

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KiwiJake

DanG, as far as I'm aware the biggist is the Peterson 10" in either "ATS" or "PRODUCTION FRAME" form, unlimited length and a 10"x20" capacity cut with an available 27hp.

ADfields

WOW! 8)   Were getting more and more Alaska guys on hear.   Welcome swinger! 8)   I'm in Palmer Alaska myself. ;D   If I could see a way I could make a liveing there I would be in Valdez or Cordova, DanG nice spot.   Keep this up and we can start a race with Texas, we alredi out number North Dakota. 8)    
Andy

woodbeard

Swinger, thanks for dropping in to reply.
 What sort of modifications did you make to double cut?
Keep in mind I have not seen the Lucas mill other than in pictures. I guess they must be better than Alaskan mills if so many Alaskans are using them. :D
thanks,
George

swinger

woodbeard,

I made the saftey guards removeable so that in about
5 minutes I can double cut. The lucas engine sits low
and to one side of the blade. When this engine gives up
I'm going to do some more mods so I can double cut
the full 8" thick. I cut mostly framing lumber and don't
have a big need for wide boards. I do have the slabbing
attatchment for really wide stuff and have cut slabs 58"x
10'x3" thick.
                                                 swinger

jollywoodtic

Hey, I'm a little late checking back in with you guys.  No, I don't have a saw mill right now.  Several years back I partnered on a little band saw mill but found out it was a headache in dirty logs.  I grew up in small ranch country where a neighbor had a Belsaw sawmill powered with a G John Deere tractor.  In looking back the lumber wasn't real good but everyone hauled logs to him and was the crew to cut them up.  

I now follow the highway and bridge reconstruction game and went to Idaho to check out possibilitys for right of way clearing as it pays better with about half the headaches.

Of the mills at Idaho City, the Woodmeiser and the people from Salt Lake (don't remember the mill name) were professional factory reps touring the country, putting on demos.  The Lucas guys said they had owned the Lucas for several years and had sawed a lot of lumber ( a tree service in Boise I think)  The Brand X guys said it was their first show so they would see how they stacked up.  To my mind it's the mill.  Logs in one side, rolled 2-3 feet to the middle and sawed without having to turn the log and lumber out the over side.  Nothing got tanged up and no mill parts to walk around.  They walked on and off of both sides like a Sunday stroll because it set on the ground and was open on both sides.  They said it took about 30 minutes to level it up ready to cut.

Don't know, but I think Brand X's secret is terribly good log dogs and close toleranced in his mill.  Again I don't know but I think that is why he can cut more and better lumber with way less HP.  If I get into a possition where I can own a mill again it will be a Brand X.

I'm headed to another job so I will get back with you guys when I get a good chance.

KiwiJake

Just to add, Petersons use a plate with teeth cut out, they are mounted inside cut out sections of the wooden log skids. This is paramount as you don't want the blade cutting into these log dogs that stick up, considering that recovery is an important factor a slab of about 15-25mm thick should be left after sawing, steel log dogs that stick up beyond the log skid is a risk. Circular blade cutting through solid steel could be a little bit scary.

These plates are not patented and work very well, you can also set up multiple sets in your skids so you can up your production to sawing more than ONE log at a time and still have stable logs while cutting. Petersons use these log dogs every year at the shoot out and produce very good results every time. I would be curious to the patentabillity of such log dogs. Just little twist to the train of thought.

lumberman

Gentlemen,  Jay Brand here from Brand X Sawmills.  First, I would like to thank the gentleman from Wyoming, who attended the Idaho City Competition for his input.  The USFS invited 5 of the 368 miniture sawmill manufacturers to that shindig.  We were the only mill to tear into that crooked, knotty, pitchy, bull pine "junk" that left with a smile.  And volume, accuracy and recovery numbers that raised the eyebrows of the pros at the Forest Products Labratory in Madison, Wisconsin.  We're still smiling--Thanks.

With regard to a trip (vacation) to Montana, I purposely ask purchasers or their operator to pick up their mills here for several reasons, two of which I will mention here. 1. The orientation, milling and safety school we offer requires about 1/5 the time it takes me to tell you how to mill premium lumber over the telephone and it insures us 100% satisfied customers.  2.  With no bragging intended, I can teach you more about this mill and fast, accurate, consistent production with it in a long afternoon, than you will probably learn in many months on your own.  As a picture is worth a thousand words, guided "hands on" is most valuable to both of us.

With regard to building your own track system:  A while back Haytrader inquired on the subject and I told him I would calculate an exact price for the mill head without track system etc.  However, shortly thereafter, I confired with other mill manufacturers and legal council and am strongly advised that I would open myself and company to potentially endless and or fatal warranty issues, dissatisfied customers if my mill didn't perform on their track etc... Therefore, in self protection I have swiftly and posatively moved to patent my guide track log rail and dogging system.  It is now patent pending with all of the pertinent proofs set to record.  I'm sorry if this causes any inconvenience, but trust you will both understand and have to agree with my position by necessity.

Regards,

Lumberman


J Beyer

Lumberman,

It it good that you are CYA WBH.  Have to do it in this day and age of lawsuits.  Besides, getting a patent on your dogging system protects your business interests.

JB
"From my cold, dead, hands you dirty Liberals"

beenthere

Very interesting. Who were the pro's at the Forest Products Laboratory that were out in Montana and had their eyebrows raised?   ::)
What kind of material were you sawing? Certain sizes? species? Were they part of some program to harvest only small diameter material with a certain classification that wouldn't normally go to a conventional sawing operation?  Any particular types of products that you were trying to saw out of this material?  

Sorry for all the questions. Didn't realize I had so many but you tweaked my interest with your experience and the "show" in Montana.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

ARKANSAWYER

Swinger,
   I have been to Valdez several times but never made it to Cordova.  How thin can you slice with that swinger?  When I was up at Fort Greely I wished I could have milled them logs left every year on the banks of the Tanana River.  A swinger would be the way to do that.
  Have to go brush the snow off the van so we can go to church.
ARKANSAWYER
ARKANSAWYER

swinger

Arkansawyer
  
 Iv'e just played around a little with the thin wood
thing and cut some thin enough to see light through
but never measured it. Next time I get a nice clear
log I'll give it a try and measure. Next time you're in
valdez hop on the ferry, it's only a five hour ride and
you're here. Cordova looks alot like valdez but we
Cordovans think it is much more pretty and way more
laid back. We don't have the big budgets from the oil.
Cordova is just being discovered by sportfisherman as
a world class destination. As for the river logs most of
the big rivers here are very silty and it gets into every
little crack and knot. Dulls blades very fast and makes
them nice and shiny like 1000 grit sandpaper would.

swinger

ARKANSAWYER

  I know about the grit that is why I thought a swinger would have been better since you can sharpen them on the saw most quick.   We just wanted to flatten them on 3 sides and stack where they could dry some and make cabins from them.  It was just a waste to look at them laying there.
   We went out by boat to a large island half way to Cordova and caught large Halibutt.  We landed several over 100 lbs.  Then on the way in we ran ito a large school of salmon and caught several of them.
    Trees were a lot larger in Seward then up at Ft Greely.
ARKANSAWYER
ARKANSAWYER

lumberman

JB-  I appriciate your present world true prospective.  I'm certian Shakespeare ass correct.  "First thing that needs to be done is get rid of all the Lawyers/attorneys"  Attorney--root word Latin atorn-  means:  "to turn around"  You've got it figured--thanks for the support.

Beenthere:  The pros from Madison Wis. consisted of three dpartments (I understand) from Forest Products Labratory, USFS which incompassed raw material production, kiln drying and final recovery (net marketable product) departments.  Bare in mind that the USFS nor other government employees can make "recommendations" (play favorites), the legal limit to their reports are the documented facts.  I think you can still find the report from the Fuel Reduction Trials at www.theyankeegroup.com.  

The man behind the lumber recovery end of the trials was a maverick "intellegent" local forester Leonard Roeber, who set out to show that a viable, marketable lumber product could be realized from the otherwise "tree mulching" that was under research/experiment in reproductive stands or plantations of Ponderosa Pine--Bull Pine and other specie in Idaho and elsewhere.  The purpose for the mulching was to thin the timber and reduce forest fire hazard.  However, the tree mulching produced 30 to 50 tones per acre of residue that produced "flash fuel", a worse fire hazard than before. AND the extreme cost of machine mulching needed a value/cash exchange to fund the BS--excuse me!--mulching.

The mill demo/test numbers set by our Brand X mill proved to the USFS and private forest plot owners that regen. thinning and harvest is profitable in the first and subsequent stages.  

Happy Day--we don't have to burn it all and run the spotted owl ot of ah ome one day too!  As we milled from approx. 4" dia. "posts" to 30" x 4" long butt "cobbs" it is evident whose mill will do it all --accurately and quickly.

The first man in Madison to contact is John "Rusty" Dramm at jdramm@fs.fed.us.  He will no doubt offer you a conservative "opinion" and direct you to the other appropriate departsments, info or personel if you want more info on the Fuel Reduction Trials.  In Idaho City contact lroeber@fs.fed.us.

P.S.  We are from Montana, the contest was in Idaho City, Idaho.  Just north of Boise.  Don't worry about the number of questions.  I've heard the only stupid question is the one that wasn't asked.

Jay

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