The Forestry Forum

General Forestry => Sawmills and Milling => Topic started by: sigidi on April 12, 2004, 09:26:47 PM

Title: Peterson or Lucas???
Post by: sigidi on April 12, 2004, 09:26:47 PM
A couple of points first;

I hate, I hate, I hate to see tree's dropped and chipped purely for the lack of a willing home. To this end I tend to do almost anything to happily re-home such fantastic, potential-laden beauties.

I am totally sold with the useage of a swing blade mill as against a bandsaw mill (this may be from ignorance not sure??) as I feel it will suit my expected needs better.

I have a future magnificent plan/ultimate fantasy of keeping my days busy by sawing and seasoning gorgeous timber, firstly for my own needs and secondly for profit if it works out that way.

This brings me to the crux of the matter, with these points in mind which is the better of the two? Initial pruchase price isn't an issue I consider being very important, but operating costs and the on-going expenses of maintenance are very important. As is one-man operation and quality output.

I understand this is a very broad question and will depend hugely upon timber used and dimensional lumber produced.
I'm also in Australia and typically would envisage milling hardwoods.

Thanks in advance for the pure gems of experience I am going to be able to reap from this forum.

Allan.

Ps. also any info re respective slab attachments would be greatly appreciated.
Title: Re: Peterson or Lucas???
Post by: doublecut on April 12, 2004, 11:15:44 PM
Have you seen the D&L Doublecut
Title: Re: Peterson or Lucas???
Post by: Swing_blade_Andy on April 13, 2004, 03:53:08 AM
Will you be cutting for a hobby or for a business??

Andrew
Title: Re: Peterson or Lucas???
Post by: Danny_S on April 13, 2004, 06:24:34 PM
I have seen the D + L Doublecut in action and it is a good machine,... well built, and totally portable. I like the fact that it has log turners and clamps. I have not used one personally but they catch my eye quicker than the other types. Check em out....
Title: Re: Peterson or Lucas???
Post by: Wife on April 14, 2004, 03:03:16 PM
You mentioned some keywords that get me goin'...but I first have to warn you, I'm the wife in the background of some serious millers.
Either a Lucas or a Peterson, both have the same idea invented by Mr Peterson back in the eighties - one is just a bit more up-to-date with the inventor's latest stuff!
Blade maintenance - call any number of Lucas sawdoctors in Aussie and they will tell you they want better blades. Petersons are leaders in thin-kerf tech, have a thicker blade plate (so more robust), more teeth (less loading, and better finish), and more options.
Slabbing Options - ring Mr Stan Ceglinski on 0061 2 66804455. He's been helping Petersons with their design of slabbing accessories for Aussie hardwoods for the last 6 years. He's done absolute wonders in research over there - Thanks to Stan, Petersons have clip-on slabbers and dedicated slabbers that WORK in hardwoods. And Stan himself has designed a great little planer blade that goes on in place of the sawblade, to plane your wide slabs. Plus I hear he's just come up with a really neat sander that also goes in place of the blade, which gives an incredible sanded finish!!
Title: Re: Peterson or Lucas???
Post by: sawmillsi on April 14, 2004, 11:49:38 PM
hi allan,

simon here (stan's son) from mullumbimby woodworks (australian agent for petersons).

what ever mill you choose, be aware of one really important thing - any tree from any where near a house/shed/fence you should consider to be full of steel.

Our family business mills timber as well as selling sawmills and we get most of our timber from tree loppers/arborists, and we have to check ever stick of timber with a metal detector.

If we find steel, we do one of three things; either attempt to cut the steel out if there's not much, slab it (Peterson Deddicated Wide Slabber) or burn it.

We find that the chainsaw chains are really robust and can handle steel strikes but not ceramics (can't detect for them anyway).

Sometimes we have a local contractor (with a homemade bandsaw) do some work for us, if he cuts any steel he charges $800 per strike.

Hope if helps
Title: Re: Peterson or Lucas???
Post by: Jeff on April 15, 2004, 03:15:55 AM
$800 per strike?  Sounds like he is in business to cut steel.  That fee is only about $10-20 dollars in the states.
Title: Re: Peterson or Lucas???
Post by: KiwiJake on April 15, 2004, 03:27:45 AM
Jeff, you should see the bandmill they get in  :o.
Title: Re: Peterson or Lucas???
Post by: sawmillsi on April 15, 2004, 08:06:10 PM
hi jeff,

the band he uses is 10" wide i'm not really sure of the lenght but he does a straight 2 meter wide cut (perfect in even the hardest australian timbers - say 1500kg/m3).

(https://forestryforum.com/images/03_21_04/nimbin%20mill.JPG)

the cost of the bands is $800, so i suppose that if he wrecks one we buy it - the may be a sliding scale if he hits small steel but we have never had to go down that path.

we cutting good big timber into big sizes, he cuts about 2500 board feet per hour, on average he cuts about 1350 bf/h. i normally work in metric so had to do some conversions.

it has full hydraulics for log rolling, dogging and for the carrage itself.
Title: Re: Peterson or Lucas???
Post by: sawmillsi on April 15, 2004, 08:17:24 PM
i should have said that this log is about 6' diameter and about 14' feet long - a wolf tree (from a paddock), correct term?.

it is camphor laurel, a species from asia which has gone wild around the north coast of nsw (australia) since it was introduced about 150 years ago.

density about 650 - 800 kg/m3 green, usually has steel due to fast growth along fence lines (usually grows over fence posts and the farmers just wrap the fence wire around it).

good cabinet timber.
Title: Re: Peterson or Lucas???
Post by: Swing_blade_Andy on April 16, 2004, 11:40:54 AM
Sawmillsi

Have you ever cut up some of the River Red Gums around the Murray River?

I'd love to hear some stories about some impossible jobs with one of those woppers.  They give the most beautiful timber imaginable and the size of them even makes my eyes water.

If you have any pics please post them. Nostalga you know. (its not what it used to be..!)

I'd love to have a go too next time I'm in Oz if your in the business of that sort of thing.

Andrew
Title: Re: Peterson or Lucas???
Post by: KiwiJake on April 18, 2004, 12:56:04 AM
I got to cut some up on the ASM and ATS while I was doin the road show, it's real nice timber to cut when you try and compare it to some of the hardwoods we come up against during the 4500km road show, has a rich swamp smelling aroma to it and yep they get big alright.

Iron bark, spottedgum, forest redgum, river redgum, bluegum, silkyoak, talawood, bloodwood, cypris, pine, douglas and peppercorn. Just some of the species of wood that we sunk our saws into. I think I got the names right, there's a whole heap more that I can't remember.
Title: Re: Peterson or Lucas???
Post by: sawmillsi on April 21, 2004, 07:47:40 PM
Andrew,

Both myself and kiwijake were cutting some real nice river red gums on the recent aust. road show near a place called wagga wagga.

the logs were average size, maybe 1.5m diameter and ranging from about 10' to 15' long.

i was using the dws (dedicated wide slabber) and 10" wpf while jake used the ats and asm.

i was cutting 10" x 2" boards (2" x 10" for you) and some real nice slabs and jake was cutting 7" x 2½" (fence rales) and some 2" x 1½" (for wool shed grating).

the 10" boards were cut vertically through the centre of the log (2 layers) and the slabs from either side of the heart.

it was like cutting butter! beautiful cutting! i woudl do bad things to have logs like that again.

i don't have any pis of that demo but i'll look around for some interesting pics of red gum for you.

if you ever come to australia, make sure you contact us first and well show you around our local area and put you on a mill in some real timber ;).

if you want check our web site www.mullumbimbywoodworks.com.au

Simon
Title: Re: Peterson or Lucas???
Post by: Swing_blade_Andy on April 22, 2004, 04:07:54 PM
Simon

Yes mate.

Had a decko at the spread... pretty slick for a country boy.

You've got some nice stuff, and a nice climate to work in. Tell me, have you got any decent King Billy Pine or Celery top pine (tassie stuff). Need a few choice bits for some sound boards and things, bit scarce over here,

I'll dig out that pic of the family picnic in front of a river red gum. I think that these folk will be interested to see it. Was growing on the Murry River at a place called 'Goodnight', near the NSW,Vic,SA boarder. You just can't believe the trees which are just sitting in the river after having given up.

Anyway, I'll be in Oz again in 2 years, so I'll try to get a chance to mosey up your way to chew the fat... and so on.

 Cheers
Andrew