The Forestry Forum

i am wondering which mill i should purchase the lucas or the perterson mill?

First question: What is the main type of material you are wishing to produce with your mill, other than perhaps some income?  I began with the idea to cut primarely dimensional lumber from Douglas Fir trees.  This I have done.  However, I have since expanded into a variety of wood fiber materials.

When I was researching mills I looked at both the lucas and peterson. The big disadvantage (huge) is that on the lucas you can't double cut without turning the whole power head around. So if you have the 6" model the widest cut you can make is 6". This is not the case on the Peterson. Their 6" model will double cut to 12" with out having to physically remove and turn around the whole engine. Hope this helps.
Oakie

If I were to buy a swing mill, Peterson would be my choice, it is more user friendly, you don't have to run to the end stands to set depth of cut, and it double cuts without any fuzz.

I have never met a Lucas owner that does not long for a Peterson. The mills have more ease of use, in either the ATS or WPF models, especially for a single operator.  Make sure that if you are comparing, you are comparing a Lucas to the Peterson ATS, they are more similar.  

If you have some more direct questions after more research, please ask again.

Captain
Peterson WPF

Captain

If wot youv'e just said is true would you be kind enough to let know why Lucas has outsold Petersen (and continues to do so) by nearly 10:1.

I think that there are some very relevant issues that you are not facing. I know enough about both mills to spot a 5!@#%^&* storey by the way so keep it reasonable and factual if you don't mind. We don't want swing bladers to get a reputation like Woodmiser owners who have jounded the Orange religious cult and can't argue logically to save thier life.

Andrew

beware least thou place a false god before thee :D

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Swing-blade,
The answer to your question is simple, better marketing, not a better mill.

Captaln


The incisive depth of your enquiry is awe-inspiring

Andrew

  Andy, enlighten us on the merits of the Lucas. Everyone here is entitled to their opinion. Give us your opinion. Do you have a Lucas, and, if so, tell us what you like about it, AND , how it stacks up against the Peterson. I am VERY interested in what you have to say.
  Captain has a Peterson and MAY be biased. SO BE IT. I believe YOU ARE BIASED ALSO, so, please let us know how your mill suits your needs.
  There are several people interested in info on Swingers and there is not much input. Talk to us, huh. ???

Deadheader


Thanks so much for your kind invitation.

Its not so much that I think that I know that answer but that I am in as much doubt an everyone else. My principle objection is the assertion that 'One mill is DEFINATELY BETTER'. Because on that matter I will give an opinion and that is (BOLLOCKS). I certainly don't think so. There are a long list of criterion I would use to evaluation what is on offer and it would certainly take more that the choice of colours (heh) to make me choose.

I would go through a list, which is being constantly refined, the answers to which will vary from place to place and person to person and from time to time. Take after sale service for example; this is vital to the choice of any mill and it will vary depending on which Continent you are on and where in fact on that Continent you are.

Take also the doublewide cuts for another. The main advantage of a swing blade mill is that Quarter sawing is easy. To get a log, which will allow you to quarter-saw greater than 10" is not at all common. It's not something that will be required every day. If your customer insists on a 12" board than they naturally be expecting inferior crown cuts - which will certainly 'cup'. For my part I only saw the finest quality timber I can (I don't want any to come back) and so that means Quarter saw max 9" by 6".  I cannot physically handle any larger material than that. So what's the point really?

 Slabs are a different matter of course but I assume that these are not in contention in the 'argument' between Lucas and Peterson. I could go on but I think my point is clear. I can analyze the best option for me at any given time and place. But I cannot say that any milling option is BETTER than another - especially in an open, world-wide forum. That so absurd it plainly unintelligent and brings down the standing of these very useful Forums.

I have learnt an incredible amount from this Forum and from Woodweb in that last 4 years and would frankly be much poorer or even out of business but for guidance from smart people I met here. I'm all for good fun but I am not trivialization and uninformed brand loyalty. So with that I'll go make some dinner for my little boy who absolutely demands my absolute attention.

A final note: that in my (some say expert) opinion the differences between Lucas as Peterson come down to more than just marketing.

Andrew
Hmm quite a sermon really – must stop doing that.

Hey Andy,

Glad to see you're back and still full of the blarney :D :D  

Still got your Lucas I assume?  Weren't you looking for a band saw in addition?  Speaking of additions,  this son you mentioned,  is that a new addition since you were here last?

Jimmy,
If you're still there,  you might want to look into a brand-X also.  I think we would all like to hear more about them.

Just a little note... (When lucas were our agents they sold the most mills for us, they are good marketers and had a wicked technological advantage AT THAT TIME to give them selves a good boost start) our reputation and sales are growing with every day, in fact we are head down *&$# up building mills, we have had to struggle through the tough times to be where we are now.

In regards to 10" sales, most of these mills are sold to america so they must be cutting 10" boards over there often enough, doesn't wide boards in tongue and groove on your wall look appealing? Double cuts I feel are well worth the hype and any band sawyer will agree with the wide board thing, other wise it would be a narrow minded world.

I've kept out of the who's better thing cause I'm in the wrong place to make that comment.

The incisive depth of my enqiry? WOW where did that come from???

So, Andy,  why don't you tell us why Lucas out - sells Peterson 10:1 because I did not get that from your reply to FDH.

Not a professional......just having a good time

Captain

Captian

You'll perhaps forgive my sacasm - must have been in a really bad mood yesterday. Like Jake I'm in the wrong position to comment on the gap in open forum at this time.

Noble
Yes back for a pop - cranky as ever. The wee boy's the main difference, got me up at 5am for a feed, perhaps explains my ....hmmm.

Bought him his first chainsaw the other day, looking forward to the help.

Andrew

I still have not heard why Lucas is better than Peterson.  More is not always better.  That reason just don't cut it.  And no I am not a Peterson owner.

William

does anybody no if the lucas 613  and 618  6 inch mill can later be upgraded to a 8 inch blade and bigger motor?

Well Jimmy, where else but here could you have an audience made up of users as well as the manufacturers.   We need to do something to rattle their cage again, looks like. :D

DanG, their afraid to talk about their mills for fear of hurting each others feelings.  :D :D

   In a way, not trashing each other is great, but, that ain't what we are asking them to do. How about comparing features, guys???  We Don'T hafta get gnarily. Just give the info and let us ask the questions???  How bout it ???

In regards to Jimmy's question......I DO NOT know if Lucas is upgradeable, but I do know that the 6" Peterson mills use the same gearbox, blade arbor and frame sizes.  A 6" Peterson ATS or WPF mill can be upgraded to an 8" mill, engine of choice.

Captain

just wondering if anybody knows how long it would take to recieve a peterson mill if i ordered one would it be weeks or months? i wood like to do some milling soon as possible. i am still undecided on which swing blade mill to get. has anybody ever heard about the  brand x mill or seen it in action?







'

   Brand X might be in trouble. The Montana wildfire is right in his area.
  I have had a couple of conversations with Jay Brand. He was very helpful. I DO know, that, his lead time is ABOUT 30 days, and he wants the buyer to spend a day or so at his location for training. Hope he and his neighbors are spared from the fires.

I've never been particularly stingy with my opinions, so why start now?  ;D
Let's face it folks, the swing-blade mills and the multi-blade mills are designed to cut dimension lumber. They offer portability and production capability to the small operator. The multi-blade puts the most emphasis on production. The swing-blade mill places more focus on the portability issue. Both types, and the various adaptations of them will cut boards that are outside the intended scope, but these capabilities are up to the creativity of the sawyer.
Bottom line, IMHO, is; if you want to saw a bunch of 2x4's or 1x6's, etc, get a swinger or a multi-blade. If you want wide boards  ??? get a band mill.

If only it was that easy, wide boards band mill, small boards circular?

16"-20"are wide boards are they not, you may get a small step in the middle of the intersect (in some cases almost nothing if adjusted correct), the wide boards most definately won't get the wave thing goin on like the band saw.
The swinger was designed for A LOT more than just portabillity I can add that much, infact we have an Automated mill which will be released in the US soon which I am eager to show case in the Sawmill shootout to show off its awesome production rate and its easy wide board capabillity. Look at the production rate at the last shoot out with both swingers, automate it than you've got real production with optimum recovery.

Dead header, I can point out the advantages of the Peterson...

Double cut with out lifting the carriage around.

Ellectric winch available for sizing.

Easy horizontal gaging with a chain and stearing lock mech.

Easy loading concept.

Patented easy blade pivot lock system (this is a big one at the shows, people really comment on the difference between using our system over a gas strut semi lock systems on other mills, you are flipping that blade about 1500-2000 times a day so it should be easy)

One point vertical sizing.

Quality stainless and alloy with supershielded chain for rust resistance.

27hp with industrial air cleaner available.

Upgradeable to larger blade and motor.

Easy log loading with HiLo track system.

You don't have to contend with an over head cross brace as you walk.

As the tracks are not in the air and unsupported the tracks can be very rigid so you won't get horizontal and vertical sway while cutting.

Easy track extensions so you don't have to walk to every 4m track support along the track to lower for each drop (still I point raise and lower).

10" cut blade available.

Last but not least we are the only ones available with the worlds first commercial automated swing mill.
Toggle switch for the blade (no more manual flipping)
Button control with reset for horizontal sizing.
Automatic board return (returns with out waisting a run while it cuts the next)
Button control for vertical sizing.
One point sawmill operation.
+All the advantages as above

These are what I believe to be features of the Peterson mill.

Jake, is the log locust still in production? I don't see it in the new website.
Thanks,
George

    Thanks Jake. All very good points.

I have owned my 8" lucas for five years  and am very pleased with it
over all. I used to own a woodmizer with all the bells and whistles but
have  different needs now. My reasons for choosing the lucas were
portablity, simplicity and price. I dont have a need for alot of wide
boards but have modified my mill to cut up to 16" wide without
turning the power head. I like the independent height ajustments at
each end because I sometimes cut on very uneven and rough ground
on logs with big tapers to them. By having independent ajustments I can
get the best yield from my logs even here in the yard. I cut mostly framing
lumber from sitka spruce and western hemlock but often cut on the beaches
around here and come up with some weird stuff. Mine is the older model
with 20 horses and is still plenty of power. As far as durablity I have had zero
trouble with any part of my mill. Ive lost parts in the sand and snow while
setting up or taking down the mill and the people at baileys have had new
ones here in a couple of days. I dont know if one mill is better than the other
but I know the lucas fits my needs well.
 
Swinger

The Log locust has pretty much fizzilled out of production in place of the much faster 13hp 8" ATS model, much quiter, winding gear to lower and raise, upgradeable to WPF frame system or larger motor etc.

The taper thing, although the ATS model can be adjusted to taper aswell, it is just as easy to put a couple of boards under one end of the mills track to adjust for this, anything over this I would imagine to be an undesirable milling set up where you wouldn't want to let go of the mill for safety reasons, you'ld be pushin or pullin' up hill aswell.

The ATS mill raises the tracks from the operators end in parallel up/down so the mill will not run away if the track brake is not applied (taper is adjusted by unlinking the end upright and spinning as desired, the mills weight would be at the other end so there is no effort to do this, much quicker just to put a board under the skid though).

Unfortunately I was serious about us being ultra busy, down time at present to America would be around eight weeks due to the present container shipments that have been ordered. :(

Swinger, glad that the mill has worked out well for you, These are just subtle differences which may bare more importance to some than others. If the discussion was on swingers to bandsaws (don't mean to hurt any feelings, I know the numbers around here arn't on my side)  I'd be backin the swingers all the way regardless of brands.

KiwiJake, the turn around time for orders doesn't take into account the mills in stock here, I have a 13hp ATS, and will be receiving a 10" 24Honda and a 8" large frame 24Honda in another day or two.
I will have them in time for the Field Day September 14.  The Field Day will be here in Duxbury Vermont, refer to the Peterson Demonstration message or the latest newsletter for details.
Sorry I haven't been around lately, I've been busy with construction projects and custom sawing for the last month or so, and am just seeing it slow down.

does anybody out there have a used lucas or peterson mill they would like to sell?

  Click on the Peterson icon, on the left of the page. There is a link to US and if there are any used machines, they could be listed there. Also, keep checking sawmillexchange.com for used machines. I have seen 1 or 2 listed there.

   Lucas MAY have the same thing, or check with Baileys-online.com. I THINK they have a list of used mills also.

Jimmy, you can go to www.sawmill-exchange and they have several different swing blade mills for sale.
Oakie

www.sawmillexchange.com does a great job of keeping things up to date.  There is at least one mill on the Peterson site that already sold through sawmillexchange.
They are listed under "circular saws" and then specialized swing blade saws.  They don't last long.

www.petersonmills.com

How does the Peterson and Lucas compare to the Mobile Dimension?  I have a WM and have considered the addition of a circular mill.  I've seen the demo tape from Peterson and was quite impressed, but from what I've read here on the forum would like to know more about the MD. Anyone care to fill me in?

Were is Frank, He has two of the MD sawmill. The only thing  common between the swingers and the MD is that the saw moves on a track. The Mighty Mite mill which is a copy of the MD can saw 2-3 thousand board feet per hour on their larger mill when equiped with a 125hp diesel. These mills with their 3/8 kerf blades make an awful lot of sawdust.

 :-/From what I know of the Mobile is that the carriage runs up and down a singular beam type arrangement encompassing one large vertical blade (12" depth capacity?). The horizontal blade is a smaller 6" width capacity so as not to drag too much hp off of the main drive source it would also reduce sideways sway while cutting over a long spanning beam I would assume. From what I have heard is that they also run a third horizontal blade (6"?) which can be cranked up or down to be able to split the 12" depth capacity (this enables it to cut two small vertical boards in one pass, I would assume that access to the crank is from the cutting head so adjustment would be some what time consuming if you were to chop and change cutting styles).

The twin blade system enters the log cutting with two blades, once it's pass is made a latch flips down. The operator will then return the carriage via lever (hydrostat drive? while pulling its cut board/s back. They use a VW motor around 50hp? I'm not to sure on the vertical gaging (walk to either end to raise or lower? I  think that they have an automated option for this), horizontal gaging is done through manual sideways winding.

Advantages of this system, log loading can be slightly easier with access to both sides of the main beam. Disadvantages, track extension options are limited, operator must walk around the end support frames to gain access to the log to retreave misc cut offs or fallen timbers, to give such rigidity over a large span of length the beam would have to be heavy.

The two bladed system can be a very simple sawmilling operation, push the lever to cut, pull the lever to return the board. Disadvantage, you lose your flexabillity eg 12" vertical and 6" horizontal is max.

Our New Zealand competitor has a mill called the Mini Max it runs on the same principle but only with the two blades 10"x6", it is a simplified design via chain blocks for the vertical adjustment, 32hp daihatsu motor with a one piece triangular beam.

In an ever growing versatile world the more options you can be given the better I say.

  It is a shame that no one has a use for a qsawn board wider then 10 inches.  I sell alot of 24 inchers and all that I can make over 18.  One thing I have wondered about is which could make the most qsawn lumber from the same size log, say like a 30 inch red oak.?  I wonder who could center the pith so as to get the best figure in the most boards?
  Now do not get me wrong as I think swingers have their place and use as does MD and circle mills and large bands.  My mill is not for everyone nor does it fill their needs.  But it has cut over 750,000 bdft in under 3 years of use.  Does Peterson and Lucus have Million bdft Clubs like other makers?  I find swingers more loyal and afraid to admit that they bought the wrong mill more then any Orange Team Member.  Wonder why so many are so passionate about their orange machines.  Some times you would think that they were talking about their Harleys or Ranger Bass boats.
   I think I will choose the Peterson mill when I get my swinger because it cuts wider easier and they seemed to pioneer the concept and made it work.   Carl has earned his stripes and I have to tip my hat to any man who will hoe his own row.
  I asked one time before and never found a man who made their living form a swingmill like I do mine.   I make my living from sawing atleast 1,000 + bdft a day 6 days a week solo most of the time.  I pull my mill over 15,000 miles a year and saw every week of the year and average around 260,000 bdft a year.  So is Super Swinger out there?   I know of a Lady with a Orange mill that does about the same but she stays home so as to have supper ready.
ARKANSAWYER
(https://forestryforum.com/images/04_01_03/DSC00510F.JPG)

Hey Arky, been a while since I've heard you on this discussion, your right about every mill has it's place, for what you do I think you've got a great mill, driving around lots and doing many miscellanious jobs from what I've read and seen from other posts. I do think band saws are great, I just feel that they excell in the resaw and small log arrangements, blades can be a bit of a penny.

Indeed if I had the penny and was after an easy mill I'd buy all the hydraulics to go with it ESPECIALLY if I was workin alone.
I do feel especially with our Automated mill we need to offer as an option a trailer version where the standard complete automated or maual mill will snap into it (manual mills take about 10-20 mins to setup, the automated takes an extra 15mins), must have a log loading arm aswell, this is being thought about. The trouble is that it's so expensive to ship such a large object to the US, I would assume that that is why Woodmizer is rarely seen over these parts. Alternative options are being explored for this arrangement eg. engineering drawings.

I can assure you that there are many super swingers out there milling 1000+ board foot a day 5 days a week full time by them selves, I could name a few. It's just that most of them don't hang around the wood forums like us, also there are around 5500 swingers in the world at the moment (growing rapidly) to about 100 000+ bandsaws, thats a wicked ratio, maybe thats why there not so vocal at the moment.

Over 10" Qsawn timber, sure theres a need for it some where. One up bandsaw! Keep it up Arky your doin great in your daily production.

Shopteacher,
I bought a used Mobile Dimension saw this spring. The discription that Kiwijake gave is kind of accurate but a few things he mentioned I'm not so sure about. My MD has a 57hp VW engine and it has threee blades. One main blade and two horizontal edger blades. The top edger blade is moveable from 2" up to 12". The big advantage of this is that you can saw two boards in one pass or you can use the top edger to remove knots, bark or other imperfections to obtain a high quality board. I don't feel this adjustment is time consuming.
Contrary to what Kiwi says, I seldom have to walk around the end frame to retreive edgings or fallen timber.
Right now I'm just learning to use the machine in the most effiecent way and I have never used a band mill or swing blade mill so I won't comment on them. I will say that the swing blade idea still intrigues me. I was very close to buying a Peterson when this mill kind of fell into my lap. Bottom line is all these mills are good for the right job-you just have to decide which is better for you.

Jimmy,
   What are you going to saw with the mill you choose?  What has you looking at a swinger?  You got plenty of big sticks?
  KiwiJake,
  I think that a Peterson mill mounted on a Wheeler trailer so as a feller could use the boom and put the logs on the deck and set the junk off.  I need both any way.
ARKANSAWYER

KJake, you have a pretty good grasp of how a MD mill works. The horizontal adjustment is accomplished with a simple crank at the operator's station. It moves both ends of the mill at the same time. There is a little plunger affair you can push to disconnect the far-end to compensate for log taper, since the dogs are in a straight line. The vertical adjustment is electric, on my mill, and I highly reccomend it as an option. I've tried it with the hand crank, and it ain't fun.
The endstands are not in the way. The whole rig is an 8'x28' rectangle, with the endstands on the corners. I rarely have to go to the sides, except when putting on a new log. Everything else is right there at the operator's station. :)

Hey Jimmmy or anyone else if interested. I have a Peterson 8" WPF for sale. Here are the details:

2002 Peterson WPF 8" c/w
4 carbide tipped saw blades (three are just back from saw shop with new teeth $200.00)
Wide body (allows more space between the rails for logs and sawyer)
Electric lift kit (mill can be raised and lowered from operators position - no hand cranking)
Operator station scale (allows horizontal sizing from operators station in inches not metric)
25 hp Kohler (more power to get through the tough stuff)
Transport sulky (much more solid than stock wheels - does double duty as heavy lumber or beam carrier).

$13,500. US

Hey Mobilesawyer

Sounds like nice kit. Your selling after only one year. Perhaps you would let us know about your adventure(misadventure) with mobile sawing.

Are you getting another one, different one, or getting out all together.

What did you think of the mill.

Andrew

Hey Andrew:

Yes it is a nice kit and no I'm not getting out of the milling business.
My reason for considering a different mill is to increase daily production levels. I know that I will be sacrificing many wonderful features to get the added board footage, but I have also come to better understand what I enjoy doing, what is most profitable, and what best suites the lifestyle of my family and I.
The Peterson mill has proven to be reliable and efficient and has provided us with a reasonable income for the amount of time I have to spend on it. What I have decided to focus on is buying logs and sawing them into lumber. Primarily spruce and pine for construction materials and siding, we also sell some cedar for outdoor decking and the like. The Peterson has done a good job producing this lumber but with a significant amount of effort.
If you have seen the results from "The Sawmill shootout" you know that these mills are capable of some extraordinary board foot/ hour numbers but it is also to the benefit of these machines that the contest does not run for the whole day with volumes being counted at the end of the day (in fact maybe that should be considered as a new format for the competition). We all know that what a mill and a well practiced team can do in an hour does not necessarily represent the real world capabilities of the mill or the sawyers. The simple fact is I'm not getting any younger and pushing the mill all day long while constantly trying to increase production is starting to take it's toll. I have to this point, resisted bringing in hired help because of all the hassles that employing someone brings. Yet the business is growing and I am now faced with turning business away and losing present and future clients or getting out of some other things (I run 25 cows and an ever changing number of horses on a 225 acre farm and am dad on the spot for my two sons – wife travels a lot with work). Neither of these options are what I want. So I am now looking at a used Mobile Dimension mill that offers more speed in production and with less physical effort to so at the end of the day I expect to have a larger pile of lumber with a little less effort.
What I will be giving up is a exceptionally portable mill, capable of going anywhere my pickup will take it, any mill that is trailered simply will not turn the tight corners of many bush roads. The versatility of the Peterson can not be matched either, it is capable of cutting a deck of 1x2 pieces, followed by an 8x10 beam and cleaning up the rest of the log in whatever sizes needed. Every good thing you have heard about the Peterson is true and if I am unable to complete the deal for the MD I will continue with the Peterson quite happily. In fact writing this has made me wonder if I shouldn't keep the Peterson and buy the MD as well but that one small detail seems to keep bouncing around$$$$$$$$$ ;D.
Anyway Andrew I hope I have answered your questions and by the way I have been using the mill for 18 months now. Model years on equipment are funny aren't they?

Mobilesawyer

I have run an MD in a myriad of different configurations and the most mobile of all I think is use the little trailer Mobile Dimension gives you and put the rest in the back of the pickup. I have seperated the end stand pipes from the base, making more parts but they are realativly light. I made conduit braces for the end stands.
My son and I can setup in an hour or so.
It tows great, on the road or in the brush.
Still not as fast an easy as a Woodmiser, from what I've seen.

Stev

Mobil,
Have you looked at the Mighty Mite mills, they cut faster than the MD when equiped with a diesel? If you have support equip, you should be able to cut 5 to 10M per day.

(https://forestryforum.com/images/04_01_03/swing0.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/images/04_01_03/swing1.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/images/04_01_03/swing3.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/images/04_01_03/swing5.jpg)
Howz it mobilesawyer, I take it you purchased your Peterson mill off Lou brown, who used to be our Canadian agent. Have you had any dealings with Petersons direct? We have a second hand mill section under our website, It's free for you to sell your mill through our website. It may be benificial for you to give Petersons a call (freephone on the website) and talk about blade options, and blade adjustment issues etc, as Lou has experimented around with some very different blade arrangements (eg in some cases very wide kerf) Some of Lou browns owners have been really rapped with the difference of speed of cut when a Standard  Peterson blade was put on.

On another issue, like you said look at the production rates of the swing mills at the shootout, now with this system automated you have real production. It may benifit you to give us a call to fix up (if any) teathing problems you have with your mill, and wait a few months until the ASM comes out on the market. I wreckin you should give our blades a go! The mill in the photo is a 10" ASM mill cutting 75x85 skid material. The mill can travel the length of rail at a sprint rate. :)

Guys,
 This thread have changed gears rather quickly. ;D  Thanks for the rundown on the manual pederson mill, needed that for my comparisons Steve. Sounds like you are happy with the mill, just outgrowing it. Thats wonderful.

Jake,
Thats some kinda' good lookin' machinery you guys got there. Is this still in the test stage?  :P  HoooooWeeee, Yeah! 8)
Thanks for the peak,
Gus

(https://forestryforum.com/images/04_01_03/bladeJPG1.jpg)

Yep it's in production and can be ordered in New Zealand, we are waiting to get CE certification for foreign countries. Our UK agent "Loglogic"has already put up information about it on thier website about three weeks before we did, sounds like they are keen for it  :D. It'll only be a few months before they start heading over seas.

The 8" 27hp Kholar models trials showed production rates similar to the shootout results were possible. 800-1000+ bf an hour with a good tayler to stack ::), you would need support equipment to keep this rate up all day, a forklift and sawdust bucket would be a good start. PS sorry about so many pictures, I've just got the hang of the image optimizer thing hehe.

   Never be sorry about photos.   We's like them.
ARKANSAWYER

I don't think there's any such thing as too many pictures, especially when wood is involved. :)

Jake, you got that optimizing thing down. :) Nice detail and still, under the limit that nasty webmaster set. ;D

Jake

That looks a well finished piece of equipment. Nice Job.

Tell me how does it cope with saw pinch, or when you hit something hard and need to back off quick. Also can you alter the feed rate say when you are using the slabing bar or when cutting something extra hard?

Andrew

Andy, the speed control is infinitly variable so you can go as slow or fast as you want within it's limits, resistance can be felt in the lever when the mill is struggling so you can get a good feel for it. Let go of the lever, it stops. If the blade bogs down, you withdraw the lever which frees up the blade or press the big red button to kill the motor if you jam it too hard.

Blade pinch, if you are returning boards to the operator (vertical first horizontal second) you can get a bit of blade pinch on the horizontal if you're trying to cut big ass sleepers this way, I find a simple wedge at the operators end will solve this though. Cutting with horizontal first and pushing the sleepers the other direction causes no problem and no need to wedge.

In normal operation, I think what you are refering to when you say pinching, does the vertical cut pinch? No, because the whole frame is being pulled equally and diagonally through the HI TRACK and LOW TRACK giving relative equal load distribution. Also there are quick connection clamps for setup which clamps the mill down equally without doing any adjustments. Once it's clamped it stays in that position with out any twist. The clip on slabber on this unit is a great labour saver!

Jake

THanks for that. I am sure that you will do well with this design.

What is the biggest log you can accommodate ?
What about track extentions - up to 12 meters possible?

Why is it that you decided to add more teeth than the 5?

Do the 10" blades suffer any more from distortion than the 6,8s or 9s.

By the way what is the porojected price range of your fine beastie?
Just curious you understand.

Andrew

Andy no worries and thanks for asking, you can go as long as you want with track extensions, it's just the longer you go the less portable the mill becomes. The standard 4x4 tracks hinge onto itself and get clamped to gather for transportation. If you were to go 12 meters ideally you would want 6 meter solid and 3 meter end sections which hinge on to the six. You would also require one extra removable high track centre support. All that is required for extensions is longer chain and standard track extrusion with tongue insert (this can be added later).

The 10" model, we say can do a 1.5meter diameter log, the 8" will do a 1.6meter log. (but they can do a much larger log by chalking up).

The 10" mill's frame is designed alot bulkier with a heavier blade thickness, larger collar, and slightly larger kerf. This mill will also cut slightly slower obviously than the 8" but offers alot more flexabillity in your cutting options. With this sized blade it is crutial to have a positive lock to resist down drag as down drag causes distortion and burnt out blades. There is no extra distortion in comparison to the smaller blades, unless tension is lost of course.

The 5 tooth was originally designed for the low hp high rpm chainsaw circulars, research and ongoing tests have moved us along from this direction. However the five tooth is fine for hardwood (we offer a 6 tooth equivelant).

The 8" will be priced around about the same as the Mobile Dimension or that of it's similar equivelant.

Hey Kiwi:

Sorry about the delay in responding to your earlier post but time does go by when your busy. A blessing no doubt.
You are correct I did buy my mill from Lou Brown (it sounds like he is no longer your dealer in Canada?) and have been pleased with the training and the mods. he has made to the mill.
My contacts with Peterson directly have been few, but after all I have only owned the mill for 18 months or so. I spoke with someone there a while back about the retipping jig but decided to let the pros handle the blade repairs. I will, in the next few days post to your used mill web site and thank you for the suggestion.
As to your question of the blades I'm using two different blades. I have two Peterson 8 tooth blades and two Pacific Hoe 6 tooth blades. Neither one is head and shoulders better than the other. I find the Peterson to be better in the harder woods with the brittle chips or saw dust, while the Pacific Hoe blade seems to clear the chips better in the softer species.
The ASM looks interesting but with your last post finding out where it will be priced (similar to the Mobile Dimension saw) it will probably not be in the near future for me..
I intend on buying a used MD if I can sell my Peterson . Though I will continue to watch for it's release here in North America.
I hope everyone understands that I am in no way unhappy with my mill but as SD_Saw said in his post I may be outgrowing it.
I look forward to your comments.

Hi Folks,

I have had a 9 inch WPF Peterson since November of 98. I seriously considered a Lucas before deciding on the Peterson. Baker in Missouri was handeling Petersons at the time, and was a factor in my decision so I was a little miffed when Baker dropped them shortly after that. What few parts I have needed since then always showed up in only 3 or 4 days even though they had to come all the way from New Zealand.
One of the main reasons I chose the Peterson over the Lucas
was that I expected to be working alone most of the time, and it was obvious that sizing and double cuts were much
quicker and easier with the Peterson. At the time, the Lucas
mills were under powered in the 8 inch size, and had more
plastic and less stainless steel than the Peterson.
I don't make my living from sawing, but do as much custom milling as comes my way with the intent of making the mill pay for itself eventually, which was the most important factor from my wife's point of view and it was soon obvious
even to her that that would not be a problem.
I have never regreted my decision and would never even consider selling it unless I would be replacing it with the new automated mill. That will have to wait a few years though. Our daughter has just started college and expects to get a phd in physics before she is done, and costs have gone
up by at least a factor of ten since I went to school.Ouch!
I hope that helps to answer a few questions, but if not, let me know and I'll try again.
This is a great forum, btw. I read it all the time, but don't get enough time to contribute much except on rare occasions. Besides, I still consider myself to be on the far left side of the learning curve.
Jim Wahl

Jim, we're all on the far left side of the learning curve. :D  Anybody that thinks they know all there is to know about this stuff is lost way out in right field somewhere.  Sawing is fun to anybody who enjoys wood.

You must have realized that you don't have to have some great piece of wisdom to share when you post on the Forestry Forum.  We run our mouths about most anything.  That way the important stuff gets in there too. :)  What is not important to one fellow might be earth shattering to another.  We try not to make the distinction as to what is not important to other folks. :D  That's why we talk about food, cooking, travel and family. :D :D

Glad you are on here talking about your Peterson.  A lot of us want to know about the swing saws but the conversation is always minimal and the manufacturers are usually missing at the shows.  We are gleaning a bit from these threads from time to time but its going to take the swing saw owner, like you, talking about your saws to educate us enough that we can ask a question. :)