looking for anyone who ownes a peterson saw mill

[countryjonez]

i have been researching different types of mills,getting ready to buy my first one.the swingblade peterson mill looks like a good mill. hoping i could get some feedback from existing owners.  thanks

[mcfcfan]

Hi Countryjonez.

Lee here from Petersons in New Zealand, if you want to contact me i can give you a list of owners in your State.
Regards
Lee

[countryjonez]

thanks for the help. i sent  you some info.thanks

[ErikC]

  I have an older style WPF, it has been great. I have had no complaints with the quality or design. There just isn't much to go wrong.  The only times I have worked on it other than basic wear parts replacement(belts, blade maint., wheels) and adjustments has been adding various upgrades as time went by. Also it is easy to learn, and very productive. More specific info on what you have in mind will help getting detailed aswers about what model might suit your needs. ;)

Erik

[countryjonez]

im wanting to build a house,barn, buildings on my farm.something manual and easy to use would be great. thanks for all the info.

[ErikC]

  Well a peterson wpf is the ultimate in manual and easy to use, considering it's abilities for accuracy and production. I don't think a small manual band mill can touch it. The peterson will cost more $$ however.
    If you get an 8" you'll be able to cut everything you need for any reasonable project and then some. Mine has added tracks but will cut an 8x16" beam 28' long. 12" wide siding can be a chore, although you can do it double-cutting. But just use 8" and save the trouble. While double-cutting is pretty easy it is slower and there is only so much per log suitable for it, while you can whack 8's one after the other. There is a lap-siding attachment which I have that works pretty good if you're wanting that. Also the slabber attachment can add some versatility for neat projects. I have made a few big wide slabs and live edge counters without it but you need a loader and only get 1 per log. The remainder ends up as lumber but it's too bad when a nice burly log could make several beauties.  But the bottom line is, a little little planning and you can do a lot more than a person would think at first glance with such a basic machine.

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

And welcome to the forum Mate  ;D ;D 8) 8) 8)

Ive only used one peterson an 8" Wpf with 24hp  and they are a great mill for the money Erik is spoton with his coments  ;) the main things i like are the single point sizeing , the hilo tracks and being able to double cut without rotating the head unit  ;) for what your planing to do an 8" mill with 30hp would do the job for most of what you would be cutting unless your planning on sawing 10x10"s any beams you want to saw upto 16"x8" can do by double cutting which is an easy task on the petersons  ;)

(edit) Erik you beat me to it Mate  ;) :D :D ;D ;D

Regards Chris

[Part_Timer]

I have had my 8" 25hp ATS for about 5 years or so now and I have no complaints about it.  Up keep is easy, maintenance is straight forward.  Saw doctors to work on your blades are pretty easy to come by.  I've cut everything for 1x1 stickers to 8x12 beams for a small bridge on the mill.  The lap sider is easy to use once you get the hang of it.  Sizing on one end of the mill makes for few trips up and down the tracks during the course of the day. No problems with double cutting, and sharpening the blade is no problem if you pay attention to the sharpening angle.

I have run the WPF on a few occasions and even set one up in Africa, they are nice especially if production is the goal but I have never felt underguned with the ATS.

The best advice I can give you if you get on is to get 25 or so hp.  The smaller motors will get the job done on an 8" mill but it is a lot slower.  My favorite is the 27hp.  If I was spending the money again I would get the 27hp WPF small frame low/low with the electric winch attachment and lap sider. FAST FAST FAST The slabbing attachment is way cool, I've just never been able to scrape up the $$$$ to get one.

I do have a couple of questions.
1  what type of timber are you going to cut?  Hardwood/soft wood
2  What diameter are your logs?
3  What type of support equipment do you have to go with the mill?
4  What part of WV are you in?  I'm in SW Virginia a couple of times a year.  If you get a mill I may be able to come by and give you the short course on swingmilling 101.

Disclamer::  I still work for Petersons on a part time basis so I'm a bit bias on the Peterson brand.::

[countryjonez]

most of the timber i will be using is yellow poplar,shagbark hickory,andwhite oak.most of the trees range from20'-40'in diameter.as of right now i have no mill, no tractor and am just getting started with what i hope will be a wonderfull self sufficeint life.im not new to the country,but i am new to timber.i have been cutting firewood for the last 4 years and have learned much but want to use all that the good lord has blessed me with to create a small homestead for my family.im around parkersburg,west virginia.a wonderfull small town of around 5000.thanks for all advice

[countryjonez]

if its ok to ask what is the price tag on a 25h model.i sent my info in today but havnt got anything back just yet.thanks

[mcfcfan]

Hi Countryjones,
It is Lee here again, i have sent you two emails to the address you gave me have you received them, it had a price list attached.
Regards
Lee (Petersons)

[ErikC]

  If you are going to be cutting 40" logs on a manual mill it better be a swinger. That's what they do best 8)
  If anyone you can get to has one go look, maybe cut a few with it if they don't mind. Just watching ought to be enough to give you a pretty bad case of the "I wants"

[islandlogger]

I have had a WPF 8" with 24 hp Honda for several years now and logged umpteen thousand BF on it and all in all havn't had any complaint's other then having to shut her down at the end of the day. The whole unit is top notch in build and design, break down and moving (site to site) is quick and easy, sharpening is done in a blink of an eye. The multiple options available are great, and the team at Petersons is always ready and eager to help, ain't that right Lee?   ;D
That's my two cents worth, cant go wrong with a Peterson!

[mcfcfan]

The multiple options available are great, and the team at Petersons is always ready and eager to help, ain't that right Lee?   ;D
That's my two cents worth, cant go wrong with a Peterson!

Hi Islandlogger, always ready and willing. Are you back from your trip?
Regards

[islandlogger]

Sadly no I am not back from my trip yet, I put in a app to renew the UK Visa in November, seems now the Home Office has no record of me on the data base and of course I had to send my pass port in with the app, so now I am waitingggggg to find out if they can locate my passport and docs and see what I need to do. Lots of work waiting for me state side so I am none to pleased!

[scsmith42]

CJ - I have a 10" WPF, wide frame low low setup with the electric winch attachment and lap sider, and have been very pleased with it overall.  I mill large logs predominantly.

If you're ever around Raleigh, NC, you're welcome to stop by and give it a go.

Scott

[wtf]

CJ, I've had my 8" wpf with 24hp Honda, low/low for 9+ years and I love it. It has been trouble free and very well designed. Most of my logs are 30"+ diameter hardwood. Oak, walnut, hickory, etc. I WOULD NOT trade it for any other brand of mill, circle or band. I used to have help most of the time but my help has grown up and gone, so I mill by myself most of the time now. In my opinon it's the only way to make lumber. Feel free to contact me if you would like to visit a bit.

Russ

[Part_Timer]

Sounds to me like your on the right path.  The only thing left is to pick your mill out and get it into the productions schedule. 

[JimBuis]

countryjonez,

Do you ever come through Cincinnati?  I have a 10" WPF. I don't have many hours on it yet as the day job keeps me too busy, but I'd love to chew the fat with you and show you what I have.

I maybe went a little over the top on mine given the little use it has had to date. I have the low/low and hi/low set up, planer blade, and slabber attachment, 27 hp Kohler, and electric winch.

Jim

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

Jim you have a well optioned mill for parttime milling there  ;) ;D 8)  and its always better to have the extras if you have the money than wish you had got it in the begining Mate  ??? :  ;) ;D :D :D :D :D

My thoughts are if you are browing money to get a mill you might as well get the mill you want with everything you think you will use in one hit  ;) If your doing it out of pocket get the base machine built the way you want  ;) without the addons that you can fit (bolt on)yourself and add them as you go  ;) ;D


Regards Chris

[sigidi]

CountryJonez,

any reason for asking about a Peterson as against a swingmill of any breed?

I've been building our house with my mill and doing custom jobs as they come along. Our place has kept me busy for awhile - hence not being on here for awhile. It currently sits at around 500sm, 5,300 sqft or 597 square yards - everything from the ground up has come off my 6-18 Lucas Mill using majority Aussie hardwoods and some pines, posts, bearers, joists, decking, wall frames, battens rafters, verandah beams you name it.

I've had 6 years using my mill and have nothing but great things to say about it and the Lucas company.

Allan

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

Allan great to see you back with us  ;) we all get busy from time to time it sounds like your homes coming along well Mate  ;) ;D ;D 8) 8)

thats another good point about the Lucas being a another great option there Mate  ;) also the pricing by my reckoning  is about $5500 dollars difference between an 8-30 lucas and a Wpf with 27hp based on australian pricing quotes i have had you could step upto a 10-30 lucas with afew extras like a planer disk and slabber n afew other things at that difference  ;) Im not sure about the ats pricing  ??? another thing to consider is shiping time as a custom Peterson mill is built to order and a lucas because they Build a standard mill  in runs of each model eg 6',8"and10"s thats one of  reasons they can keep costs down and mills instock in the Usa and other countrys for del   ;) ;D 8)

All that been said  ;) A Mill like almost any other equipment we get along the way in life is a Personal Thing  ;) ;D  ;D 8) 8)

(edit) another thing i like about the lucas is the new alloy gearbox swing frame assembley very neat n better than the old style settups   ;) ;D 8)

Regards Chris

[sigidi]

Chris I haven't had much to do with the new gearboxes - Lucas have kept the gearbox the same for the model 6's, but done the change in the other models.

I'll be having a model 10 to play with soon, so I'll be able to see for myself 8) I'll let anyone who will listen know what I think ;D