Lucas 618 questions

[chep]

Hello,

  I have found what i think is pretty good deal on a Lucas 618. It will include the slabber and claboard jig, along with other pieces of kit.
  I only have experience with bandsawmills and always thought that I would end up with the band. But after hanging out with the owner and checking out some of the wood he's cut it seems like a Lucas is not a bad idea. I have a small tree service and really like the idea of not being limited by diameter, especially because I like to bring home odd sizes of wood...
  My questions arise mainly because I have a hard time wrapping my head around the difference in the milling approach... How hard is it to cut 2x8 material when the blade is 6 inches? How about cutting beams over 6 inches in size? 
  Is there anything esle about a Lucas that I should know?

Thanks in advance
   

[Holmes]

  Hi chep  I have a 613 lucas mill.  I do not cut 8" with it, it can be done but I would have to pick up the complete trolly and turn it 180*. I have not used the slabber yet.  I have made plenty 2x6 and 2x4 and boards with it. This is an older mill and only 13 hp compared to your 18hp. If you can get a deal on the mill it will be worth it. 3 weeks ago I cut made 32 2x6x12 in a few hours. I wish the mill was bigger but it is a LOT better than having no mill at all.  Holmes

[Ianab]

How hard is it to cut 2x8 material when the blade is 6 inches?

Not so much hard, it's just slower. The Lucas design means you need to turn the sawhead around to cut from the other side. I believe the newer mills let you "park" the saw horizontally on top of the log, lower the rails and spin the carriage around on the blade. The older design you had to pick up the carriage and move it.  You can of course set up 3 X double cut boards, then swivel the head to cut the other side.

If you want to cut a lot of 8"+ material this is going to be a pain. But 6" wide boards make it into the official grade rules, so if you cut a whole log into 6" wide boards it's not loosing anything in grade.

How about cutting beams over 6 inches in size? 

Well you can cut a 6 x 12 beam by swivelling the carriage and double cutting. If you want bigger it's still possible. It's like the guy in the jungle making the canoe. "How do make a canoe out of a log?" "Easy, you just cut away everything that's not a canoe"

So you apply the same theory to your beam. Even though you don't normally move the log when using a swing blade, there is nothing that says you can't . Saw a flat surface, flip the log 180, level it up and saw flat again. Flip 90 and square up, flip 180 again and you have a beam of whatever size.

The slabber opens up all sorts of options if you have the right trees. Walnut crotch wood for table tops etc

If the price is right I would go for it. They are a very versatile mill, especially with that slabber attachment.

Ian

[logboy]

I have the dedicated slabber and an 827. I use the slabber way more than the mill nowadays (wish it was the other way around).  I can slab stuff no one else can. You'll get popular, trust me.

[chep]

Guys,
thanks so much for the replies.  Great insight!  Do owners of Lucas mills often turn the logs? That sounds like a recipe for some squirrely lumber... Can you build bunks for logs to sit on so that when you flip a milled surface it will be level? Anyone got any pictures of their setups that they would like to share? 
  It sounds like a swingblade mill just needs to be approached with an open mind and a bit of creativity...

Also, can you put a bigger blade on the mill? Like an 8 inch? or is that not recomended due to the size of the motor ( I assume that's why it comes with a 6 inch sawblade)

thanks again

[terrifictimbersllc]

With a swingmill one can "level the bunks" with the blade, either as bunks on the ground or heavy duty sawhorses for example.   The key is that these supports be stable with respect to the adjustment of heavy slabs or logs .   One can arrange dogging or blocking  below the lowest cut plane.   The capability is great especially if time/production is secondary.

[Holmes]

  Witha Lucas you can raise or lower each end to make the carraige run parallel with the center of the log. There is a learning curve like everything else. I make a nice 12' log into a few boards and a 12' long wedge once, but just once ;D ;D.

[Nomad]

     Increasing the blade size won't work.  The saw is designed so that the cutting edge of the blade (the point, if you will) is in the same position in both the vertical and horizontal planes.  Using a larger or smaller blade would toss that out the window and cause all sorts of complications.

[Hokiemill]

Hey Chep, I have a 618.  No slabber but would love to have one.  Do some searches on this forum and you'll find all the info you need on how to operate the Lucas.  To quickly answer a couple of your questions: no you don't want to turn the log - that sort of defeats the purpose and simplicity of the swingmill (no hydraulics required).  Simple works best and a couple of bunks (6x6 or similar) with rectangular notches work just fine for holding your logs, and raising/lowering the two ends of your tracks to get parallel with the pith or bark (whichever you choose) get you set to start milling. 

No, I don't really do any double cutting.  It seems like too much effort.  So I stick with max. 6" boards.  Lucas does have an adapter you can add that will allow you to "park" the sawhead on your log while you lower the tracks, then spin the sawhead on a polymer pivot point.  I have one but have never installed it.

If you need lots of 8" material, then the 618 may not be the best option, but as Holmes mentioned, any mill is better than no mill.  Nomad is definitely correct on the blade size - you can't increase your board widths just by increasing the blade size.

[chep]

Thanks for all the replies! I have been using the search feature to do my research, and you folks have answered most of my questions outside of that.
  The price on the mill is 5K it was bought in 2004 and has been used but seemingly not abused... I think that 5 K is a great price considering all the extras the owner is throwing in. Does that sound right to you folks?

[Holmes]

 That price sounds very good to me. I paid that for an older smaller mill and I am happy with it. Go for it if you don't like it you should have no problems selling it..   Holmes