Thread: Peterson Turbo Saw

i was talking to an old forum member He was saying they are about $50000 But I dont know if he brought one or not if you do a serch for turbosaw you should get a bit more info. Personaly I think they are to0 big I ve no need to do 12"cuts they are impressive but.
do a serch for turb-o-saw
New sawmill design TURB-O-SAW T12-38

It should be a good thing coming from the original swing mill designer's not from smart marketing people or acts of bastardry

Hi Poss ... Thanks for the quick response

We've watched all the videos available online ... also got a price list from Petersons. There is a world of difference between watching a "pro" do it on a video & doing it yourself out in the bush, so we're wanting to contact people who have hands on experience with them.

We've also had a look at the Mahoe stuff online. It's not fully hydraulic (the turbosaw is) & is even more expensive than Petersons

What sort of gear do you use Poss?

I ve looked at nearly all of them. I am in Western Australia atm to learn about an use woodmizers. I ve priced up the Mahoe saws lucas mill peterson sawmill all the way to kara mills. I d becarfull calling the the turbosaw a Peterson as that name is trade marked. So in short I own nothing because I am not a fan of wasting timber with kerf, and less then adequate mill beds or automation . Hoping to find the answer with band mill

Another one who talks a good story.

there is a nice macuarrie mill up near cairns for sale , but they are more for a set mill than portable . certainly cut some wood though- cattana has it for sale . cheers bob

Mousse

I hadn't seen this saw before, but there are some queations to be asked about the saw and your proposed operation.

What sort of operation are you contemplating? Working from one place only or moving around? Is it a full time occupation (I assume it is as this is a lot of money to be spending on a passtime or supplementary income)?

Do you have additional machinery and equipment to go with the mill, such as FEL with forks, bulldozer truck etc? Logs, unfortunately, don't move around by themselves. I am making this point because to make a viable return on your outlay you will need to cut a lot of timber and of course have a market for that timber.

As to the mill itself I took an instant dislike to the website. I don't like the animation aspect. I wanted too see the mill in action and did not really want to be directed to u tube. I did not see the mill being dismantled and moved, although they stated that it would take 15mins.

Is that for one person or more and how strong do you have to be? Do you need machinery to move it? What type of vehicle is needed to transport it? It doesn't look as though it would fit happily on a ute with racks. If it doesn't we are back to the original question raised above of additional machinery. I don't think a 40HP power plant is easily moved around.

They may have answers to all this, but I didn't see it in their website.


Lastly, if I was paying the rumoured 50K for a sawmill I would want the facility to rotate the log. In fact I would want that facility if I was paying 25K. In this regard I feel that most of the upper end swing saw mills are deficient. This would include the Mahoe mills too.

I would be looking at the bandsaw mills as an alternative as they all deal with log rotation. Their disadvantage is they are more fickle and may need more skill to operate.

Regards
Paul

There was a company from Coffs Harbour that used to build saws designed like that and used to demonstrate them at Agquip and I would be talking at least 25 years ago and maybe they pinched the design from them.

I was thinking back then about buying one but when I went searching for them I think they had gone out of business I even had brochures on the saw but after four house moves although I don't throw much out they have disappeared.

One of the other things is sourcing timber to cut and as it is totally controlled by the forestry dept I got to wondering where Girralong was so I checked on Google maps and Mouse63 you live where you are surrounded by State forests all you have to do is get a license to harvest there.

Hi Bob ... I'll have a look for Cattana in a minute.

Hi Paul ... Thanks for taking the time to write all that These are all the sorts of questions I'm asking myself & putting out there on this website because it is a LOT of money to borrow. We were looking at getting the mill initially because my partner is owed money by someone who doesn't have the ability to repay it but might be able to trade the value in timber. However I want to really nut it all out to make good & sure it's viable ... & also to consider what we might do with the saw after cutting the timber for the debt - for example, do we want to try & buy a paddock of timber ourselves or do we want to focus on salvage logs, or go to other peoples properties & cut for them or what?

We went & visited a guy in the next valley today who has an old Peterson Hi Low saw ... it's about a '92 model & was designed & made by Carl Peterson as a "one of" thing. He was a great source of information about the saw & also all the stuff you mention ... what's your market? how much timber will you cut? where will you get it from? how will you handle it? etc. He also has plenty of experience with DECCW & PPVP etc which was a great help as well. I'd like to go & spend a bit of time with him to pick his brains further & to get a bit more idea of the pros & cons of getting into this. His advice was that if we had to borrow the money to buy the saw then not to do it, but my partner is still convinced it will be worthwhile if it's the only way he is going recover the money he's owed. I'm the more conservative one & want to be sure we won't be throwing good money after bad & end up loosing even more $'s!
I must say I was rather excited looking at this guys stuff though. I LOVE timber & had to stop myself drooling over some of the timber he has stacked there ... especially the burls!!! I love burls ... it's like unwrapping a lucky dip waiting to see if you got a really great prize or only a sort nice prize

Hi Barry ... we're near Coff's so if you find the brochures let me know & we'll go track down the manufacturer! And yes. Girralong is in the middle of absolutely bl@@dy nowhere - which is why I choose to live here. And there is A LOT of timber! Getting a license to salvage from the State Forest is one option I'm keen to check out. There are a lot of hippies/greenies/freaky people up here & announcing you're going to be cutting down trees is a scary proposition ... making good use of salvaged trees would probably be viewed differently. I guess the whole exercise is an opportunity to share knowledge that responsible & environmentally positive timber harvesting IS possible ... a concept I was convinced of myself only a few years ago

Paul .. regarding the Turbo Saw ... we've watched the video of it in action - there's one on the website but we couldn't access it. We ended up watching it on youtube. It looks SO easy ... but then again what doesn't when you watch a "pro" do it? That's why I'm on here looking for people with experience using it in the real world. The Tubo Saw comes standard on a trailer for $45K. It's fully hydraulic & is supposed to take 10 minutes for 1 person to set it up. You don't see the bloke setting it up on the video. The Mahoe is a twin saw not a swing saw & comes standard without a trailer for $60K - the trailer option is $3.5K extra.
I hope I got all this right ... my partner has watched so many darn videos of so many darn saws my head is spinning

Mouse

Thank you for that information. In some respects it begs more questions. So with your permission I will raise some issues:

Felling within state forestry areas: I have not done this so you would need to check out the facts. I am sure others can assist here and make up for my deficiencies. They are strict in the way timber is felled. They require you to clear up the heads (the part of the tree that is no use to you, but is larger than the bit that is useful) and they require a royalty. I think they may also require you to make good any damage such as tracks that are made by machines.

If you are not familiar with chainsaws other than cutting for firewood which is already fallen, you certainly need to take some advice. Cutting large trees with an incorrect cut can leave you seriously injured and worse. This is not insurmountable, but it is something to consider very carefully. A poorly cut tree can jump back at you.

Sawmilling really is a young person's occupation. Actually make that young and fit! I am not prying here and no answer is required. Bear in mind this comment comes from someone who views middle age as a missed opportunity.

Make some enquiries as to what timber in the forest is worth. You may be surprised at how little this is and how many trees you will need to fell to make up the money you are owed. I have been out of this for too long and I will have to defer to others to give you a price there.

Assuming you go ahead, have you got a market? Once your debtor has "paid" up where are you going to go? Will your heart still be in it, because if not you now have 45K of machinery languishing and a debt of your own depending on how successfully you have sold your timber.

I apologise if this sounds negative. It is meant to put you on high alert. I wouldn't be saying this if you were in the market for a second hand Lucas (there is one for sale by one of our members in Brisbane right now) because you have not committed a huge some of money. 45K is a lot by anybody's standards.

If you decide to sell after the debt is cleared, what is the resale value of the machine? Hard to know because there may not be too many around to gauge the market.

A general comment; In the end timber is more about moving it around than cutting it up. Cutting is the easy part.

If you decide to go ahead, I wish you all the best and for myself I would very much like to see it in action. A video would be great. An alternative to buying any saw would be to contact a contract mobile sawyer and come to an arrangement where he did the milling on your behalf. Again there are people on this forum who specialise in that.

Lastly, I made a mistake with the Mahoe. They are of course a twin blade machine. In that respect, they are faster than the swing saw. Cut on the way down, return timber on the way back. BUT they still have no built-in facility to rotate the log. Having said that, if you are milling in one place you could improvise a saw bed and then you can rotate (the log, you don't have to go into a head spin)

Regards
Pau

Originally Posted by Mouse63

My partner is thinking about trying to borrow the money to buy a Peterson Turbo Saw, so we're trying to gather some information about them. Does anyone here own one or had any experience with them?
Any advice or suggestions welcome

Good morning,
I have read all the comments re your situation (and yes I do sell mobile band saws) but I do agree with BUSHMILLER you must have a viable market for your timber & a market that you can build on, you are on the right track do your homework before you jump in.

All the best whichever way you go.

Hi Paul ... I got into trouble with the one & only tree I've ever tried to cut down & had to be rescued It was a tortured willow in the front yard!
My ex husband was a second generation faller ... his family own a saw mill. I use to spend a lot of time in the bush with him ... far enough away not to get hit & close enough to decide I don't want to learn how to do it for myself. My new partner has done several years falling. We both have great respect for the dangers.
Now ... the young bit ... well, I'm not young ... but I'm not really old yet either. My Grandmother lived to 96 & her sister lived to a few days short of one hundred ... Mum's 84 & still runs every charity in town. So I reckon that at 47 that makes me literally middle aged My partner will be 60 in a few months ... luckily he's a freak of nature & is still fitter & stronger & more active than most young blokes. However ... one can't defy the aging process forever & that is certainly something I'm factoring in.
I'm still thinking about trying to find someone with their own saw to do a deal with rather than borrow the money to buy our own. That's sorta how we got to thinking about buying our own in the first place ... there's a guy up the road with a Lucas mill & he takes 50 % of the timber he cuts on your property. It makes it kinda tempting to try to buy our own rather than hand over 50 %.
Moving the timber around/drying & storing are also challenges. The whole business side of it ... finding a market, keeping that market & dealing with the general public ... is a big turn off for me. I use to work in hospitality & have had more than enough of dealing with people for one lifetime. My partner enjoys it though.
I'd be more than happy to find a lower priced option ... I figure we should invest the least money possible till we're sure this is what we want to do ... but the partner is one of those blokes who loves bright & shiny & new & better. I have to admit that after watching the bloke in the next valley yesterday & comparing how much work he did to how much easier the new Turbo Saws make it ... well it's easy to see why anyone would want to use the new one. But the Scottish bit of me keeps thinking about that big price tag & the repayments ...

Hi Mobile saw mill ... thanks for the good wishes. I'll keep you posted on the outcome.

The link for the youtube clip is this:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF7aYVwi7Uw]YouTube - Peterson Portable Sawmill Cuts a Log in Less than 10 Minutes[/ame]

Mousse

I think we are getting close to the crux of the problem. We would like bright and shiny, because it is bright and shiny and it is a lot less work. So in a way you have acknowledged that effort and age are something of which to be mindful. Very important. I started milling when I was 47 and had arthiritc hips to boot, but like your other half was fairly active. It wasn't the best move I ever made although it was a life experience and I don't regret it.

You really have to do some sums to see where the advantage is for you. You want to come out of this with your debt repaid plus an additional income for the time you take to process the trees. In this process you don't want to burn yourselves out either. having said that I know of a chainsaw expert who lops trees in domestic situations, and was still climbing and felling well into his late seventies. He would have put a forty year old to shame!

One thought. What is the timber? There is a big flooring market, but it prefers red timbers.

BTW everyone makes a mistake with felling at some time. The trick is to take precautions so you tell the tale. Timber wedges are the best insurance. I just cut them out of the bush.

Originally Posted by Mouse63

snip
it is a LOT of money to borrow.
We were looking at getting the mill initially because my partner is owed money by someone who doesn't have the ability to repay it but might be able to trade the value in timber.
However I want to really nut it all out to make good & sure it's viable ... & also to consider what we might do with the saw after cutting the timber for the debt - for example, do we want to try & buy a paddock of timber ourselves or do we want to focus on salvage logs, or go to other peoples properties & cut for them or what?

Hi Mouse
I don't want to pry too much, but how much is your partner owed?
is he thinking...
I'll buy a $50,000 mill, get some logs for free in PART settlement of the debt, mill them up and recover the balance of the debt when I sell the timber?
If so, I think this is a very bad idea.

For example, if the debt is $20,000 (say), what you appear to have is a promise to allow your partner to collect trees to that value from a property owned by the person who owes him the money
You take on additional risk (the borrowed $50,000) adding extra transport and labour $.
If your partner is to avoid working for nothing, you would need to sell the milled timber for about $70,000.

My sums
You buy the mill now, use it for a year or so and then sell it after two years for $35,000 -- the NET cost of the mill is $15,000
You need to repay the loan plus interest -- at10%, the interest on $50,000 over 2 years is $10,000
you need to factor in transport costs -- logs to mill, timber to customer or wholesaler -- I have no idea what these might be but let's say it's a total of $15,000,
the required selling price is the debt + the cost of the mill + interest + transport = 20,000 + 15,000 + 10,000 + 15,000 = $60,000
PLUS some amount for your partner's labour -- say 1000 hours at $10 per hour = $10,000 -- the total is $70,000


If the timber is truely available to cover the debt, a better strategy would be to organise a contractor to fell and mill the logs for you with you accepting the PROFIT on sale as settlement for the debt