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woodnit
12th April 2008, 01:02 PM
Gettay,
I have read many posts into these forums and found the comments that there must be many portable saw mills such as Lucas and peterson and others lying around in farm sheds. As a prospective buyer I have run several wanted adds in news papers and on the net to try and locate one that might be for sale.:?:hapy:
I am looking for an 8"-9"-10" Lucas or peterson mill.
If any one knows of one for sale then I would appreciate the knowledge of it's whereabouts and contact details
As these producers claim to have sales of around a thousand a year I am a bit inclined to think there must be a lot of lazy ones around or Australia is gonna run out of trees in a very short time:doh:
Any current leads would be greatly appreciated ,no hearsay please:no:
As a resident of sth east QLD I have acces to timber for milling and would like to get started soon.
Thats it for now looking forward to any replies of substance.

woodnit

Arthur Dyason
12th April 2008, 01:11 PM
we get secondhand or trade in mills once in a blue moon. However if you dont mind a prototype or an ex-demo mill give us a call and I will put you on the waiting list.

However if you have access to timber I can guarantee you an income to pay for a new mill by buying timber from you. Need to know types and quality of the timber!!!

arthur

Sigidi
13th April 2008, 07:41 PM
Woodnit, welcome.

Secondhand mills, you would be right in thinking there are a few around sitting idle, but I know for myself, even after I officially decide to stop sawmilling, I would be loath to sell my mill - you never totally get timber out of your blood:)

Peterson have a secondhand section on their website.
Lucas have always maintained the time and hassle involved in creating and updating a list of mills for sale is far outweighed by how quick the mills sell - they can't keep the list up-to-date with people not notifying them the mill has sold, or a mate buys it as soon as he finds out, etc.
Arthur has said his story above.
Alaskan slab mills, I've seen them advertised at times in local trading posts, but this isn't the kind you're after.
At times ebay has had Lucas mills for sale.

So my suggestion would be first contact Lucas and Peterson asking about trade-ins or at least let them know you have an interest in a trade in. For me if/when I upgrade (or am able/allowed to upgrade) I will trade in my mill with Lucas first or (if the trade in price isnot what I expect) then try and find a private buyer.

Hope it helps and good luck. Let us know how you go so others in the same boat can find one easier:)

Exador
14th April 2008, 08:49 AM
If you don't intend to mill quite a lot of timber, consider getting the job contracted. $6000 or so would be a very cheap price for a second-hand mill and you could get 30 or so cubic metres of logs sawn for the same money. You wouldn't even have to sweat to do it! Although you may have friends willing to help you mill, their enthusiasm wanes well before 30 cubic metres of logs starts to diminish much, so expect to have to pay someone to help you. All-in-all, I'd reckon the break-even point for owning a mill vs contracting the work would be somewhere between 50 and 200 cubes of logs, depending on the value of the mill, the price of labour and machinery to assist and the quality of the logs.

You still end up with the timber either way, so that isn't a factor. I know that Sigidi is in your area and I'd be happy to come up for a week or so if required. I have an 8" Lucas with a dedicated slabber.

Arthur Dyason
14th April 2008, 09:05 AM
consider getting the job contracted.

Craig good point.

If you are looking at buying a mill just because you have trees you wish to use it may well be better to get a contractor in.

Unless you know how to mill you will waste a lot of timber learning and you should be able to leave the contractor to do the job and get maximum recovery. How much is your time worth and do you realy need all that firewood:D

Do ask the contractor for references like you would with any trades person. They may also sell the timber for you if thats what you want.

Unless your looking at longterm timber harvests or getting into the business yourself the contractors options are always good to look at as part of your evaluations. They may even do you a good deal for longterm business.

Having supported you local contractors I must say that the sawdust does get into your blood. I now only have time to mill at shows and look forward to it every time. The show is normally a hassle to get to and setup but the milling and talking to people about milling makes it worth the effort.

Sigidi
14th April 2008, 12:07 PM
I'd reckon the break-even point for owning a mill vs contracting the work would be somewhere between 50 and 200 cubes of logs, depending on the value of the mill, the price of labour and machinery to assist and the quality of the logs.
Hey Craig,
thinking about it, your very right, somewhere between 50 and 200 like you said depending on what some of the outlays will be. I have to admit I've never thought about it like that.


You still end up with the timber either way, so that isn't a factor. I know that Sigidi is in your area and I'd be happy to come up for a week or so if required. I have an 8" Lucas with a dedicated slabber.


Yeah Woodnit, I'm sure there are enough of us around if you needed to contract some out, even to see how things worked?

Let us know if we can help

jmaxwell
14th April 2008, 10:57 PM
woodnit you are welcome to try my lucas .and have a chat about what you plan to do with your trees to timber venture and i do know some one down the coast who just upgraded to the 30hp was using both mills not sure now will call him and ask the question.