Thread: want to hire a lucas mill / operator

Zed I personally don't know of a miller in your area, but best bet is to contact Lucas and they will give you contact details for a few guys in your area - quickest and surest way to go.

As for the spotty gum, maybe a thing you look at trucking somewhere... to sell the logs - don't wanna say much but they are looking a bit hard to find at the moment... especially an option if you are going to end up 'giving it away'

Pity I'm not a bit closer I have two mills, so could word up one of your slave mates on one and operate the other, then have twice as much timber coming out.

Actually on that, you and ya slave mates wouldn't be interested in giving one of my mills a home, I can honestly only use one?

Originally Posted by Zed

Hi guys,

Does anyone know a lucas mill operator that operates in the CENTRAL COAST of NSW? I have access to lots of logs that the owner wants milled rather than burned. Camphour, Spotted gum, white mahogany etc... looks like a dry schelorophyl (sp?) forest with some ferals thrown in....

Many options exist eg:
miller takes all,
mills for pay,
mills and takes some and leavs some,
me and some mates slave for the miller for some of the timber etc.

please PM me if you are a miller or know one whos number you can give me to discuss details.

ta.

Zed

Hi Zed,
I run a Woodmizer LT 40 and while I dont want to steal the Lucas boys' thunder if you REALLY want one of them to do it I can give you a quote [rough idea] over the phone and discuss the job with you, My mobile is 0408 854273 for a preliminary chat if you wish. The 'mizer is a bandsaw mill so you retain more timber with a finer smoother cut as well.
If you have a few logs it may be worth my trip down there for both of us. Milled timber doesn't get any cheaper and keeps well outside with some tin over it.


cheers, richie47

ill call you tomorrow. I seem to have a bunch of blokes lined up to share costs and booty.

Originally Posted by Zed

ill call you tomorrow. I seem to have a bunch of blokes lined up to share costs and booty.

Ok mate, if I dont pick up the first call I'm milling and dont hear it - will call you at lunchtime.
richie

Richie, you should get on here with some pictures a bit more often - I for one would like to get some band milling info and perspective

Originally Posted by Sigidi

Richie, you should get on here with some pictures a bit more often - I for one would like to get some band milling info and perspective

Hi Sigidi, read your posts often, dont get on here much but
umm...sure, if you're serious I can put a few pics up, I'll sort through my collection. Did a trip to Vic recently and cut for Travis, Allan from Wallan and a few other good craftsmen. Taking it round Oz one day.
For now you could google Woodmizer.com . They'd have some video material on the site.
Its a good machine, fine kerf and a good finish mostly. Cut some NQ rosewood recently which has a rep as being very hard. It slices burls well if I can clamp them. Restricted by the throat width which is only 740mm. More soon.
cheers, richie

Originally Posted by Sigidi

Richie, you should get on here with some pictures a bit more often - I for one would like to get some band milling info and perspective

Hey Sigidi,
Here's my humble response to your query yesterday:

Attachment 134370 - "Del Ray" in full cry down a 6.1m blackbutt log.

Attachment 134371 - Brain, hydraulics and 'business end'. She has a Cat diesel as a power unit, about 10 litres on a big day.

Attachment 134372 - Showing logturner from the other end & stored boards on lifting prongs waiting for edge trim.

Attachment 134373 - pine 3"x2"s, [not my stack!] with blackbutt boards in background.

Attachment 134374 - the smart bit - thinks for me sometimes.

Attachment 134375 - Shows 6.1m x 300 x 350 flitch. Cracking is from time on the ground without treatment. About 3 years here.

Attachment 134376 - A little housekeeping. Try to keep clear space around the machine - looks very unprofessional when you keep tripping over:. Scrap pile on the left is from about 30 logs. Recovery on a good straight log can be better than 85%. If I get nice clean even half-rounds off the sides I can trim the edges parallel later - makes great siding for sheds/cabins, looks funky and you can pretty it up with oil or let it weather gracefully.
Del Ray can cut 2 or 3mm veneers all day if you want - I cut some 4mm in cedar for a mate who builds surfboards - looked fabulous. The kerf is less than 2mm.
I recently worked on another similar machine in Melb and cut 85 to 90 tons of pine in 3 weeks. Cutting 6"x4" dunnage to go under a pipeline with 'bycatch' of 4"x4"s, 4"x3"s and the odd 1" board. This machine had an upgrade with bigger drive motors and faster hydraulics. Quite a workout for an old bloke like me. Had to do my own tailing out and scrap removal too.

Here endeth the lesson - hope it helps with a better understanding of our small but dedicated band....oops, mob.
My mobile no is in one of the posts above, happy to talk to people about the machine or discuss milling different timbers.

Best, richie

So youre saying that the 36hp cat motor only chews 10 litres on a big day? Thats wicked. My 51 burns about 18 litres in 8 hours, Considering that they are Perkins engines painted yellow, 10 litres is good fuel economy. I will also say that i have a 19hp cat on my edger that is lucky to burn 8litres in 8 hours but is only a 3 cylinder. Is the 36hp or is it 34hp a 3 or 4 cylinder? I also had a bandsaw guru from QLD (used to be a saw doctor in Perth) look at my Woodmizer, and the one thing that he did was to take the top end revs from 3300rpm down to 3000rpm and we found that the mill would "bite" harder at the log and cut faster

Originally Posted by nifty

So youre saying that the 36hp cat motor only chews 10 litres on a big day? Thats wicked. My 51 burns about 18 litres in 8 hours, Considering that they are Perkins engines painted yellow, 10 litres is good fuel economy. I will also say that i have a 19hp cat on my edger that is lucky to burn 8litres in 8 hours but is only a 3 cylinder. Is the 36hp or is it 34hp a 3 or 4 cylinder? I also had a bandsaw guru from QLD (used to be a saw doctor in Perth) look at my Woodmizer, and the one thing that he did was to take the top end revs from 3300rpm down to 3000rpm and we found that the mill would "bite" harder at the log and cut faster

Hi Nifty, say g'day to Brian for me eh?
Maybe a little more than 10 litres, depends what I'm cutting I guess. and it's the 3 cylinder, 'bout 2 litres I think.[34hp too] Duncan over in Vic has the small [35hp] Lombardini [he also had the 41 hp turbo in the shed as a backup] and it used to wail. not sure about the economy but near the same as the Cat I guess. Maybe a bit better. While I was there we put a tacho on it and dropped the revs same as you and it made a fair difference. YOu could hear the engine start to bog down in a big pine log at which point you'd back off the speed a bit to bring it up again. Could play tunes on it.
That guy prob knows Travis from Warrugul - he used to be a saw doc over there. I'll try that myself very soon. Thanks, keep in touch.

cheers, richie

Thanks for the pics Richie - good onya. Make sure you chime in whenever you reckon we are bangin on with too much about circular blade sawmills

Originally Posted by Sigidi

Thanks for the pics Richie - good onya. Make sure you chime in whenever you reckon we are bangin on with too much about circular blade sawmills

No wuckers Sig, feel like I've got some support now that I've 'met' Nifty over in the west Half converted Travis too when I was down there.

Actually not too competitive but might get to Gympie and give her a run next year as I've been offered a gig up at Mooloola this winter - the farm I'm on down here is being sold and I have to move anyway. A mate up there has a boat he wants me to work on refitting which also means a lot of sailing which will be really hard to take. Just have to winkle the machine into his 'mountain stronghold', through a running creek...etc [kinda like "Lord of the rings" with a Woodmizer on the back.]
great name for a "round Oz tour with a 'Mizer' eh?
"Lord of the Growth Rings" !!

Met Carl at the woodshow, [good to put a face to the name] As well as a few
local down-home lads into milling. A good afternoon.

cheers, richie

PM Sent
we are in Newcastle just down the road

Originally Posted by salty72

PM Sent
we are in Newcastle just down the road

Hey Salty72,

you mean with a woodmizer?

r

Richie, nah mate, he has a Lucas 8-30 with slabbing bar