Thread: Lucas Visit Sigidi!!

Well yesterday I was lucky enough to have a visit from Dudley (of Lucas Mill fame) He had finished the Farm Fantastic show over the weekend at Caboolture and today is up at Gin Gin doing a demo day (I think that's right) Anyway, he let me know he would be around, so as you can guess, I pounced on the opportunity

I was out at the blueys and had tried to send Dudley directions on how to get to them, but he ended up at home - no-one was there
Mind you he had a bit of trouble as our place doesn't have all the road built although the completed road is marked on maps, so Dudley found himself the other side of the creek on the hill looking over at our place, Seeing some thing like this (but forget the water - it's gone now)



while he was parked on the side of the road. (oh, here would be a good time to let you know we met his wonderful Fiancée as well, Sue Thanks heaps for putting up with our 'over the top' kids) Apparently they where on the side of the road, probably trying to figure out how to find our place, when Dudley pointed out the window and said to Sue "That's Allan's place over there!" Sue replied "How do you know? you haven't ever been there" Dudley's two word reply... "The Forum"

So after Dudley and Sue had been dragged around the house, with me talking all the time (yeah I know, very uncharacteristic of me, Dudley and Sue had found me on a particularly talkative day) showing off what we have done with our little model 6-18 and a bit of good old fashioned Aussie determination. Dudley manages to get a few words out - I knew I didn't really need to take that breath and asks about seeing the mill.

Off we go, a 10 minute drive down the road. Dudley gets straight into it. I mention the mill idles a bit high and the blade spins while idling. Dudley has that squared away before I have finished cutting up and disposing of the bottom flitch from the previous log. Then I mention the body for the sideshift winder rotates on it's axis - nothing I have been phased by, but was asking Dudley what he thought was the reason for it. Before I have a 'test log' rolled in, Dudley has taken it apart, repaired/fixed it and replaced it.

I decide I should chuck a new blade on, after all if Larry the Lucas mill is going to be visited by one of his makers - why bloody not? New blade on and I chat with Dudley about the new muffler



and how I feel I've lost 30min of running time from a full tank of fuel (because the fuel is getting hot in the tank before going into the carby and the engine) While I'm banging on (yeah I know you guys don't believe me, but I was banging on a bit) Dudley has taken the carriage brake off (now I'm not sure exactly what he did to it??? but it does have a nice shiny new nut now) and that is back together before I've finished talking.

Now truth be told you are all sitting at your computers reading this thinking Dudley must be a codename for a group of mechanics, because you all know I hardly ever talk, to anyone, especially about sawmilling! and you can't accept one person can be doing all this stuff before I've finished the small amount of talking I do!! Right?

So then, I line up the log, and Dudley made comment about the paint which is always on the ends of my sawn boards. I explained my 'theory' behind it...

Then we get to tuning the blade orientation. Here's a few pics of Dudley, doing test cuts and making adjustments to attain the sawmarks on the timber which show the blade is running through the cut in the optimal orientation.









How bloody great is that? My mill is nearly 5 years old, I ran out of 'warranty' almost 3 years ago and yesterday I have one of the fella's from Lucas (not just anyone who has a passing interest in their job - but a guy who just oozes with enthusiasm about sawmilling and his work with Lucas) He rocks up at my place, and first of all - puts up with me and his Fiancée puts up with my kids (God bless her) and he swings spanners on my mill to make sure everything is tip top. What a great fella and what a great company.

I love my lucas