Thread: Portable mill advice

Carl, around 250/300 max, the left hand wheels are open and could tilt as far as you want, but the right are grooved and so to preserve them I don't push it to far. In practice I usually lift 200mm at a time because if you dont deviate the mill should be as level at the end of the day as when you started.

dose that get annoying? having to go back and forth.

also how to you line up your log horizontally.

Carl ,the way I explained that makes it sound worse than it is. It's more like, to lift 600 mm, lift side a 200mm, lift side b 400mm, side a 400mm, side b 200mm, should now be level. To adjust for log taper, the shafts that connect the ends can be dropped off and these silly little handles can wind the far ends up or down, I just use a trolley jack and pack up the required end. I should mention that like you I live in the hills, but unlike you my logs are sourced from above me, making snigging easy and so most of my milling is under a roof in a set up envoiroment.

ok i think that i would get sick of that real fast.

i like being setup here at home where i have the loader and all my gear.

unfortunately i don't get that opportunity to often.

Umm I d say there is quite a bit of difference price wise
Peterson ASM Mobile with Brand NEW Kohler 30HP Engine - Mobile Sawmill - FarmHub Australia

Yeah but Itposs, it is an ASM which isn't comparing apples with apples.

I never realised you can't just raise one side of a Peterson mill and then raise the other, never even thought about it... wow yeah I'm with you Carl I wouldn't like that

I do not agree with you about the mahoe allan. Yes to buy new they are more expensive, but for milling large logs a lucas would have its ass hanging out cutting half of what it could in a day, granted the lucas would be better when cutting logs of less than 2 ft in diameter as far as recovery goes, but for production rates the mahoe would be much higher. which brings us to the turbo saw. as allan correctly stated is being made by the founder of peterson sawmills and his son, however he sold the original company a fair while ago now. The turbo saw by what I can see is basically a copy of a mahoe.

and I will finish with a question when you say comparing an ASM to a lucas its not "apples for apples", why is it not? and explain a few of the differences for us yet to be educated bunch. and yes I did notice the $50000 price tag the guy in itsposs's post claimed to be the "new" price.

Just for reference the lucas pricing as of about a month ago is as such.

10/30 (30 hp kohler) 6.1m log length capability 1.35m diam capacity, with 3 blades and side shift winder ($18000 inc gst)

attachments. slabbing attachment 1.5m cut ($1250 inc gst)

made with 8m tracks add $420 or 2 metre extensions $680

then there are things like the planing disk etc.

ok so with all features, the 8 metre tracks, weatherboard attachment, slabber, sander, planer, chain sharpening jig, and log chocks total price is ($21,370 inc gst +shipping.)

Granted the peterson looks to be an automated head carriage which would save pushing, but at 2.5 times the price, without some of the features of the lucas, it would want to stack the boards for you, strap the packs, and ship them to the kiln.

Travis, although you asked Sigidi the questions, I'll have a go at the answers and if Allan thinks I've got them wrong I'm sure he will correct me,which is how it should be.
Carl Petersons new saw looks to me to be a hybred of a Mahoe and a swingsaw so its hardly a copy anymore than a kelpie bred with a poodle is a copy of a kelpie. To see why it is not a fair fight to put up a Lucas against a Peterson ASM, google Peterson Sawmills, Click on products, go to ASM and play the video.

I am trying to find the love for the Mahoe Trais when I look at that mill I am not feeling it

i think it is fair to compare a peterson ATS ALL TERRAIN SAW which has rails which rise and fall similar to a LUCAS , some are getting confused with petersons ASM AUTOMATED SWINGBLADE MILL much more expensive different class of mill peterson also make a WPF WINCH PRODUCTION FRAME which is different from lucas or ats the rails do not adjust in height there is one single winch to adjust height of blade much much quicker to adjust than lucas or peterson ats a electric winch option can be added which makes the adjustment much quicker again with this option you can easily adjust height from where you stand to do your cutting the only disadvantage i find with this WPF is when logs are tapered you cannot have your rails a different height at each end you can overcome this by using different size gluts my WPF is semi pernament mounted in my mill shed on a concrete floor with overhead gangtry the WPF is a lot more expensive than the lucas or peterson ats i think around $30000 ? correct me if you like, it is easy and quick to set up some say the're not but from somebody who owns one i would rather set up a WPF than a lucas which i have done many times. The ats, lucas and wpf are all swingers all have to be pushed and all cut very similar the only major advantage is the speed of wpf to adjust heights

so here we are a few fellas having a yarn over some bourbon and cokes... two things, comparing a Lucas to an ASM...
I feel an ASM is a totally different monster, first and foremost I feel you'd lose 'touch/feel' of the cutting by using a power feed through the log. I believe I get a good handle on a log by how it feels while I cut it and what I see happening to it while I walk alongside of it. Also, you have so much more flexibility with a Lucas versus an ASM, an ASM is made to sit in one place. A Lucas is made to fit into a whole bunch of different roles from very mobile to stationary and to satisfy such wide versatility it has to perform much differently as compared to an ASM...

The Baron is on the track I'd be lookin at with most of it. The Turbo saw does appear to be a swinging/mahoe cross, it does have the benefit of being able to take 2 horizontal bites to decrease the engine size, but also keep the timber properly sized and reduce likelihood of the blade wandering in wide horizontal cuts, which a mahoe can't do, but it also operates like a traditional swinger and requires a trip up and back to push out 1 stick, which a mahoe doesn't???

Itsposs, I agree mate, I'm not feeling the love from a Mahoe, now a Lucas grrrrrr!!!

So when's the "shootout" going to be and where? or do we just talk about it? I'll offer my Lucas 8/27 and 3 logs for some testing/ comparing in the SE Qld area. Only criteria is that we have a drink afterwards to wash down the sawdust. Have land at Nth Maclean and Rochedale if thats any help.

its mutch more fun talkign about it.

no matter how tehy are compared people will take sides.

Tlbsg,

That's why I queried the Baron on him havin an ATM, and he realised what he had done. I have no problem comparing and ATS with a Lucas, but a WPF and even ASM are just not the same apples with apples, but regardless a Lucas is still the better machine - just ask me