Thread: Slab Dressing with my Lucas

Noice.

Bugger Shattered to hear your moving but as they say one door closes and an other opens.I hope your plans work out if you need a hand let me know will be down Tiaro having a go on a WPF next sat impending child birth permiting

G'day Sigidi
Just joined the forum, but have been using an eight inch Lucas here in POM land since I bought it in 1996. Never been a problem with it, but as a farmer I am only an occasional user, and what I like is the way it can be put away for a year and brought out to work with the minimum of fettling. Still on original everything.
I made a trip to Melbourne in 1998 and took the time to find the long dusty track that led to Geoff Lucas's farm to shake him by the hand! He went out of his way to send me an upgrade for the air intake and rpm meter without charge. Good man, good firm, great product!

Couple of questions (I have searched the forum but found no answers)

1. Did I not once see a kit for turning the carriage single handed by lowering the horizontal blade on to the flat log and gently turning it on the gearbox. There had to be clamps to stop the engine carriage lifting off its tracks. Or was this deemed to be a bad idea, perhaps because of strain on the gearbox etc.

2. Has anyone adapted a chainsaw with a Log Wizard Planer/debarker or something similar fixed to the saw carriage to do the planing job to save changing the blade on the Lucas? I have only the need for it occasionally and cannot justify the planer blade.

Sawhead - yeah you can get a little bracket for your mill to be able to do double cuts like you mentioned, it works really well and all mills come out with it now.

Planer blade - you could always get a fella in now and then. I regularly have been used by a local bloke who has his own mill, but gets me in to dress his slabs, could give that a go, if you are set up you'd get through a heap of slabs in a day???

Originally Posted by Sigidi

Sawhead - yeah you can get a little bracket for your mill to be able to do double cuts like you mentioned, it works really well and all mills come out with it now.

Planer blade - you could always get a fella in now and then. I regularly have been used by a local bloke who has his own mill, but gets me in to dress his slabs, could give that a go, if you are set up you'd get through a heap of slabs in a day???

I suppose my mill is a little on the old side, but it doesn't look it! Just noted the serial number is 697-299. I assume it was made in June 1997 (I was a year out, I thought I bought it in 96) and is number 299 made. Would that be right?
We have hardly anyone here with a swing saw let alone a planer blade, besides I enjoy doing it myself. I suppose I may just as well buy a blade as the money in the bank is only earning 0.1% interest here!
I found a Lucas leaflet on the brackets for supporting the carriage before turning it. I could easily make up a couple in the workshop, and the bits that support under the carriage only look like door stops!
Glad I discovered this forum!

Allan

That planer is a nifty bit of gear (sorry Nifty). I had always wanted to mill some blue gum and never had the chance.

Regards
Paul