Peterson ASM

[Big Stan]

Iv'e been using the 10" WPF peterson's mill for about 6 years now..reckon it was the best mill in the world, would've fought to the death in saying that too!Had a play with an 8" ASM peterson mill (stands for Automatic Swingblade Mill ) about 7 months ago, did this in front of a crowd at the Austimber 2004 Field days, held in Albury Australia..
Was quite aprehensive, scared, overwhelmed..possibly other things too, but I'm a miller not a physco analyst or who ever knows them termanology's  proper...
7 months later my eldest son ,a real awesome  sawmiller,technically and physically,( who used to Demo this particular mill )left for Angola, Africa...I had a field day to do at Casino Nth NSW Australia....thing is , I only had a beautiful Dedicated Wide Slabber..cuts 1.65 mtrs wide (5'6") current model...and a 8" ASM...No time to practise either...been too busy for that!
Well me 'an Andrew my 23 yr old youngest son & Chris, (new trainee at the yard) set up our display..ASM in centre ring...When the crowds started I thought of other things to do, talk of this and that, talk about our beautiful slabs and timber on show for sale..but found myself shying away from the ASM....Demo'ing it! The other boys had no idea what I was going through..mentally..
Well after a while I thought ..have a go, there was nobody about,go slow, take your time...steady now..think what your doing..
We had about 10 ton of small diameter silky oak (grevillea robusta) and camphor laurel and a bloodwood of about 20" centre girth..all about 12 ' long.
I set up a comfy high stool, had my sunnies, a healthy and fast tailor outer(person who takes sawn timber away).
I started..took the top off as small amount of waste as possible..When I was doing last horrizontal cut I dropped the mill down a millimetre and skimmed the top surface as well as taking off last bit of top waste..Next , dropped down 6" ( i had on the micro kerf blade..limits the mill to 6 " ) up on the horrizontal at 1 ", back vertical...!FAROUT....this was really easy,found after a while resetting the repitious blade stop was best on the go while running up horrizontally, that way when you come out of the log all you do is move across to the pre set thickness cut stop and flip the blade and off you go at breakneck speed...resetting the adjustable stopper as your going..
Some women say men can't do 2 things at once..when I was 18 I tried chewing gum & hitchhiking at the same time..couldn't get a lift!!!Well doing this ASM'ing pays to do 2 things at once, for if you can, the production is almost outragous..no kidding!!!After decimating the log in hardly any time at all and leaving cutting the bottom half round for  the next cut for the slabber,turned to look at loading a new log to discover a heap of people had gathered...Most everyone commented on how easy it is to mill, use etc...It does look incredibly easy..I found the secret is to not only sharpen your blade, but to sharpen the mind../brain..
The ASM really responds to thinking your cuts out , learn the few buttons and start with a gentle and sensitive hand...
I have been milling timber 30 yrs now, I thought watching my son operate the mill, that it was "alright", but now with 17 hrs of experience under my belt..I reckon that they are absolutely incredible mills..they do need an "options" list though..
1. would be a comfy high stool..padded, possibly with swivel, possibly gas vertical adjust .
2. would be an oscillating 12v fan.
3. would be a beach umbrella, waterproofed.
4. would be a drink cooler / holder.
These mills, as I have witnessed with a profficient operator, are capable of keeping 2 tailor outers flat out to keep the mill running at it's capable pace..
As with all modern and older mills in Peterson's stable they are simple, accurate, light, efficient, incredibly mobile, fast in set up, durable in materials, and should give years of trouble free service....Mate..I love 'em.
I was going to order a new 10" WPF, But  after my experience with this lovely mill..it's gunna be an ASM now for sure !
Any body reading this may think I'm a bit biased or a bit leaning towards Peterson mills....The first time I used one..the first 10" hydraulic mill they made, mine "very used" and old , I fell in love with it..
I rang up Carl Peterson and was prepared to get on my knees and beg to be Australian agent..all I had to do was ask nicely...Anybody who wants to buy a seriously great mill, DO NOT BUY ONE BEFORE HAVING A GO OR DEMO OF THE NEW ASM !!!You make your mind up yourselves...Jake Peterson has created an absolutely fantastic, easy to use, high production output mill, that will see me doing more fishing and guitar playing, bit more bourbon drinking for sure !What'll it do for you?
Regards, Big Stan

[pigman]

I have just one question Big Stan. Do you like the ASM.

[Captain]

You are right Stan, it is a crowd pleaser at the shows...BTW, welcome to the FF.  How is Simon lately??

Captain

[submarinesailor]

Welcome to the forum.

Bruce/subsailor

[tnlogger]

wlcom to the forum stan and a great firt post it is 

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Welcome Big Stan. Tell us a little about them peterson Mills.

  How ya do different cuts, how you "Read" the log. What you would change if you were designing a mill.

[Part_Timer]

welcome to the forum.

I've never run an ASM but would sure like to try one out.  The swing blades are addictave.

I playing hookie today to sawmill some and agree with you options list.  A drink holder for sure

[Big Stan]

In answer to the pigman..yep!!!!
In answer to the captain..Thanks for the welcome,"Si", at Christmas was offered a tough job, design ,supervise a mill capable of grossing about $6 million dollars US a year, implement logging and milling strageties accordingly,be prepared to travel to Europe and various parts of the world to purchase and oversee transactions and shipments of machienry, tools and equiptment at least 12 times a year, Report and have meetings with bosses in various parts of the world...compulsory,for this they are building him a new house..(probably a few bits of tin twitched together with 8 guage fencing wire, giving him a new top of the range Nissan Patrol..(to be replaced at years end with a Hummer),a new computer, a very nice salary, house maid, meals, beer,comic books, news papers..man the list just goes on and on...I think he's the General manager or something..he's been too busy with settling in, reading comics and newspapers, drinking coffee etc to fill us in completely...............Thing is..he deserves what he gets..He started in the bush with me when he was still in a nappy,by 12 he  was skidding logs using a 1942 4x4 ex army Blitz (canadian Ford )and was the last operator using a blitz in Australia..Forrestry begged me for years to get it out of the bush...no ROPS, FOPS ,Registration..actually, it didn't even have brakes last few years,by 15 he was driving me, an loads of timber out of the bush to our property, unloading log trucks,chainsawing, hand splitting shingles (shakes), going to trade shows and communicating with people re all aspects of timber...confidently,18 saw him get legal and get a car liscence, truck liscence, operate our crane truck, do deiveries,go and purchase logs from farmers etc..21 he was going to university studying Bach. of Science..Forest management, went to New Guinea for a year and ran a crew of 40 guys with portable Peterson mills, a year later was in the Solomons teaching nationals to understanding milling and trees, 2 years later was arguing and fighting with me cause he thought he knew more than me and wanted to be the boss, trouble is, I only turned 50, and it's all just finally coming together for me..mentally, physically, financially and i didn't want to be his " lacky "..
I / we are very proud of his acheivements, his dedication to an industry that has roots back for centuries, is honourable, can be ethical and has the capacity to be truly sustainable....He is what's known in Australia as "Kicking Arse ".

Thankyou as well for the welcome Submarinersailor..I have had a love for the bush and timber and trees since I was 6 and my "passion" is growing contiuously..milling is my link to using beautiful timbers for all the stuff I like to design, build and supply to others for same purposes..
Thanks too..tn logger..aint it great to be alive and doing what you love?
Mr deadheader...I was partly responsible in designing Peterson Dedicated Wide slabber, slabbing or live sawing is really what started me in " Timber " on a serious level..30 yrs ago..using a 48"Granberg Alaskan mill, 2 x 090 Stihl chainsaws pushing and pulling 404 modified chain, modified clutches..
The feed back I regulary give PETERSONS dosn't go unnoticed ..In all honesty,as far as a slabber is concerned and a dimensional mill is  concerned I think Jake and the very talented and dedicated crew at Petersons have it covered....
My ideas for design improvements were listed as options on the ASM...
I havn't any other ideas at present but the question you put to me re changes etc..I certainly will think about and certainly let you know if I have any..After I tell Petersons first, that is..
Your question of log reading is the best question ever...
When I sell a mill, I tell people, the first week you might be freaking out (as I was ) re the blade coming off and cutting your legs off...getting an idea of the controls, making some saw dust and cutting some timber..go the wrong way and get wet pants...the second week you'll be feeling more confident walking up and down and cutting some timber which possibly appears more consistant...A month will see the new operator relying far less on phone calls to me asking ,is this the way?, what should this be ???etcThey have usually by this stage developed a good understanding of the mill, it's operations, its capabilities, limitations and possibilities of generation of wealth for the future....This normally is a fairly steep learning curve for the new operator...
BUT...As the learning curve of operating the mill drops off, a greater , higher and longer learning curve rears it's possibly ugly head...the learning of " Reading a log "
This question you put to me is so big, it would take me ages to type with my trusty 1 index finger on each hand typing skills, my dinner would be cold and eventually be given to the dog, I'd be late to go to the " Mill " etc etc...
I'll make the answer as simple as possible..It's taken me 30 plus years to learn that, and at present I travel around Australasia educating , entertaining up to 250,000 people each year ....Bush crafts and Timber skills, as well as sawmilling tecniques & milling..One of my biggest subjects is the "Spirit of the Tree", as I beleive tree's have an "intelligence"...any seed that germinates, egg that hatches or baby born has an intelligence...A lot deeper stuff than just saw dust  and bits of 4x 1's etc.
Observation is the biggest thing a person is  gunna need....walk through the forest / woods., notice how that leaning tree has funny crinkles on its side, a tree on the edge of the woods..open to  the sou easter that happens every afternoon at 4 pm has a funny spirally thing in the bark..trees in the open seeming to be not so tall and branching closer to the ground, the tree's in the gully growing taller, straighter...then there 's the actual timber thing...
A great timber craftsman ( an American ) I think, in a very good quality hard cover book on furniture said in his acknowlegment at the beginning of the book, said..."If you want to become a true master craftsman..woodworker, pick up an axe and split firewood "for a while..meaning months I think.
This would equally apply to millers ...for if you use an axe..especially in our often incredibly tough and hard Australian timbers, you learn..with the grain, against the grain, across the grain, crotch timber..( almost impossible to split due to the heart seperating and creating an incredible complexity of grain structure) also the outside face and inside face of timber...
" Live sawing or slabbing " will teach you heaps as well, you can see the way the tree's grain runs,  tangentally and radiallyand longitudinally..
if we can understand how a tree grows and why, its geographic and genetic influences , recognise its species and inherent properties ,the way it reacts to back or quarter sawing, drying, we can then start to make desicions on the best sizes,dimensions and recovery expected from a log......
To learn to operate a mill is so easy!!A kid could do it !
To learn to be a capable and efficient sawmiller takes time, experience..passion possibly helps a fair bit ,an understanding wife / partner also is an asset.
Man, I love timber, tree's, our planet..
We should learn to get as much as we can from our valuable logs / trees, burn as little as possible..
Have a look at "The International Book Of Wood"  ISBN0 85533 182 8, see what being a sawmiller is part of !!!!Makes a person proud!!
To Part Timer...
I live near Byron Bay nth NSW Australia, if you can't find a ASM nearer, bring some Bourbon, some good Pork Belly (pickled) and I'll give you a couple of days playing  with some GREAT TOYS, at present the whales are cruizing northward,seen from our  front verandah, if you havn't drunk too much bourbon you see em, at the back verandah if your not mucking about too much, making too much noise etc you'll see bush turkeys, black swamp wallabies, koalas...etc.
In your imagination you might even see some "aborigonies" wandering down to the sea for a feed of "pippies or turtle...
Have a great day..Big Stan

[Jeff]

I can see its goona take some doing to pull Big Stan outta his shell.

[Tom]

What'd he say?   ......Something about wetting his pants?

Welcome Stan!   

[Fla._Deadheader]

 Certainly the longest response I've ever seen, from a 2 digit typist. 

  Thanks for the response, Mate.    Good info, for sure.

[Part_Timer]

Big Stan

I think that maybe Captain would be a bit closer than you are. But thanks for the invitation

I was in  your country 20 years ago.  Wow now i know I'm getting old.  20 years ago.  Well any way I was in your country for a boy scout world jamboree.  15 years old and away from home for the first time and half way around the world what a time.  We spent 2 weeks in New Zealand over Chistmas and 1 weeks touring Sidney and Melbourn then to the Jamboree.  We even went down to where the penguines come in to nest at night. 
     If I ever make it back there I'll try and look you up.  I'll bring the bourbon and some jack too.  Bet we see all kinds of things after awhile fo sipping those two
    Tom

By the way those swingers are so addictave that mine will be here in 4 or 5 weeks
A friend says that he is bringing over a 60"x 12 footer just for the occasion.  I'll post some pic's when the time comes
     

[Jeff]

A friend says that he is bringing over a 60"x 12 footer just for the occasion.  I'll post some pic's when the time comes

You Better!

[DanG]

Big Stan, you ain't the slowest typist on the forum.  It woulda took Pigman a month to type that.   All seriousness aside, it sounds like you have done your homework.  The study of grain patterns is the key to good sawing and good woodworking.  Glad to have you aboard.

[Big Stan]

i dunno if it's allowed,whatever but if anybody's interested..check out my web site..
www.mullumbimbywoodworks.com.au
it contains a fair bit..

[sigidi]

Great to see you are slowly getting used to things around here Stan 

Welcome aboard, I will look forward to picking your brains regarding this addiction which seems to have me beat!!!

Just can't seem to get rid of it, but then again, I don't really try to rid myself of my sawdust addiction.

Hey Stan, pop over to the chainsaw board and give me your opinions on slabbing chain if you don't mind??

I've visited your site about 12-18 months ago and think you have some fantastic Aussie timber.

[pigman]

Big Stan, you ain't the slowest typist on the forum.  It woulda took Pigman a month to type that.     

Thanks for bragging on me. I was thinking more like two months.

[tnlogger]

stan I just got back from looking at your web home yes home because it is Extension of yourself 
just like the FF is an Extension of jeff's   

[NZJake]

Thanks for the kind words Stan, it's great to have you on this site. I'm sure everyone here will really appreciate your huge insight toward timber/woodworking.

Welcome aboard.

[Captain]

Stan thanks for the update on Simon, tell him to check in with us when he can!!

Captain

[Big Stan]

Simon told me last email he's REAL busy..
The other day he walked 8 hrs to look for trees in a faraway concession.# ? blown up bridges and I think he said a 36 kilometre walk, he found his trees..The forrest had grown over the old roads, and there was a herd of elephants in amongst the forrest...
he said there was a LOT of trees with 40 cubic metres in 'em..423.78 super feet in a cubic metre makes 17,000 super feet  in each log  (tree)
(superfoot is 12" x 12 " x 1"..possibly same as one of your board feet ?
Maybe you can confirm this..
Bloody big trees !!!!
When I learn to reduce the size of photo's I'll post some of his & possibly some of mine...
Ain't it great to be alive
Bigstan

[sawmillsi]

Hi guys, hi dad,

The walk to the trees was 8 hours return, but the drive from Luanda (the capital city I work in) was about 11 hours.

You wouldn't beleive how much damage the bloody elephants do to roads, massive footprints! (and big piles of dung)



Here is a pic of some of the forest I was looking at. The white stems are massive (about 3-4m diameter and the crown starts about 30m up)



Here is a small village (which is real typical here) that we passed through

Simon

[Fla._Deadheader]

 How ya gonna set up that Peterson around them 12' ers 

[Captain]

Well Simon, good to hear from you.  Keep sending the pictures!!

Captain