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8" Peterson ATS

Started by Tome, January 28, 2004, 08:34:07 PM

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Tome

I just received my sawmill today.  Uncrated it and assembled most of it. I froze out!  Plan on finishing up tomorrow.  Won't get to saw any logs until next week.

I am new to sawmilling but am anxious to get started.  I would appreciate any advice to help me get started.

I have learned so much from you guys on here, but I know I have a long way to go.  You guys keep up the good converstions on here as I am sure grateful for  them.

Thanks, Tom

Paul_H

Welcome to the Forum Tom!

It sounds like you'll have some busy days ahead of you.I hope you'll be able to post some pics of your progress and first log being milled up.
Science isn't meant to be trusted it's to be tested

HORSELOGGER

I like my brand x skids and dogs because they are only 6 inches off the ground and each bunk is 42 inches wide, so I have a clear walking path. Jake those look like they would take some getting used to, with all the backwards walking we have to do when swingin. Those look like hurdles!
Heritage Horselogging & Lumber Co.
"Surgical removal of standing timber, Leaving a Heritage of timber for tommorow. "

Jeff

Welcome Tom, yer down there in that Noble country. Kinda Sorta. Are you close to what they call the boot hills?
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

woodbeard

Welcome, Tom. You will soon find out that ATS stands for Addicted To Sawdust  :D  Isn't there a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Sawdust?
  I recently got a 8"WPF and am on my way to being a Wood Processing Fool. ;D
 Stick around, eventually you will become an expert, and when someone has a question, we can say " Consult the Tome." :P

Bro. Noble

Welcome Tome,

"Boot Hills"  :D :D :D ---------That Jeff needs to come back to Mo. and complete his education ;)

I'm over in Ozark Co.,  would be glad to have you stop by if you're in the area.
milking and logging and sawing and milking

Tome

Jeff, I am located where the ozarks begin, the "bootheel" part of Mo is for the most part flat.  I live in the hills as the flat-landers would say.  I did grow up in the flat-lands though, moved to St Louis, worked for a freight company 30 years and needed something to do so I bought a sawmill.  My wife thinks I'm crazy, she's probably right but I'm going to have fun being crazy.

So this sawmilling gets in the blood, huh?  I can hardly wait to get started just to see if it gets in mine.

Thanks Guys

Frickman

Welcome Tom. You bet that sawmills are addictive. It won't be long till you take the scenic route on all your trips just so you can check out the timber you'll drive by.
If you're not broke down once in a while, you're not working hard enough

I'm not a hillbilly. I'm an "Appalachian American"

Retired  Conventional hand-felling logging operation with cable skidder and forwarder, Frick 01 handset sawmill

Pretend farmer when I have the time

woodbeard

Yep, I drove down to Miss. via the Natchez Trace to get my mill. It's a danG  good thing I didn't have a chainsaw in the truck, or I would have certainly gotten myself arrested on the way back. :D

ScottAR

Welcome Tome!
I'm about 1hr. south in Ark.  I actually live west of the boothill and Bro. Noble is right, it's as flat as flat gets.  
Scott
"There is much that I need to do, even more that I want to do, and even less that I can do."
[Magicman]

RevCant

Hi Tom,
Welcome to the Peterson Family and the F. Forum.  I have an 8" WPF.  Had it for over a year now.  There are several swingers hanging out here on the forum, plus the Kiwi guys check up on us often.  If you have any questions about the mill, the company is pretty easy to get a hold of and willing to help out.  Your mill is pretty basic and easy to keep going. You will get addicted to making sawdust in a hurry.  Right now, just watch out for frozen logs (you just need to let the mill feel its way along) and be sure to run windshield washer fluid with your water.  Last week I ran 3gal ww fluid to 1 gal water.  It was cold :o.
Good Luck
If cows could only tail....

Stan

Alcohol, Tobacco and Sawdust is the name of a roadside store here in the Smokeys. The owner said he wanted an Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms store but the Feds had the name copyrighted.  :-/
I may have been born on a turnip truck, but I didn't just fall off.

Captain

Congratulations Tom!!

Study the operations video and try out a couple of logs.  A good bit of advice that was given me was to cut nothin' but stickers out of the first log or two (preferrably some low grade stuff) to learn the motions and sequence of operations.  Then gradually work your way up.

Captain

8" 24hp WPF

Duane_Moore

 :) Welcome Tom. am an old frieght hauler my self. C.F. but don't hold that aginst me. ;D ;D  Welcome..   Duh---Duane
village Idiot---   the cat fixers----  I am not a complete Idiot. some parts missing.

shopteacher

Well Tome, as you can probably tell by now this is quite a vocal group, so we'll be watching and listening for all the adventures of the new sawyer. Stay tuned, same place, same station. Welcome aboard the best sawdust station on this here track. Oh, don't pay no attention to Old Butch, sometimes he gets down right ignorant.
Proud owner of a LT40HDSE25, Corley Circle mill, JD 450C, JD 8875, MF 1240E
Tilt Bed Truck  and well equipted wood shop.

Tome

Quote:) Welcome Tom. am an old frieght hauler my self. C.F. but don't hold that aginst me. ;D ;D  Welcome..   Duh---Duane

That's who I worked for, retired in 98 , twenty years in St Louis the last ten in Cape Girardeau.  Hard to believe they no longer exist, huh?

Any how, I think I'm going to enjoy this sawmilling thing.
Thanks for the welcome. :)

Tome

Sawed my first log today, what a great experience!  I think I'm going to like this.

Captain, I took your advice and cut stickers from my first log.  I can see that this will take a little getting used to but practice will make perfect, or at least better. lol

I did take pics but it will be a while before I will be able to post them.

Again thanks to all you guys, you are a wealth of info.

Tom

Captain

Great Tom!! 8)

It is more important in the beginning using a swing blade mill to learn the motions....cut in the horizontal when pushing, flip the blade vertical at the far end, return, unlock your horizontal lock, move the bed for horizontal sizing, relock, FLIP THE BLADE HORIZONTAL, and push again....these motions become instinct shortly, but require practice to be SAFE when cutting.  That's why the stickers (ya need 'em anyhow) for lots of practice with the mechanics.

Once comfortable with the motions, I would next concentrate on getting those stickers or small boards consistant in size.  Learn your scales, make sure they are accurate, and practice adjusting them to take any operator error out of the scenario.  

One of the other lessons learned early should be carefully placing the logs in the skids to prevent movement as you get toward the bottom of the log.  If the skids are too close or too far apart, you will get inconsistant lumber from sagging of the remaining slab.  Also, there are many a reason for the log to rotate or twist when in the skids, and most of the solutions are intuitive.  Square edged slots in the skids (not v grooves) are recommended, and be careful not to leave too heavy an attached "side slab" on the offside or right of the log when cutting deep or close to the skid.  It's gonna roll for sure....

But hey, congrats and keep us updated!!

Captain

HORSELOGGER

Brand X log dogs on 5 inch beams for bunks and you will have NONE of the problems Captain just warned you of! I saw my vertical cut first, and finish with the horizontal, so I am standing right next to a free board . Makes sawing alone much faster, less walking.
Heritage Horselogging & Lumber Co.
"Surgical removal of standing timber, Leaving a Heritage of timber for tommorow. "

Captain

Horselogger makes a good point, when sawing alone cutting the setting the horozontal sizing and cutting the vertical first, then the horizontal will land you next to the finished piece.  It takes a good bit of practice at first to change the order of operations back and fourth.  Practice, practice, practice.

Horselogger, I've been thinking of steel skids like yours.... mostly for a permanent set of tracks to setup here at home.  I think I have the concept of the Brand X design.  My problem is setting the log ends at different heights to compensate for taper, and it is easier to have different wood skids and blocks for me to do this.  Do you simply block up your steel skids with wood?  Quite honestly, once you learn what makes the log turn and how to prevent it,  wood skids work pretty well.  For small stuff under say 8", some positive dogs would be nice.  How thick of a slab does your Brand X design dog mandate you leave at the bottom?

Thanks, Captain

HORSELOGGER

hey Cap.... The points are 1 1/2 inches off the top of the bunks. I never have any thing worth taking in my bottom slabs, in fact what is left is always sapwood and bark. The are not just good on little logs... Know how even the big hard woods will jiggle a little while they are being milled? These dogs lock  down and completely stop that. It really makes a big diference in mill performance across the board. My basic bed is 2 ash 2x6 runners laying flat, with 2 42 inch wide 3x5 i-beams 6 feet apart for bunks. The beams are bolted to the ash 2x6s. I have one more I beam on a piece of 2x 6 that I can throw in any where to give me a third bunk on logs over 10 feet or under 6. I have sawn 18 footers with this system. For log taper... I use a skid loader with forks to load the mill so I get under the skinny end with a fork and put a block under it. One log dog will actually hold as well as 2 on most logs. When you are out of the better grade, take the block out , saw out the wedge from the heart, and the remaining part of the log is sawn paralel to the bottom bark, as that is how the log sits on the bunks, that is , the bunks are always paralel to the blade. I like the steel bunks rather than the wood bunks with a notch. I can slide the log around much easier, and I always pull a quick measure off the right side rail and make sure the pith is the same distance from the rail at both ends, and then on better logs also level the heart. This usually keeps all the pith in one board. Notches in wood bunks make it hard to roll the log around to get the face you want.
Heritage Horselogging & Lumber Co.
"Surgical removal of standing timber, Leaving a Heritage of timber for tommorow. "

RevCant

Tom - great job ;D.  I too started with stickers - really makes ya learn the sequence.  I too cut the vertical first and then push through with the horizontal.  The only time I don't do this is when I need the vertical side to hold up the piece I'm cutting, like on a 3x8 that I'm flat sawing.

Captain, I'm experimenting with new skids.  A customer gave me some I beams.  I cut them into 5' sections, flipped them to the H position, welded a stop 8" from one end.  I then cut a diagonal on the opposite end for log rolling.  I cut 2 20" 3x8 sections, notched them 12" long, 2" deep and used 1/4 ply as a filler as I nailed them.  Petersons log teeth drop into these.  I've made 4 sets.  The wood skids slide in the channel for quick positioning.  I can easily set two logs up and get everything parallel.  The next thought would be a set of 3x7 and 3x6 to take care of log taper.  I've only got 8 hrs on the new design.  I'll let you know how they pan out.

RevCant
If cows could only tail....

ARKANSAWYER

  Well another swinger in the Ozarks.  Getting so's a man can bump into one from time to time.  Not far from Bro. Noble so if you get this way to the Heart of the Ozarks stop by.  Bring your mill I bet we can find something for you to saw up.  
ARKANSAWYER
ARKANSAWYER

AtLast

Tome
Congrats on the new mill. Im STILL kicking around the idea of adding a circle mill. So I think what Ill do is follow your post and questions and perhaps that will help me deciede. Enjoy your mill

KiwiJake

Hey Revcant, I think I've just figured out your skid design. So the wooden skids with the knotches and spikes can slide left and right in your H type steel guides with the leverage of a canthook, which is for quick allignment of the logs to run parallel to the tracks right?



Hope you post some pics of your setup for us.


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