Saturday with Peterson! (New Photos! 1-11-05)

[CosmoPack]

First day with the swing mill!

Learned quiet a bit this first day. The motor had been sitting up in a barn for over a year and had gummed up.  Didn't want to have to fiddle with trying to clean that baby up and wasting alot of time.  Put a new carb on the Honda 24HP and she fired right up.

Set up the tracks out in a level spot.  I think that I need to do a little fine tuning there, But I was pretty close for a beginner.  I set up a couple of cants for the log to lay on with notches cut out.  I used a 8x8 and a 6x6 to accomodate the taper.  I started with some 9' pine logs that were about 33" on the butt and 21" on the small end.  The sawing went pretty good until I got to the bottom layer.  I was sawing 1 x 10 out of the log at this point.  When I sawed about half of the bottom layer off, the log rolled to the right.  I repositioned the log and wedged it up to finish it out.  (I also discovered what a climb cut is! No damage, just an opportunity to practice saw adjustments)  For the second log, I attached a set of log dogs from a Mobile Dimension saw to the cross bucks.  These held the log spot on with no movement at all.  I was pleased with the performance of my first day sawing with a swing blade.  Hope you enjoy the photos!

Mill site setup-


First Log - Pine 32" Butt, 9'Long


First pile of lumber-


More fun to come! -48" x 16' on left, 42" x12' on right

[Jeff]

Alright!  Nice whack' O lumber at the end of the day ta boot.

[Jeff]

whatza CosmoPack? ;D

[Ga_Boy]

Congrats on the first day.   8)

[pasbuild]

Make sure you save that first board cut soos ya cin nail er up on da new saw shed ween U get er built ;D

[Jeff]

Pasbuild are you related ta Chet? ;)

[Bibbyman]

I'd take me the first day just to figure out how to put it togeather!

Looks like you're having fun.!!

[CosmoPack]

When I got the mill re-tuned late in the day I put together a run of 14 1 x 8 x 8 in 15 minutes.  I was well pleased with my efforts.  I'll start on the big oak logs on Thursday afternoon.

We hope to start our building in January.  We'll have to catch a warm day to pour the pad for the mill.   Hope to be in full swing by February 1.

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Well, that sure looks good to me. I'd say yer on yer way to more fun than you can stand. Great looking Whack-O-boards. ;D ;D

[Captain]

Well, I talked with Cosmo the night before, and offered my on-the-phone assistance on-demand for his first day.  He never even called.  

Great Job Chris!!

Captain

PS like the truck too...

[Paschale]

Giddy up!  You're in business now!  Looking good...   ;D

[customsawyer]

Looking good.
Might have to eat some grits to work on dem biguns. ;D

[Mark M]

whatza CosmoPack? ;D

Dats what Carl Sagan used to ask for when he bought beer. It was billions and billions of beers.

[Tom]

That swing mill is cool!  I'de like to have one.  But, I sure do like that log loader that you have attached to it.   :D

[UNCLEBUCK]

Very nice !  I dont know a thing about swing mills but there is nothing more exciting than firing up a new mill . Thanks for the pictures too . Have a Merry Christmas   ;D

[Hammy]

As they say down here,... Good on ya mate!!

Looks good Chris, sounds like you're already well on your way. I'd keep a close eye on that loader of yours, I'd say DanG would be fair fizzing to get hold of something like that!

Keep up the good work & keep the photos coming too.

[Percy]

Heya Cos.
Looks like your haven fun. Good deal. Are ya stiff yet from board packin,wrasslin all the stuff that needs wrasslin while millin?? I remember my first few days of millin after riding in a log truck for twenty years.It hurt to grin and I was grinnin steady. Saw on Dude, your makin it happen ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Ianab]

Good one Cosmo  

Thats one thing I like about the swingmills, read the manual / watch the video, set up the mill, make good boards  ;D

That crane rig must make handling those bigger logs much easier too.

Ian

[Wife]

Keep up the good work there cosmo.
I'm in need of a hand at the next shoot out.
Actually, now we can run two mills, one for you and one for Captain :D
I'll keep the beer cool for the finish, thats a job that I think I can handle ;)
Keep the pics coming, Chris. (wifes hubby)

[TN_man]

Good job Cosmo 8)
Keep us up to date with what you learn. We would appreciate any pointers.

[CosmoPack]

Hey Percy,

I was dreading Sunday morning, just knowing that my back would not be cooperating with me.  I was a little bit stiff, but not too much.  I've got a semi-manual band mill there as well, and I have had more hurt from that on than I did on the swing mill.  No Log Turning!  I think that's part of the improvement.  However, pulling the saw back through a 10" deep cut has it's disadvantages as well.  

I don't think that I'll worry about the loader leaving town.  It's driveable, but after the first 20 miles, you'll want to park it!  My loader helps a lot handling the logs.  I've got a bigger machine on the way for handling the big oak logs.  The "G" Prentice could only drag some of the logs off the trailer.  I had to use an old 648 Deere grapple skidder to move them around the yard.  

Captain offered some good tips over the phone on Friday and I jumped on the sawing pretty quickly once I got set up.  I've got some questions to throw out, once I gather my thoughts back together.

The Shootout is in Bangor this year, right?  A good cold beer is a great enticement for a good day of sawing!  I'd definitely be up for that.

Maine is not a bad place to be - in May!  I'm not much for the below zero cold and much over an inch of snow. One inch of snow in North Carolina is a blizzard!  Close the schools and good luck finding milk and bread.

Here's a photo of the log dogs attached to the skids.  They made a big difference on holding the log in place.

[KENROD]

Way to go Cosmo!
Nice look'n whack'o boards, not ta mention yer setup. Good think'n on the log dogs. Keep the dust fly'n. 8)

[Captain]

Shootout?  In OHIO this year.  June 3/4/5 and YES the Captain will be there. ;D

[iain]

Yer a wood butcher now 8)



Iain

[Swing_blade_Andy]

Iain

tha's e bruarrr wee kilt ne seaten... d'ye kin tha broag laddie.

I'sa wet cha wearin fer millin the nu..

tha's greet tha..

brungsa wee tearr sa ma ei

Bruarr hogmania te yer n' yurs'

masel ya gang awar bet I'm fer tha doin's tha morin.

Slanté

Andrew
(sa a wee dram o' whiskee yuv ain ye hon)

[CosmoPack]

Update- 2nd Saturday (actually Thursday and Friday!)

The first Saturday went fairly well.  I had a problem geting the fine adjustments correct on the mill.  I talked to Captain and he guided me towards better operation!  My tracks weren't set up just right so I couldn't be consistent in my adjustments.  Got the track set up right and installed a 6-tooth blade and I was able to get to sawing.  I sliced up 4 8-foot long pine logs (28-36" in diameter) and one Red Oak log - (8' long x 38" diameter).  I've even developed a power feed mechanism for the mill!!  All was rosy untill I tried to saw one of my STEEL log logs with the swing blade - not a good move.  Oh, well, at least I was able to search out a saw doc close to home.  Should have the saw back next week.  Chalk it up to another lesson learned.

[HORSELOGGER]

Hey Cosmo. If you are using steel dogs, you need to get a heavy duty hose clamp, and use that as a stop on the vertical stainless post right below the winch crank. With mill off ( safety disclaimer ;D) put the blade in the horizontal position, and lower the saw untill you are right over the dogs in their locked position(obviously, with out a log on the deck) when you find the place where the blade skims the highest dog, raise up a click or two, and place the clamp on the vertical leg as a stop so you will never lower to a point that will hit again.If you are sawing a lot of random width 4/4 lumber, you can raise up from the stop 1 5/16" and put a scratch mark or permanent marker line there on the post, above the clamp. That way you will know where to stop dropping down on the vertical cuts to save one last 4/4 board in the slab.

[CosmoPack]

Good tip Horselogger, I will install the hose clamps and check the clearance on the right and the left before sawing again.

I thought that I was prepared for cutting close.  I checked the clearance on the left side and assumed that I was good on the right.  What I didn't level was the log dogs.  The right side was about 1/2" higher than the left.  I just grazed the top of the right dog, just enought to strip all the carbides off.  I've got to get the jig to install the carbide tips myself.  

Does anyone have any experience with inserted teeth saws on the Petersons?

[Fla._Deadheader]

  I wanna see pics of that power feed system !!!!!  Great question on the Inserted tooth blade. I might get a couple of them with the new mills. Sounds like the learning curve was pretty easy ??? ??

[Wife]

yes you can get the inserted tooth blades to fit you mill.
In all honesty though I would stick to the standard blades as they are cheaper (about a third of the price) and if you want you can retip them yourself with ease.Petersons make a jig.
The inserted are good if you are in the jungle miles away from a half way decent saw doctor. They make it easier to send the claws via mail to get tiped. You will also find that the finish with the insert is never as good as the standard because of the way they are set up and sharpened.
Hope I haven't put you of inserted, but these are my views from what I have learnt using/selling them.
Chris

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Gidday Chris. Could you give some more info on the inserted, bein as how I WILL be in the Jungle. Price would be good, also. IM if you feel the need.  ;) ;D

[D._Frederick]

Fla._,

About 2002 there was a Peterson mill at the Logging Conference with an insert tooth blade, they were trying to saw red cedar and it sure made the Peterson sawmill look bad. They had too many teeth and too wide of a kurf for the 24 hp Honda engine. The mill was way under powered for the blade they were trying to saw with. For what I have seen, you want to stay with the factory blades, they have about 6 teeth and a little over 1/8 inch kurf which the 24 hp engine handles well. Learn how to re-tip the teeth is a better solution.

[Fla._Deadheader]

  I've brazed a few teeth on blades. Not too easy doin it in the jungle, keepin one eye out for slinkin critters.

  Figured one inserted blade wood be cheaper than 3-4 fixed tooth blades ???

[D._Frederick]

Fla._,

Can you get an insert tooth saw from Peterson that you will know will work on the type of wood you are going to saw? I am not sure that you can get an insert tooth blade with a kurf  less than a 1/4 inch, even with only 6 teeth, I am not sure that you wouldn't have a power problem with the honda.

[NZJake]

Good advice D_, it all comes down to personal preference. I know of  a few die hard Peterson owners here in NZ that swear by the insert teeth. Personally I've heard some stories about them coming off, ouch! Not something I'd like to look forward to.

The Peterson factory inserts run your standard amount of teeth and kerf is around 6mm for your eight inch model (not a big difference). If I was going remote perhaps I'd look at them to use, they are a neat concept 'just wouldn't like one in my #RS if you know what I mean'.

The honda 24 handles the inserts quite well. Blade technology will make or wreck a sawmills abillity, I'm thinking that D_ maybe right from what he had seen at the show, 8mm kerf, lots of teeth, or maybe the adjustments were off a bit?

cheers, Jake.

[Gentleman_Sawyer]

Cosmo - Where did you get the log dogs? I need some to go with my 8" ATS. When I bought the mill, securing the log was downplayed by Peterson, but it's been a real problem with me..
The Gentleman Sawyer

[CosmoPack]

They came from Mobile Dimension.  They really do a great job holding the log in place.  I've got two cants laid down that I have bolted the dogs to.  One is a 6" and one is 8".  I am turning the worst side down and taking most of the taper out there.  I can raise the 6" cant up if I don't have much taper, but so far, the logs I've been sawing have had alot.  

The first logs I sawed, I cut notches in the cants and the log stayed put until I made cuts on the lower pass.  The log rolled a bit once I cut a little over halfway across and had a large chunk of wood left on the right.  Just be sure to level the cants up and put the hose clamps on the end frame tubes to prevent the saw from going too far down and contacting the metal.

[CosmoPack]

Jan 8 update - I re-installed the 10-tooth saw on Thursday.  Since I had the tracks set up properly, I thought that the saw might do a better job – It did!  I sawed four Red Oak Logs 32-40" diameter, 12' long in 4 ½ hours – by myself.  I recovered a little over 1800BF sawing 6x6, 6x8, 6x10, 8x8 and 8x10.  I even did a double cut to produce a 6 x 14!  I didn't like the look of the saw completely exposed for the double cut process.  I didn't feel that there was a safe place to stand during that process.

I sawed a 18' White oak on Saturday morning into 11 - 2 ½ x 10 deck boards for a lowboy and 1 2 ½ x 4.  The White oak saws a bit tougher than the Red Oak.  I hope that the 6-tooth blade saw will improve this process.

My lumber handling process – I cut a cant from the log, roll it on the ground to the left.  After I cut three cants, I set them out of the way with the knuckleboom.  This is a time consuming process to stop sawing, climb up on the loader, move the cants and then climb back down.

To improve this process, I believe that I am going to install a conveyor belt on the left side of the log at ground level.  I will roll the cut boards and cants onto the belt as they are cut.  When I have a couple of pieces cut, I'll turn the belt on and pull the lumber out of the way onto a green chain for stacking.  The belt will also serve double duty to move some of the sawdust out of the way.

[Captain]

Sounds like things are rolling, Chris ;D

White oak is a fair bit tougher than red on the Peterson.  Seems to hit with a bit more impact on the blade. The 6 tooth saw will help.  

Keep the reports coming!!

Captain

[HORSELOGGER]

Cosmo, before ya go riggin up a conveyor... try off bearing directly to a set of bunks directly behind you. Move the mill as far down the tracks as it can go, then set up your log sawing bunks so the end of your log is about a foot in front of the mill when it is all the way back. if you start a stack of cants or lumber directly behind you, only the first layer will require lifting. everything else can be slid from the log on to the stack, with minimal lifting. If you start at the far end of the log, with the vertical cut, when you end up back there at the end of the horizontal cut, you are in the best place to grab the end of the cant and push/pull it onto the pile. Before it gets too high, just move that stack, and start another.

[CosmoPack]

More photos - log pile at sawmill.  Red Oak, White Oak, Yellow Poplar, Hickory



Close up of log pile.  logs up to 52" diameter!  There's about 200,000BF of logs like this to saw.


1st double cut on Peterson 6" x 14"


Stack of wood cut on Friday 1800BF.  I'm sawing the logs into cants from 4x8 up to 8x10.  I can saw cants 20" wide, but the time that it takes for the double cut setup and the saw exposure are going to keep me at a 10" maximum.

[Furby]

Pretty cool! 8)
Looking good!
What ya doing with the wood?

[iain]

Cosmo looks like your in good style 8)


swing andy, not been in this post for a while so just read some thing about some thing, short cutted it to decipher tonight after work :D

manauge atout mon cherrie


 iain

[Swing_blade_Andy]

Iain laddie

Se jest yer broar dappar wee laddie ain yer kilt n brodre

Iv no kin the liek afor tha nu heer bouts

Shud bee mur af at ya nu..

ma sel  em no kin tha kilt fur a wee whial tha nu.

Or do I misinterpret,should that be

parlez vou Français mon ami

Andrew

[CosmoPack]

bump for greg