Peterson mill vs Lucas mill vs chainsaw mill

[scheffa]

Hey all
Currently running an Alaskan mill with an 880 up to 84" bar.

Looking to upgrade to something like a Lucas or Peterson mill, mainly for perceived efficiency, surfacing capabilities.

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with the mills mentioned before I buy something.

Want to be able to cut 1800mm wide

 

[Grande Dog]

Howdy,
With the width of cut you're looking for, and having surfacing capabilities in one machine, the Peterson Mill would be the only choice. A Lucas that has surfacing capabilities, can only do up to a 1500mm width of cut. Lucas has dedicated slabbers that will do the width of cut your looking for but, they don't have any surfacing capabilities. So with the Lucas, the only way to do what you want is to buy a swingblade, and a dedicated slabber. Even if you decide to go with the 2 powerhead option, Peterson still has the advantage because their dedicated slabbers use a drive system that greatly increases the chain speed thereby increasing cutting production.
Regards
Gregg

 

[Iron.and.bark]

Dead right.

You don't feel as "manly" running one compared to a chainsaw mill though

 

[Sawyer Rob]

IF, I was thinking on a mill like that, I'd be looking "real hard" at a Mobile Dimension mill...

SR

 

[scheffa]

Can anyone tell me how much faster a Lucas or Peterson type mill is compared to a Cs mill.

For example if I was to run two 880's on a double ended 84" bar against a Lucas mill in redgum how much quicker would it be

 

[BobL]

For example if I was to run two 880's on a double ended 84" bar against a Lucas mill in redgum how much quicker would it be

It depends what you mean by speed. If you are cutting dimensioned lumber then any Lucas will be heaps faster than a CSM.
If you want to makes slabs, 2 x 880 will approximate the smaller (14HP) Lucas but the bigger (30HP) Lucas' with the rakers right down should be significantly faster.
Can't say how much faster because it depends how game you are at running low rakers.
Low rakers means more vibe, and B&C wear and tear, so it depends how significant this is for you.
Wide slabbing has other limitations like sawdust clearance so chain speed is important. Not sure what the Lucas chain speed is but a pulley mod would fix it on the big Lucas as it has more spare HP. On the 880s, bigger drive sprockets could be considered but there's no spare power which limits how big the sprockets can be.

 

[scheffa]

Just trying to decide if the purchase cost is it worth the possible extra production. It will only be used for slabbing

 

[BobL]

Just trying to decide if the purchase cost is it worth the possible extra production. It will only be used for slabbing

I reckon it depends on how you work.
If you work alone then you have to consider the extra effort needed to handle 2 880's on a cam.

 

[scheffa]

A brand new model 10 Lucas mill is gonna cost about 20g plus the slabbing attachment.
Considering I already two 880's 3 660's two Alaskan mills and an assortment of bars and chains I'm trying to figure out how long it will take in increased productivity from a Lucas to pay itself off, given this is only a weekend operation with my weekdays spent climbing

 

[BobL]

How do you move logs and slabs?

 

[scheffa]

Cut onsite, sometimes excavator to load onto a truck

 

[BobL]

So how will you move a 2" x 60" x 96" slab that weigh ~180kg (400 lbs) ?

 

[scheffa]

Slide it onto a flat top trailer is what I've done in the past, lots of sweat, swearing, little bit of blood sometimes, gotta do what you gotta do

 

[Grande Dog]

Howdy,
The time savings are pretty hard to nail down because of species, and dryness of the wood. I know there are tons of videos of people slabbing various woods. Maybe you can get an idea from the vids on something you know your cutting speed is and compare. Like I mentioned before, The dedicated slabbers are faster than the swingblade with an attachment.
Regards
Gregg