Sawmills and Sawing > Mobile Dimension, Swing Mills and other Specialty Mills

Peterson swing blade WPF, ref the Turbosaw ("new swinger on the mkt") thread

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RiverForest:

Thread "waker upper".  I have a Peterson WPF swing blade mill.  I did check out Turbosaw and Jake (Carl?) Peterson during the buy process.

Still learning, acquired from the original owner last summer.  I love the quarter sawing & self edging capability, in particular.

It's a quality built product (I love the almost total use of SS and AL; not a fan of the 35 hp Briggs engine--the 38 hp EFI Kohler on the new bandmill is much quieter and smoother), but make no mistake, it is not as easy to move as the videos make it look.  Mine is a 10 inch, with a very heavy saw carriage (around 550 lbs), with the smaller lighter Peterson mills no doubt easier to handle.  That makes for a BIG wheelbarrow.

Pushing and pulling required has to be considered "exercise" but it is fun to watch the lumber being made up close.

The Peterson electric winch works well, though I do wish for "setworks".  Jake P is sticking to using a portable electric drill for "vertical sizing" on his Turbo Saw Warrior mills; I think his stuff looks very interesting, otherwise.  New tech pushes envelopes, to the benefit of all, we hope.

One other issue for me with the WPF remains securing the log in the absence of bandmill-style hydraulic log handling & securing.  It's especially relevant to smaller logs which frankly are known to be problems even for well power accessorized bandmills.  Weight has its advantages.  The Warrior mills face the same issue.  More experience for me may help, I'm not knocking the mill.  It's just something to figure out.

I am now set to make the comparison as the new owner of an LT40 Super.  Got to get more trees down and to the mill!  Wife advises make some money from all the hard-ware toys or the other "hard" (a hard TIME) will hit me from a predictable corner.

Peterson support has been very helpful and patient, even to me as a 2nd owner.  Apparently the Peterson owners visited my seller on a US visit, and Chris & Kerris (Peterson) Brown will take calls on off days for support needs I am told.

Jake Peterson was very responsive to questions I asked before finding the used WPF.  I've pushed him hard on some things and he kept his good nature.  Definitely the engineer type 🛠⚙️🗜 , likes his tech.

I note the forum system does not recognize all apple emojis.  Shucks.

I'd love to share information with other swing blade mill owners on here.

There's nothing like comparing notes and perhaps even getting together with others using similar equipment (on our land near Charlottesville, anyone?) to do things.

Mt 406:
I will try to get some pic of the log dog system on my D&L.
it holds well clamping device need work the whole system should be built heavier.

Scott

Stevem:
Good to see more swingers on the forum,  Howdy, and welcome!

I have both a Lucas 827 and a 1600 TimberKing.  In my opinion the Lucas is a lot faster than the band mill in the right situation but a lot more work  And the Lucas is a lot more portable. 
More demand for the band mill though because of smaller logs but on bigger logs the Lucas shines bright. 
One of the biggest differences is the band mill is so much more complicated.  More moving parts and more things to break, more things to watch out for and more adjustments.  Maybe just my stupid.

Quite a story about Peterson verses Lucas.  I think there might still be traces on the internet.  I looked hard at D & L and like what that mill can do.  Met the owner, Lindsey, at the Oregon Logging Conference several years back.  He's one of the good guys,  Left Coast Supply, US Peterson dealer, is in part funded by Lucas AND THAT STORY IS FULL OF IRONY.  Would love to have one of D & L's scragg mills.

For me sharp blades, depth of cut and sawing speed are a big factors in sawing smaller logs on a swinger.   

RiverForest:
Hi, Stevenm, looks like you are equipped.  You gotta tell us more about what you started  ;D.

Couple of updates that I'm aware of, and some more opinion & experiences, FWIW:

Peterson did most recently had their dealership with Left Coast, but severed it without any explanation as of December 15, 2017, per an email from P.  It had only been with LC since March 2017 if memory serves, formerly with Bailey's.

Musical chairs anyone? Parts parts, whose got the parts.

The poster just above, MT 406, has some D&L experience IIRC.  So did the owner of my Peterson (he returned his D&L to Left Coast, then D&L dealer also, and bought the P which he sold to me).

I liked the features of D&L machines, the 180 swing but it's not all SS & AL like the P, and a few other considerations and stories discouraged me.  And frankly the P was just too new and fairly priced to pass on.

There were varying opinions about how generic D&L parts are, a much touted feature per some.  Can you speak to that?

I'm recalling some WM parts prices $$ I have seen, and the cost of ink for IJ printers.  Parts & supplies are a major profit center for many mfrs.  Costco makes 75% of its money selling...memberships.  Not goods. WSJ interview with their CEO in 2011.  Follow the money.

From what I have seen, Lucas has done some smart use of plastic to cut weight.  Peterson chose to keep things like the sawdust chute metal, could probably go plastic without a problem and add to mobility.  Their loading video where the guy is wheelbarrowing the carriage without any indication of strength required is with a much less than 10 inch machine or the 35 hp Briggs iron boulder that I have, I can attest to that!

I love the Lucas video where one man practically juggles a (small) Lucas mill out of a truck like an MT wheelbarrow with parts and sets it up.  Oh so easy.

Lucas seems the big dog in the not very big swing blade universe, but it's odd that their distribution is with Bailey's, not LC, given what you said about investment??  Know any more--inquiring minds want to know ;D

Wish I could afford to carry a smaller Lucas as well as what I have, for going into the woods and cutting up some hard to reach stuff.

I think the thing between Lucas and Peterson might be what they allude to on their web site, something about the founder defending their patents, maybe?

How about Kerris Peterson Browne vs her brother Jake & their father (Turbosaw)?  Now there's a ruined family reunion for sure.

From what I have seen on my LT40, complexity it IS.  More motors than board feet of lumber in an acre.  At least I know where to get parts and apparently there are hacks galore for when the warranty is over.  The small size and changing distributors with the down under folks gives me the willies.

The main feature of TK over WM I like is the direct hydraulics.  Seems like a lot of the electrics on WM are for working around not having direct hydraulics.  It does make the plumbing more complex based on the TK 2200 we looked at.  WM only offers direct on one of the LT70s.

Big guys like WM hit the show circuit a lot.  I asked Will Johnson last year if he was going to show TK at any VA shows, and he said they'd not found them cost effective.  We bought our LT40 at the VA Farm show couple of weeks ago.  Hard to beat a Marty Parsons demo of a product right there for buying.

I wanted to consider Norwood seriously: less money, some interesting if controversial engineering and I would have enjoyed putting it together.  But those folks at NW, so squirrelly and tight fisted about giving out information!  They've offered some sort of setworks package for months now but NO brochure, web info, etc. Nada.  The phone rep even said there was a fully equipped machine with it on their showroom floor but he had no info to give or tell me.  No info about their $3000 debarker, either.

BTW someone in Spain is selling a home brew fully automated Peterson WPF.  It's on the Sawmill Trader site.  Interesting.  I'd settle for figuring out how to mount a laser for getting that first cut without contorting myself around the engine to the right....

starmac:
I guess a lot more portable depends on what type of portable you need. I can drive anywhere I intend to saw any lumber, and can actually be sawing lumber within 15 minutes of showing up on site. It just don't get much more portable than that, for my use.

The only way I could see a swing mill benifitting me, would be for oversize logs, which in this area are few and far between.

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