t o o l s

& t e c h Got Big? n i q u e s

Fix It With a Peterson

By PAUL Easley

I believe the very best thing about the American Tree Farm System is the sharing of knowledge. Every time Tree Farmers get together, you better believe lots of knowledge and enthusiastic ideas get shared. In fact, it’s hard to get some of them to shut up! Okay, I admit it, I fit those shoes! The same thing happens when you get around sawmill operators. In fact, I believe about everyone in the industry is willing to help one another.

Through the years of building our was me who said, “I know you can and it is a fantastically beautiful mix. “stump-to-store” busi- do this!” There is everything from honey ness, we met a lot of nice folks who locust, quarter-sawn white , hick- helped us along, even if it was just And, so it began. The sharing of ideas ory and dozens of other spalted, with words like, “I know you can do led to a working model. After a few wormy and figured . They now this.” Then we started selling Kasco years of fixing up their old home with have a great hardwood business of and building a network of wood that Tammy cut with her mill, their own, Autumn Mill. Guess small suppliers who helped to pro- they found a great country property duce product for our retail store. with a barn and good out buildings. The 1990 Illinois Tree Selling the old house and living in a Farmers of the Year Paul and We met Mark and Tammy Allen in trailer while they built their home Kathy Easley own and manage 1998 because they had an interest in was not a lot of fun, but they are the Oak Leaf Wood ‘n’Supplies, owning a sawmill. But wait, they kind of folks who can set a goal and 210 N. Main St., lived inside a large community! make it happen. The new home is fin- Moweaqua, IL 62550; Could this work? Well, in this case, it ished with wood milled right there .

28 Tree Farmer MARCH/APRIL 2006 you can tell that I am very proud of building, as the thrown from Peterson circle mill disadvantages them. I really didn’t know when I sold the blade ate the right off the over a band mill: them their band mill that it would building. They have since added • Bigger kerf. While Mark said he come with adoption papers! another concrete pad and moved the thought this was recouped at the mill further over. It will soon have a planer, he also found it took away a One of the problems Mark and roof over it. lot of the book-matched effect. In Tammy have had to deal with was order to have exact mirror images, the incredible size of the logs they Their Peterson sawmill was ordered you have to remove as little wood had to slice up. Almost all of the logs with a 27-hp Kohler motor. It is an 8- as possible from the matching are town trees that are cut only when inch circle blade with eight cutting faces. they become too large or dangerous. teeth and about a 3/16-inch kerf. The • Little logs are harder to work on. It’s an entirely different ballgame thing that makes this mill so great is • Can’t turn the log. The log must be from growing trees for a crop — you that the head swivels from horizontal set in the mill the way you want to end up with 40- to 60-inch and larger to vertical with just a lever. It will cut cut it. I could see a problem with logs. Our band mills only had a 30- going both directions. You can slice this when I am cutting crotch wal- inch throat, so Mark used a Granberg an 8-inch board going one way and nut for gun stocks. Sometimes I roll Alaskan mill to cut the edge it right off the cant coming back. the log completely over twice. It’s cants down and loaded those into My reaction after watching Mark cut like cutting a diamond. One bad cut Tammy’s band mill. The Granberg several boards: “Man! I gotta have — all gone. Alaskan mill is great for getting those one of these!” • A new blade costs $400, and it monster logs down to size and you costs $60 to re-tooth. The average can take it right to the timber and cut I was really interested in getting a band cost is $20. With Mark cutting the cants down to a size that can be good evaluation of their band mill vs. town trees, he frequently hits moved more easily. As Mark and the new circle mill. Here are their metal. Tammy’s business grew, they strug- thoughts: gled to keep up with all the huge logs Mark believes that the Peterson mill, they had to deal with. It became very Peterson circle mill advantages over with its ability to cut much faster, time consuming to cut every log a band mill: accurately and with very little mainte- down to size. • The most obvious is being able to nance, was a great investment. The handle the large logs. cost was about $17,000. Solution for Big Logs • No need to turn the logs. After dancing around lots of ideas • The boards come off the mill So here we are, eight years after sell- and with much research by Mark, already edged. ing them their Kasco sawmill, still they decided to purchase another • It is normal, on a band mill, to cut a sharing ideas and marketing strate- mill that could handle the big guys. log into several smaller cants when gies. Not only are we great friends, Now they are a “his and hers” you are going after quarter-sawn we helped each other to become sawmill family! The mill they pur- stock and each of these have to be more successful. Kind of like the Tree chased was a Peterson 8-inch winch handled off the mill and then re- Farm program does. When Mark and production frame sawmill. I couldn’t loaded individually as needed. Tammy started shopping for this type wait to see this mill work. I ended up With the Peterson mill, that is not of mill, there were none to go see in waiting, right along with Mark! necessary. operation. Now, they consider them- • Knots don’t seem to be a problem selves a sort of Midwest connection Mark had ordered his mill in March (the band mills sometimes try to for this New Zealand sawmill. 2005. Getting it got kind of tricky. It “drive around” the knot). was shipped from New Zealand the • It is very accurate — even in frozen Peterson offers a wide range of quali- second week of May 2005. It got to logs (though Mark said the frozen ty sawmills that will fit different budg- California in one week and was stuck logs somewhat cut the speed at ets and production capacities. For in customs for six more before they which it will saw). The accuracy of details, contact Peterson Sawmills at finally received it the first week of the sawn wood eliminates having or call July 2005. to “screw” the boards through his (877) 327-1471. planer after they are dry. That’s not After watching the setup video and to say they are so smooth they reading the instructions (come on, don’t need to be planed. They are who ever does that?) it took one flat, something everyone who afternoon to get it set up where they works with wood will appreciate. No endorsement of products or thought they wanted it. Right away • Sharpening the blade is done on services in Tree Farmer Magazine by they discovered it was too close to a the mill with a 12-volt sharpener. ATFS or AFF is implied or intended.

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