The frame design of the Peterson ASM enables it to cut logs 5’ (1.5m) in diameter. Wightman Lumber owner, Dan Wightman arranged for Nathan to bring the portable mill to the commercial milling site and cut the oversized logs into 6 ½ inch x 6,8 or 10 inch cants. The cants would then be resawn to maximise quarter sawn yield.
To meet FAS (First and Seconds) grade, quarter sawn boards have to have a finished width of at least 6 inches. It is standard practice to plan for ¼ inch of shrinkage in the kiln. The ASM was able to saw the defined cants with ease.
This exercise was a perfect example of how complimentary a Peterson swing blade sawmill can be to any milling operation. The versatility of the Peterson mill helps it to complete jobs other mills struggle with.
“The ASM made breaking these large logs down easy,” Nathan said.
Another concern at the head saw that didn’t affect the Peterson was hardware within the logs. Hitting metal would normally halt production and leave 20 + workers in the assembly line standing and waiting – not to mention the cost of repairing the blade! But for Nathan and the ASM the halt in production was minimal and not nearly as frequent.
“As standard practice for the Peterson I used my ‘three strikes and it’s out’ policy where I could normally saw through three large nails before I would need to change the blade.”
Peterson’s blades can be sharpened while still attached to the mill, however if too much hardware is encountered, the tips can be replaced or the blade changed on the spot. All mill models are provided with two blades as standard. The blades are so durable there have been reports from Peterson mill owners of them lasting 10 years and beyond.
Dan Wightman assisted Nathan, tailing out the majority of the time Nathan was milling. Halfway into day two, Nathan looked at Dan and asked, “So what do you think?” Dan replied, “We milled a whole lot of cants!” They sure did… 18,000 board feet of Red Oak in three days in fact.