Rob with his Dedicated Slabber.

Robert Mansell is a man living his dream. The Rotorua, New Zealand-based sawmiller has created an enviable lifestyle of doing exactly what he wants – that is working with wood.

Robert has combined custom milling, landscaping, furniture crafting and house construction into one megabusiness. It is something he couldn’t have done without the versatility of his Peterson sawmill.

Combining the talents of the 8 in. Winch Production Frame (WPF) and a Dedicated Wide Slabber (DWS), Robert is able to mill timber to his own specifications, no longer being dictated to by the offerings of local timber stores. His Peterson allows him to make a range of cuts, from quarter sawing and backsawing, to doublecutting and slabbing. When it comes to building his own house, this is one of the greatest advantages of the Peterson.

“You don’t have to build a brick home like everyone else with your little strip of grass – you can build your own lifestyle, whether it is a rustic home or a log home. It’s the freedom of choice with the Peterson”, says Mansell.

Standing next to a giant redwood, being milled on an ASM.

Feeling that his creative side was being stifled when working for other people, Robert became frustrated and decided to embark on his own business in custom milling. Working with a range of species from macrocarpa to redwood, cyprus to natives, Robert found that word soon spread about his services.

Within two years of purchasing his mills, both machines were paid off and he found himself making a healthy profit.

Robert loves being able to create something from virtually nothing. Being able to enjoy watching a log be milled and fashioned into a beam for his new house, or a slab for someone’s new table is a rewarding experience for both him, and his customers.

“Once you’ve finished milling and there’s some beautiful timber there, it’s a good advertisement and you get a good feeling of satisfaction.

Pushing through on his WPF.

“When I bought my own Peterson sawmill, I think it was the freedom of running my own business, being my own boss, and making my own choices that I wanted the most,” Robert said.

He recognizes the value of Peterson’s portability, with his mill packing up onto a trailer that he can take into remote areas, directly to the log site. Working by himself, Robert can be milling within 20 minutes.

“It’s an awesome machine. For the price I paid, I’m getting a very well engineered machine. Every machine is good in it’s own right, but if you took it all on average the Peterson would beat most of them hands down.