As the owner of both a Peterson 8” swingblade and a Lucas 8” swingblade,
“I moved to the George Washington Forest (WV) back in the early 90’s. I couldn’t wait to saw my own lumber and bought the first tool I could afford, an Alaskan mill that attaches to a chainsaw.”
“It didn’t take long until I knew I had to get something more substantial, because I wanted to offer custom sawing services. I bought the best I could afford at the time, the Lucas portable sawmill. I admit that as an Australian, I wanted to support an Australian company.”
Bill used his Lucas mill to cut the lumber and posts and beams for a workshop, a house and a storage shed. He offered on-site custom sawing but it was labor intensive, and not profitable enough when working solo. He moved on to other pursuits, but continued to saw lumber for his ongoing projects.
“We cut 8” x 16” beams for the house and had to manually turn the Lucas saw head every beam. Now I make those same beams by myself with the Peterson sawmill’s ability to double cut without delay.”
In 2014, he was milling more frequently. A local logger cutting a wood tract up the road had offered to drop off logs suitable for railroad ties. Interested in giving it a go Bill decided ties would be too time and labor intensive to cut on the Lucas.
Someone was selling their Peterson 8” swingblade, and he jumped at the chance to own one. “The Lucas was fine when I was a younger man. Now with the Peterson Portable Sawmill I get more done with less effort, by myself.”
He cut the railroad ties with the Peterson swingblade while he had access to the timber, and then cut posts and beams and lumber for a 30’ x 50’ and a 40’ x 60’ foot building. While these portable sawmills both feature circular swingblades, there is an apple and orange comparison here. The Peterson is clearly built for production.
Electric winch saves time and effort: “By the time I adjust my next depth of cut on the Lucas and get back to sawing position, I’m already starting to cut the second board on the Peterson swingblade”
Push button controls are on the saw head of the Peterson sawmill
More rigidity, particularly on full depth horizontal cuts: “Peterson sawmill is heavier built, more robust”
Peterson sawmill is more stable, doesn’t develop “sideways chatter”
“Although it’s heavier, it’s easier to transport because of the electric winch’s ability to raise and lower the saw head on the transport wheels. I can take it to the back of the pickup, raise it up electronically, and slide it in.” Once in the pickup, the Peterson swingblade’s own frame serves as a rack to hold the rails in transport. “I had to make a rack on the side of the pickup, similar to a ladder rack, to hold the Lucas rails.”
Demonstrating the Peterson swingblade at Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, PA in September 2016 was enjoyable and easy according to Bill. “We were packed up and headed out before other demonstrators had loaded their mills. It was a blast!” He does have one regret… “I wish I’d bought a Peterson swingblade as my first mill”.
– Submitted by Tamara Shore
www.wolfgapwoods.com
27 hp
8″ Blade (to cut up to 8″ deep and 16″ wide – by double cutting)
Electric Winch
Hi/Lo Tracks
Petersons export worldwide from our factory in Rotorua, New Zealand.
Encountering fluctuating freight, raw materials, currencies and export costs, therefore we have tailored pricelists pertaining to each country. We also have over 40 different mill options to suit all applications, so it often helps to call and speak to us about your particular needs.
If you would like to recieve a copy of our digital Info Pack and Price List, please click here.
Why is everyone afraid to tell the cost of their machines? We’ll send you a price list…… Just post it. If your price fits my budget, I’ll contact you! Thanks
Hi Larry, Petersons export worldwide from our factory in Rotorua, New Zealand. Encountering fluctuating freight, raw materials, currencies and export costs, therefore we have tailored pricelists pertaining to each country. We also have over 40 different mill options to suit all applications, so ideally, it often helps to call and speak to us about your particular needs. Nevertheless, recieving our price list only takes 2 minutes and you can compare all models and accessories at once. Thank you, Liam
Send price list. I’m near Sacramento California
Hi Darryl, We have sent you a pricelist. Please check your junk/spam folder just in case. Thank you.
Bonjour,
Je suis propriétaire d’une Lucas Mill 8-30 dont je suis assez satisfait.
Cependant je viens de découvrir Peterson avec double coupe et d’autres différences qui m’intéressent vivement.
Pouvez-vous me transmettre des brochures, dvd et tarifs avec les différentes options svp.
Je crois savoir que vous n’avez pas de revendeur en France, est-ce que c’est un problème ?
Je serais également intéressé d’être importateur des scies Peterson pour la France.
Merci pour votre retour
Timothé Dufey
Salut Timothée,
Merci pour votre enquête. J’ai transmis votre message à nos spécialistes en scierie qui vous fourniront les informations demandées.
Cordialement,
Liam
I would like a catalog and price list.
Don Drake
4262 Ripken Circle W.
Jacksonville,FL. 32224, USA
Hi Don, I trust you would’ve received a copy of our Brochure and Pricelist now. Please feel free to email or call us to discuss your milling needs with one of our sawmill experts who can help you decide which mill will best suit you.
Please forward me your Papua New Guinean agent’s contact details
Hi Yowa, we don’t currently have a Papua New Guinea agent, I will get our NZ sales team to get in touch with you. Thank you
Where can i see a demo of one or two of your mills. i’m on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. And please send me your price list including accessories items. thank you.
jack ellenberger
Thanks for your enquiry Jack. We have forwarded your request to our American agent, Sawyer’s Choice. They will get in touch with you soon. Best, Maurice
Hi there. We would like some details and prices on your sawmill. We are In the same state as Lucas mills and find them impossible to deal with….. and keep getting told “ We will get back to you “.
We would like to know availability of your sawmill. And about your warranty and after sales service. (Spare parts and the like ).
Thank you. Laurie weeks. ( Victoria. Australia )
Hi Laurie. Thanks so much for getting in touch. I have sent your enquiry to our sales team who WILL get back to you very soon 🙂 Thank you. Layla.
I am in Papua New Guinea and am therefore requesting for the price of a Peterson sawmill. thank you
Hi Jeremiah, thanks for your inquiry. One of our sawmill specialists will get in touch with you shortly. Regards, Maurice
i am in canada and thinking of buying a saw the peterson mill how long can i cut with it we have some big logs here how wide can i cut with your mill and how many b t can i cut an hour thanks vancouver canada EARL
Hi Earl, thanks for contacting us. I have forwarded your email to our sales team who will be in touch with you shortly. Cheers, Maurice.
Mesage,
I would like how much it costs the only engine for 30hp.
Thanks,
Luciano.
Hi there Luciano, I have forwarded your email to our sales team who will be in touch with you shortly. Cheers, Layla.
Saving to buy one.
Bought my 8 inch Peterson ATS about 8 years ago and still love it. Got the 27 horse Kohler engine.
Went to a demo of the Lucas and was about to buy one when I saw an ad for the Peterson in Sawmill and Woodlot, called the 800 number and they sent me a DVD. The quality of the machine was very clear. The winches both at the head end of the mill and no overhead cross link to duck under as the Lucas had. Bought the Peterson.
I have sawn a 32 x 36 barn for myself as well asassorted other lumber for the farm.Custom sawn several small barns and sheds and 6 x 8 cabin logs for a 28 x 32 addition for a friends log home. Also have the attachement for sawing taper board siding which has been handy on several occasions. Atogether a very nice basic portable mill and the people at Peterson are outstanding to work with on any problems or questions.
Highly satisfied all around. I saw a lot of white and red pine and Eastern Hemlock, all of which run to hard knots which are notorius for deflecting bandsaws into wavy cuts. The carbide toothed circular saw just goes straight thru.
As far as portability,A pickup truck with an overhead ladder rack works well or a long boat trailer does also. I usually work alone and at 71 years old, I am not as fast as I once was but I can set up and be sawing in about 2 hours I spend a lot of that time getting the bed pieces decently aligned and level as this can save a lot of grief later. Tear down and load up to move in less than an hour. Of coarse an extra pair of hands will easily cut that time to about a third.
Hi David, thank you so much for your feedback. Hah! Lucky you saw our ad in S&W 🙂 I’d love to see photos of your barn if you have any? If you’re able to email them to marketing@petersonsawmills.com that’d be great!
Yes, we often get feedback about how hardy our blades are for cutting knotty wood, we reckon no log will be wasted with a Peterson around!
Thanks again, David 🙂
Comparing a Peterson Winch Production Frame to the Lucas Mill is hardly a fair comparison. A more accurate comparison would be the Peterson ATS to the Lucas Mill, since these two particular mills are quite similar.
I agree that if one has to manually swing the whole saw carriage around to double cut, then that won’t be done very often.
Hi Brian, thanks very much for your feedback. This particular comparison was brought to us by an owner, it was not commissioned by us. So he is giving his feedback based on his experience having upgraded from the ATS-type frame design to the WPF.
If we were to do a direct comparison of the Lucas copy of the ATS frame design, the benefits of the Peterson are certainly the winches being at the operator’s end of the mill (to save time walking to the other end of the tracks), and as mentioned, the ease of double cutting. Not only that, our blade is much easier to pivot and uses a positive locking device to keep it in position (instead of gas struts that need replacing). You’ll also find very few plastic parts on our mills (except for handle covers, the battery box and the water bottle). Anyway, thanks for reading and maybe we’ll see if we can get a Peterson ATS owner who previously owned a Lucas to let us know what he thinks.
Hello, i am from Georgia. Interest price of your product and can you send me it to Georgia?
I am waiting for you.
Hi there Giorgi 🙂 Thank you for your enquiry, yes certainly, we ship all over the world! Can you please send a quick email to sales@petersonsawmills.com and we will respond with a pricelist and brochure. Cheers, Layla.
ok 2 people on the lucas can outsaw any bandsaw andsome circles i like the lucas 6” which has a honda 13 hp engine and all manual controls
its portable and light so can be packed 2 people to a good size log i like it and have built several buildings from it
Thanks for your feedback, Robert. I agree, swingblade mills are definitely more efficient than bandsaws in many ways!
Peterson also have a 6″ mill that runs on a Briggs & Stratton 13.5hp motor which our customers are loving, we call it the Junior Peterson.
Glad you’ve had a good experience with your mill, happy milling!
Question…will the 6″ Petersen double cut to 12″?
Hi Eric, yes it sure will. It will do a 12″ horizontal cut but when you do that, you’ll be able to go 4″ deep (not 6″). 🙂
Wow my lucusmill is nice but very hard for one person to put togather and operate and the stove nolt are not flush on the blade its like you have to grind the head to flußh it up bad craftsmenship im my part.. i have model 30 lucus and not happy with it..
Sorry to hear about your unsatisfactory experience, Robert. Have you been in touch with Lucas Mills to give them your feedback? Peterson pride ourselves on refining our products with not only our design skills, but also customer feedback so even if something isn’t complimentary, we still want to hear it!
If you’re interested in an ‘upgrade’ 😉 feel free to email us: sales@petersonsawmills.com.
Best of luck!