Owner Stories

Portable Sawmill Opens the Door to Affordable Housing

December 2021 Update: Roughly 12 months have passed now since Hikurangi Enterprises purchased their WPF. To our amazement, the group have succesfully completed the construction of 12 whare awhina (sleep...

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wattle and daub building

Light earth building: A natural way to build the future

Like many other countries in the world, New Zealand has a huge housing problem. While successive governments have been trying to tackle this housing crisis, various individuals and community groups...

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First worldwide JP owner is still enjoying his hobby mill | 2020 Update

In April 2013, the new JP arrived. Ted unpacked his crate like a little boy opening a new Christmas present. With the Junior Peterson being hot off the assembly line,...

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In the 30 years Rotorua sawmill manufacturers Peterson Portable Sawmills have been exporting their products worldwide, they’ve never experienced a year like this one. As with many businesses, the challenges brought about by COVID-19 Coronavirus have been tough to overcome. Being a manufacturing business, Peterson were unable to build new sawmills, or train existing customers, two vital components of their operation. The company were also affected by the cancellation of the largest agricultural show in the country, Fieldays. Having exhibited at Fieldays in 2019, Peterson were looking forward to another successful event. Last year they made a record number of New Zealand sales, largely thanks to their presence at the show. While the New Zealand National Fieldays Society created a ‘back-up plan’, Fieldays Online, Petersons know that the best way to learn about their products, is in person. In response, this week Petersons opened their headquarters on Hyland Street and are inviting members of the public to view live demonstrations of their products. With five sawmills and slabbers set up in Peterson’s yard, the company welcomed over 50 visitors on their first day from as far as Oamaru. While this number is substantially low compared to Fieldays’ attendee numbers, the interest of visitors was very high and resulted in six new sawmills sold in just a few hours. Visitors were particularly impressed with the speed and ease-of-use of Peterson’s range which cut logs into valuable timber, beams and even slabs. The most popular model of the day was the Junior Peterson sawmill, which can also be fit with a planer blade and sanding disc. Peterson’s demonstrations continue on Saturday from 10 am – 3 pm.

Peterson create their own Portable Sawmill Demonstration Days

Demonstrations included cutting weatherboards/cladding on the Junior Peterson, one-person milling on the All Terrain Sawmill and the Automated Swingblade Mill, slabbing with a Peterson, using the electric winch on the...

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An Austrian Hobby Sawmiller Following His Dreams in Nova Scotia

Horst Puff had been managing a BP gas station on an Austrian Autobahn for some time when in 2009, he got itchy feet. He and his partner Ulrike first moved...

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Milling in Nepal: A Post-Disaster Response

The lumbered wood was used for the doors and windows for the houses being reconstructed. The Langtang people started to heal again and getting back their beautiful smile with well-built...

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geodesic dome

A Versatile Sawmill for a Versatile Builder

Peterson Portable Sawmills help mill owners to sell their used mills by providing a free classifieds section for used sawmills for sale on their website. This is where Henry found...

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outdoors sawmilling

When we can’t sell our logs, New Zealand can produce timber

Written by Hayley Leibowitz. Originally published in New Zealand Logger magazine April 2020. Click the PDF icon below to view the published version. The little sawmill that could is holding...

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homesteading wood

An American Homesteader Making Best Use of His Automated Portable Sawmill

Will Koski reached retirement age several years ago, however he is not showing any signs of slowing down. Will grew up in a region surrounded by Redwoods and spent his...

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affordable sawmill

Homesteading is a Lifestyle Choice for Robert and his Family

When asked what made him chose a swing blade, Robert says: “My first experience with portable mills was at a show featuring bandsaw manufacturers Hud-son, Wood-Mizer, and Norwood Mills. I...

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sawmilling remote island

Portable Sawmill Solves Supply Issue on Remote Island

What do you do when you have a pile of logs? You get a portable sawmill and turn it into lumber! That’s the idea Gord Reid had in 2016, when...
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Slabber Mill by Peterson Portable Sawmills

Are Portable Sawmills Worth It?

Originally published in Independent Sawmill & Woodlot Management Magazine, April 2016 Written by Dave Boyt     The trick in operating a successful small sawmill business is to find a...

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Looking for our sawmill prices?

Peterson Portable Sawmills manufacture and 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 configurations 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.