Lucas Mill nearly met its Match

[Billhook]

 

 

I had to wind the Lucas up to maximum height and walk along the top of the tree in the beginning.

It only just cleared at the sides as well

[Big J]

Hard to get an idea of scale - what diameter is that log?

[MattyF]

Would like to see the finished product , are you using the slabbing attachment ?

[gobbypunk]

Hi Guys won,t the the boards coming off that butt be a real bugger to dry looking at the branch unions aill it want to twist like buggery just wondering , as I may have a similar one to do

Cheers Mark

[Billhook]

It was a hopeless case for planking or slabbing as there were parts that were starting to rot.

I have cut it into 8x8 inch beams to put through the Palax to cut to a size that fits the 650 Clearview stove.

Although not good enough for anything else there is still a lot of useful firewood in that tree.

 

I have just been cutting another similar sized tree today. It always looked healthy and was in leaf but it blew down across the road in the last gales. Very lucky nobody was underneath it at the time.

 

they are both full five foot width of the Lucas in places but probably average four foot diameter.

 

the Matbro 270 could not even lift one end of the tree and it has a capacity of 2.7 tons.

 

[ame]

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D7 Caterpillar to the rescue

 

[ame]

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[skc101fc]

This was a pure gem of a macrocarpa .

18 feet long ( this piece, there was another 18 &12 foot section but obviously reducing diameters. ).The chainsaw is a 36 inch 066. Had to keep taking of the blade flip lever to pass under the the cross rails until it was worked down enough, producing 9×3 rails. It was a hard slog getting the lucas unit up that high and working almost under the blade!

[Billhook]

You beat me there Skc, fantastic recovery there and right on the limit of the saw. What a superb bit of kit the Lucas is. Yours either looks quite new or you have been looking after it well!

 

I had a go at the other tree today and quickly recovered some 8x8 lengths until I reached this point

[Billhook]

Whereupon I encountered a bloody Flint stone twenty feet up in the middle of the tree.

There were quite a few Sparks and it neatly removed all five tips.

I knew it was too good to be true, sun shining, engine starting first pull, blade cutting keenly

[skc101fc]

I wish all my work was major size logs, a great feeling of maximum output. Unfortunately most of the time its 18 - 30 inch stuff, heavily tapered, bowed and horrendously knotted. Loads of wastage and a second rate product. Its the client's timber though ,I can only advise and then take the money.

Yes the mill is relatively new, 16 months old and 220 hours on the clock.

Love it but hate the slabber !!

S

[Billhook]

I know that you mean about the small stuff. It takes longer to set them up even if you do three at a time. With a large tree you can do so much more with one set up.

Do you ever quarter saw? I usually do not bother

 

I found the slabber was ok once I had worked out the winch for it but after slabbing a couple of trees and accumulating a stack of slabs I am at a bit of a loss as to what to do with them.

I can make a couple of tables but then I am short of ideas, and it is a real faff changing from slabber to swing blade and back again.

 

With the swing blade there are so many options and it is so quick.