Marc Petitroulet invested in a Logosol Laks frame sawmill, the largest 500 Industrial model. The investment replaced an employee. “I want to be able to do as much as possible on my own,” says Marc.
He lives and works in the French Alps, outside the village of Lescheraines, in a chain of mountains more known for its ski resorts, such as Grenoble, Albertville, Chamonix and Europe’s highest mountain, Mont Blanc, at 4,810 meters high. In this landscape, which is rolling to say the very least, it is not possible to run a largescale forestry operation, partly because the machines can’t handle it, and partly because the forests are largely comprised of national parks and natural conservation areas. “We have to have permission from the authorities to clear certain trees” Marc stated. In other words, it is a land of small-scale operations, with small sawmills spread throughout, focused primarily working on contract cutting for private forest owners.
The desire to work for one self
In 2001 Marc bought a portable band sawmill, one of the larger models from the German manufacturer Serra, and became an independent. Demand grew so much that he had to employ an assistant. However being an employer was not Marc’s calling, so he searched for alternative ways to produce the same amount with just himself. “When I visited a forestry tradeshow in Sweden, I discovered the Laks frame saw. It was exactly what I had been looking for,” he said. From his point of view, the Laks saw is an accessory. While the frame runs up to 20 blades at a time to cut through two blocks at once, Marc can prepare new logs for sawing or cut thicker broad-leaf trees on the bandsaw. The result is that Marc is single-handedly able to saw as much as he could previously handle with an employee.
No need to supervise
In the course of a typical year, Marc saws 2,000 cubic meters. That is a lot for one person, but this can be explained by the frame saw’s high capacity, up to 1,200 linear meters, or 4 cubic meters, per hour. After three years of owning his frame sawmill, Marc knows what he can do with it. In his view it is a reliable machine with a very high capacity, but the major advantages are on another level. “I don’t need to supervise the cutting- I can spend my time working on something else. “The surfaces are good and the measurements are perfect, says Petitroulet, who is always on the hunt for self –operating equipment that increases production for his single handed operation.”
