Step 10: Give the Group a Sawmill on a Trial Basis

Action: Six months or so later, if the Group has:

1. Clear title to greater than 1,000 ha of forest land,

2. Satisfactorily completed all training modules,

3. Been successful in marketing its timber, and

4. Saved a reasonable amount of money in its bank account,

then we move forward and give them a walkabout sawmill (Lewis Saw Brand) on a trial basis. During this trial/training period, the Group must pay all running costs for the mill.

Rationale: A typical walkabout sawmill requires an investment of about 20,000 Kina. This is a lot of money for a community Group. By loaning them a mill, we can let them try it out and determine if this is something they really want to get involved in.

We evaluated a number of different portable sawmills on criteria that include:

• Portability - particularly the weight of the heaviest component,
• Suitability for PNG bush conditions - Adaptability to steep sites, ability to cut timber on the ground
• Ease of set-up - time and tools required, lack of spanners and bolts
• Precision
• Strength - horsepower per blade
• Ease of maintenance - reliability and ease of obtaining parts
• Cost - capital and running costs
• Safety - presence of shielded blade

Based on these criteria, we selected the Lewis Saw to provide to all of our projects.

A lewi saw in progress producing timbers

Example: Using their Lewis Saws, two of our Groups are now able to produce sawn and sanded timber to meet specific needs. These Groups process between 1 and 1.5 m³ of timber per day.

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