A young forester created a job with a Wood-Mizer saw

The young Slovenian, after graduating from forestry school, couldn't find a job in his field of specialisation and so created his own job - with the help of a bandsaw from Wood-Mizer.

The Slovenian village of Plat is situated high in the Alps, 875 metres above sea level. The fresh air, forests, springs, beautiful mountain scenery probably affect the lifestyle of the local peasants - slow, calm and very reasonable. The villagers mainly farm. Almost every family has cows, sheep, poultry and many other domestic animals.

On the wall of the Potocnik family house is the image of St. Florian - the patron saint of peasant houses, which he protects from fires

Gregor Potocnik's parents in the village of Plat also work the land and tend their 20 cows. In addition, as in many of these places, the family also owns a forest of about 35 hectares. These circumstances gave Gregor the idea that managing his forest could be more rational and carried out with modern methods, and he could profit from it. Gregor was therefore admitted to and successfully graduated from forestry school.

"Finish something," Gregor laughs, "but I haven't found a job in my major!"

But it's not like Gregor to despair and wait for a better fate. A good mood is a wonderful gift and makes a man happy no matter what his situation. Therefore, such people prefer to look ahead, make plans and implement them.

After working in several places, Gregor saved up some money and as soon as he turned 27 he bought a bandsaw.

The LT20B ribbon saw is installed in the village of Plat, on top of the mountain, 875 m above sea level.

"In our village, almost everyone has a part of the forest; they take care of it; the forests are cleared of old, dry trees, heavily damaged trunks; and this wood has to be cut down because on a farm, especially if you have animals, you always need to build or repair something" - explains Gregor. The chain of events that followed proved him absolutely right.

The ribbon saw purchased by Gregor was produced by Wood-Mizer. It is a world-renowned brand that has been in existence since 1982 and today is a leading manufacturer of bandsaws and saws. The company is American and its European production centre is in Poland. In total, more than 75,000 Wood-Mizer band saws are in operation in almost every country in the world.

"I found out that there was a Wood-Mizer dealership only 17 km from our village, so I went to them, we consulted and bought an LT20B bandsaw," says Gregor.

Gregor Potocnik produces timber for his own use and for the needs of his neighbours

The machine is designed for small and medium-sized enterprises. The bed is made up of several, very strong segments that are placed low to the ground, so the logs come loaded on the frame by hand with claw spikes. The cutting head, in which a webbing is mounted, is equipped with electric motors - the main one driving the saw rotation and additional ones - that move the head up and down and back and forth along the bed.

It is not the smallest bandsaw in the Wood-Mizer family (there are also simpler models - LT10 and LT15), and in Gregor's case it has an important feature - it's remote control. On the control console - electronic positioning system, with which you can set the desired thickness of the planks, and the cutting head will automatically adjust its position for the next cut.

The LT20B ribbon saw is equipped with remote control panel

With the help of Wood-Mizer's technicians, Gregor assembled the machine near his house, a little further up the hill. He set up a comfortable workstation - a covered armchair with a tent for sun protection and other weather gear, with the control panel sitting in front. The remote control cable is suspended by a wire strung between two poles at either end of the car. In fact, the cable is in the air at the side of the car, it moves easily and is not covered in sawdust. This way of suspending the cable is called "curtain" at Wood-Mizer.

Gregor Potocnik controls all the functions of the bandsaw sitting comfortably in a chair under a tent, protected from the elements

Now Gregor works comfortably seated in the chair instead of walking along the machine with the cutting head. This comfort has a significant impact on performance as Gregor is less tired and can work harder. To remove the finished plank, he hired an assistant. Sometimes the customer also willingly helps carry the planks.

Local people are happy to have a band saw in the village. They don't have to haul the logs a long distance, and Gregor's not only takes the finished lumber, but also the garlic and sawdust - all useful on the farm.

And so a young Slovenian forester has created his own job. Now he helps others and himself. A win-win situation for both sides.

Source: www.woodmizer.ro