Thread: Surprise!

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Ian .....Hand held 9 1/4 circular saw. Cut to 65mm deep (in two passes if you wish, but may not be necessary in balsa wood ) from one side. Flip (the timber, not you) and cut the same depth from the other side. Hopefully you have not lost the fence that came with the saw originally.....l

Paul, unfortunately, something happened to my 9 1/4" saw, it's only a 5". I did own a biggie, when I lived in Canada and was more into burning electrons at any opportunity, but these days I have very little need of such things & the one time I've needed a hand-held saw, the little one was adequate & paid for itself on that job. I do have its fence, but that's of little or no value in this context, either, because the slabs are the cores from the log, so there are only"natural" edges.

Nevertheless, it's definitely on the list of possible weaponry - I can clamp a straight edge on the surface for guidance, and the kerf it makes is a good match for my 3-5 tpi ripsaw, so I reckon I'll be able to reduce the potential RSI by a goodly margin with my little toy.

"Flip the timber" ?!! Oh yeah, no probs, bro. This is the smaller of the two: slab 1.jpg

The P. radiata you get from Bunnies can be pretty flimsy stuff, cut from the youngish plantation tres, but the density is given as about 600Kg/cubic M. for trees 30-40 years old, and the tree this stuff came from was probably 60 or more years old. I haven't weighed a sample, but I'd be willing to bet the wood I have is well & truly up there - it isn't quite in the Balsa class....

My procrastination is only partly due to the breaking-down job, The other part is due to indecision on the part of the recipients. They weren't quite sure what they wanted, & I made the mistake of suggesting they have a squizz at some refectory-type table designs on the interweb. Now they've narrowed it down to about 6 tables they like (all quite different!) but I'd prefer a pretty solid decision before I start cutting (& let's hope there are no requests for a change after I do!)...

Cheers,

Another option that is due for release in 2019 in the US.

Originally Posted by Bohdan

Another option that is due for release in 2019 in the US.

Ok, That one has more grunt at 3.3HP, but 120V.

Regards
Paul

Ian

How quickly are you looking at cutting the slab? For example I could call in with my saw, but at this stage I don't know when I am travelling to Brisbane next, I also have a guide rail for use with a chain saw (26" bar) although from your comments the kerf (10mm?) may be an issue.

I appreciate this may be of some help to you but stuff all help for Alan.

Regards
Paul

But in the usual US advertising speel the saw puts out more power than it uses. (15A motor @120V = 2.4HP)

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Ian ...

How quickly are you looking at cutting the slab? For example I could call in with my saw, but at this stage I don't know when I am travelling to Brisbane next, I also have a guide rail for use with a chain saw (26" bar) although from your comments the kerf (10mm?) may be an issue......

Paul, thanks for the offer, but the cutting-up shouldn't be as big an issue as I seem to have implied. There'll be a modicum of hand-sawing and a good deal of power-sawing, if all goes to plan A. Much depends on what the youngsters decide they want as the undercarriage, which is what these chunks are destined to be. Once I have a firm decision & know just what is wanted, the sawdust will fly one way or another.

I have two loverly baulks of Hoop for the top - single pieces 600 wide (well, 595 to be precise) and 40 thick. They were bench tops in one of the labs at the old vet school that we rescued from the skip during a reno, and while they need virtualy no sawing other than to neaten the ends left (very) ragged from the demolishers' sabre saws, they are going to need a fair bit of planing to clean off (most of) the scars of their former occupation. Much too wide for my 300mm 'lectric jobbie, so it's out with the "Armstrong" variety for these. You can come & do an hour or two of pushing the #7, sometime, if you like.....

I have a slabbing rail for the chainsaw, too - it's how I got to this stage, but it isn't suitable for the next step - I don't need any more screw-holes to work around. There are a couple in the edges where the rail was attached for milling, but I can avoid these easily enough (I think!).

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

I reckon it would be a struggle, too - that stuff ain't Balsa by a long stretch!

This is a discussion I'm following with great interest (& sympathy!). I've got some large chunks of P. radiata left from a monster I had to remove from it's position 2 feet from the house about 7 years ago. The tree was about 700 diameter and I milled it with a slabbing rail, which left me with two 'core' pieces about 125mm thick & 2.2M long. I have finally got the perfect use for it, as legs for a rather substantial table requested by one of the offspring.

But to get the clear leg lengths I want out of these monster slabs is a complex sawing job, I have to stagger some cuts to avoid several very dead, very large, ugly knots, & about the only way I can see me getting the maximum sound leg material is to make some of the initial cuts with hand saws. I can do some ripping with the chainsaw, but it wastes too much wood for the tighter cuts required to maximise useable wood. The slab is far too heavy to manoeuvre over my bandsaw, even with help. So I've got the biggest slab sitting on saw-horses in the shed while I 'study' the various alternatives - the saws remain firmly in the cupboard until I'm certain there really is no easier alternative!

Funny thing about these slabs - they seem to have grown much heavier over 7 years, despite having lost all that water! I managed to get them, dripping-wet, up a steep incline & onto a large stack just after I'd cut them, but I had a major struggle to get them off the stack & into the shed the other day - all on level ground! It's a mystery.....

Cheers,

Hold a working bee...bring your own handsaw!! Beers after the job is finished.

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

Beers after the job is finished.

Wot, more beers around the firepit, solving the ills of the world.

I wish I could remember the solutions . . . apart from more beers around the firepit

Originally Posted by Bohdan

But in the usual US advertising speel the saw puts out more power than it uses. (15A motor @120V = 2.4HP)

15A x 120V = 1800 W
1 HP = ~746 W
1800 W = 2.41 HP

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

For $1750 and with only a 200mm deep cut I think there must be better options available. About $1230 out of Germany.

Mafell do two versions, one cuts to 260 mm https://produkte.mafell.de/en/carpen...sx-ec?c=312977 , the other to 400 https://produkte.mafell.de/en/carpen...in-ec?c=312977
Both tilt to 60 degrees.
the smaller saw requires a 15A circuit, the larger one 30A -- it has two 3000W motors.

Originally Posted by fletty

The current plan (note the lower case ‘p’?)

• STOP AND THINK
• IF I can’t get reasonably clear lengths of 2100 and/or it was TBH (too bl**dy hard) and/or it was too dangerous then I’ll.....
• change the design to suit maximum lengths of ~ 1200

given that it's hardwood and the sectional dimensions -- even after milling -- a scarf joint or two shouldn't be discarded as a means to obtain the required 2.1 m long clears

While looking at the Mafell, I also came across this one which seems to have the added benefit of using a chainsaw that is available in Oz?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PzqTkp...fauxfullscreen

Looks like it cuts on the top of the bar?

Interesting... I wonder why they designed it that way?

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Looks like it cuts on the top of the bar?

Interesting... I wonder why they designed it that way?

Yes that is a bit strange - it will pull all the chips into the saw rather than spitting them out the front. I can only think that it is to keep the job pulled against the cutting chain - the other way around (using the bottom of the bar) would tend to push the saw away from the job meaning you'd need to apply some down pressure to the rig.