Thread: Can A Chain Saw Be Used Editing Trimming Thick Dry Hardwood Boards

I use a battery saw for small stuff like that.

Originally Posted by thumbsucker

I have about 4 cubes of English Oak and Ash that was milled and dried over 5 years ago now.


Many of these boards are 100 mmm x 300 mm x 4 meter monsters and I was hoping to edit out the knots, defects, end checks etc to make them more manageable.

... I was wondering could I use a chainsaw to cross cut these larger pieces down so they are more workable lengths?

Have to ask ...

Why are you attempting to treat all 4 cu.m of your wood at once?

Would it not be better to only cut the defects out of the lengths you are planning to use for the next project?

it is a pain to move such large boards and slabs - my hope is to break it up so that it is easier to move and with the instability of my life that is important. Better to move 1 perfect cube then 2.5 cubes of so so.

Originally Posted by thumbsucker

it is a pain to move such large boards and slabs - my hope is to break it up so that it is easier to move and with the instability of my life that is important. Better to move 1 perfect cube then 2.5 cubes of so so.

I'm thinking that if you do as you propose -- cut the defects out of the wood you have -- it's unlikely that you will end up with 1 perfect cube. It's more likely that your 1 perfect cube will split and check and end up being about 0.8 of a cube.

Perhaps it would be preferable to break the bigger (300 x 100) stuff down into thinner strips, rather than attempt to cut the knots and checks out of the 300 x 100 stuff.

Originally Posted by thumbsucker

it is a pain to move such large boards and slabs - my hope is to break it up so that it is easier to move and with the instability of my life that is important. Better to move 1 perfect cube then 2.5 cubes of so so.

my other thought is a couple (or more) furniture moving dollies -- put the boards on these to move them around