In article <[email protected]>, Jay
Kellaway <[email protected]> wrote:
> I have an 8" x 8" beam which needs to be shortened for a mantle. What is
> the best way to cut it and still end up with a reasonably square surface?
> It seems that it wouldn't be controlled well enough using a band saw, even
> with two people and a conveyor stand.
Japanese style hand saw after laying out the lines of the cut on three
sides. Take your time. Then, if required, a good low angle block plane.
[email protected] wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Jay Kellaway <[email protected]> wrote:
> >I have an 8" x 8" beam which needs to be shortened for a mantle. What is
> >the best way to cut it and still end up with a reasonably square surface?
> >It seems that it wouldn't be controlled well enough using a band saw, even
> >with two people and a conveyor stand.
> >
>
> I would mark out the cut line all around the beam, then clamp a
> straight edge to the beam so that the blade of my circular saw aligned
> with the cut line when held against the straight edge. Cut all around
> the beam, then saw out the remaining center section using a hand saw
> or sawzall. The surface could be cleaned up with a sander.
Though it can be done with a sander, a hand plane
(NOT a power planer) is the ideal tool for this. If you don't
have one, this is a good excuse to get one.
But be warned, if you use one you'll be hooked.
--
FF
Because I know from long experience that I can't count on my making a
perfect cut the first time. I just cut a 4" x 4" into three equal
section for posts using a 7 =BC" skill saw. I measured carefully
and marked all the way around,. I checked that the face plate on the
saw was square and true. When I was done I still didn't a have
perfect match on the cuts. However I could trim a bit with the 7
=BC' saw and sand the rest so it worked.
This web site has many people who are incredibly skilled and talented.
Then there are those of us who find it challenging to build a porch
railing but love working with wood.
My comment was mean to reassure the first poster that he could get
excellent results even if his first cut wasn't perfect. =20
tom
[email protected] wrote:
> Because I know from long experience that I can't count on my making a
> perfect cut the first time. I just cut a 4" x 4" into three equal
> section for posts using a 7 =BC" skill saw. I measured carefully
> and marked all the way around,. I checked that the face plate on the
> saw was square and true. When I was done I still didn't a have
> perfect match on the cuts.
It's those "simple" things that can be the most challenging. I had a
17 year old carpenter working for me about 20 years ago. Kid was
definitely a little "out there" but a hell of a carpenter. Seems his
dad had been a cabinet maker and he'd learned a lot. And beyond that,
the kid was a natural. He'd cut a 4x4 with his circular saw in a
couple of passes and the precision was awesome - you couldn't feel
where the different passes met up, no ridges at all.
R
"Michael Latcha" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> Reading the other posts, I had to chuckle...
>
> I'd scribe a line on all four sides of the beam, measure it again just
> to make sure, then take a handsaw to the four corners in turn,
> following the scribed line on two sides at once. When I make my final
> cut, the waste end would drop away, revealing a nice, flat surface
> that I'd clean up to perfection with a couple of swipes of a low-angle
> smoothing plane.
>
*snip*
I too am partial to the hand saw method. With somewhere between 14" and
26" of cutting ability, it's the right tool for the job. The trick is to
go slow, and I like to start hand saw cuts with a coping saw due to its
smaller size (less resistance) and sharper teeth (blades seem to break
before they go dull.)
>
> Michael Latcha - at home in Redford, MI
>
Puckropper
--
www.uncreativelabs.net
Old computers are getting to be a lost art. Here at Uncreative Labs, we
still enjoy using the old computers. Sometimes we want to see how far a
particular system can go, other times we use a stock system to remind
ourselves of what we once had.
To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm
In article <[email protected]>,
Jay Kellaway <[email protected]> wrote:
>I have an 8" x 8" beam which needs to be shortened for a mantle. What is
>the best way to cut it and still end up with a reasonably square surface?
>It seems that it wouldn't be controlled well enough using a band saw, even
>with two people and a conveyor stand.
>
I would mark out the cut line all around the beam, then clamp a
straight edge to the beam so that the blade of my circular saw aligned
with the cut line when held against the straight edge. Cut all around
the beam, then saw out the remaining center section using a hand saw
or sawzall. The surface could be cleaned up with a sander.
--
Larry Wasserman Baltimore, Maryland
[email protected]
On 3 Jun 2006 11:45:09 -0700, "Jay Pique" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>
>Michael Latcha wrote:
>> Reading the other posts, I had to chuckle...
>
>How about getting a nice 22" radial arm saw from the Original Saw
>Company? Try model #3559. That'll cut your 8x8 niiiice and square and
>would only take about 3 seconds.
>
>BTW, is money an object?
>
>JP
...hehehe, just read the thread back...yup, THIS is the way!
cg
On Sat, 03 Jun 2006 13:22:29 GMT, "Jay Kellaway"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>I have an 8" x 8" beam which needs to be shortened for a mantle.
Same advice as the others almost, but I live in the countryside, and
have a chainsaw or two. I did something similar with a walnut beam I
had given to me for another purpose, and cut close enough with the
chainsaw. I then made a box/guide from 3/4 MDF I could clamp to the
end, making sure it was the right depth etc, and used that as a guide
for a router to finish smooth and quickly.
"[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote
in news:[email protected]:
>
> I just did something similar. If you need it an exact length then cut
> it long and work back. I found it easier use a saw to even out an
> imperfect cut than it was to make a perfect cut the first time.
>
> tom
>
Mr. President,
Explain this one again. If I understand your post, you said something to
the effect that you would make an imperfect cut and then make a perfect
cut. Your logic escapes me. Why not make a 'perfect' cut the first time?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Hank
"Jay Kellaway" wrote in message
> I have an 8" x 8" beam which needs to be shortened for a mantle. What is
> the best way to cut it and still end up with a reasonably square surface?
> It seems that it wouldn't be controlled well enough using a band saw, even
> with two people and a conveyor stand.
What I've done in similar situations is, using a clamped on guide, make cuts
on all four sides with a circular saw set to full depth, then finish up the
cut the old fashioned way .... with a handsaw.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 5/6/06
Reading the other posts, I had to chuckle...
I'd scribe a line on all four sides of the beam, measure it again just to
make sure, then take a handsaw to the four corners in turn, following the
scribed line on two sides at once. When I make my final cut, the waste end
would drop away, revealing a nice, flat surface that I'd clean up to
perfection with a couple of swipes of a low-angle smoothing plane.
Would take all of about 6 minutes, including touching up the plane blade so
that it's scary sharp once again, ready for the next task.
And I wouldn't have to plug anything in... even into my ears.
Michael Latcha - at home in Redford, MI
"Jay Kellaway" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I have an 8" x 8" beam which needs to be shortened for a mantle. What is
>the best way to cut it and still end up with a reasonably square surface?
>It seems that it wouldn't be controlled well enough using a band saw, even
>with two people and a conveyor stand.
On Sat, 03 Jun 2006 19:54:26 -0600, Dave Balderstone
<dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_Sbalderstone.ca> wrote:
>In article <[email protected]>, Jay
>Kellaway <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I have an 8" x 8" beam which needs to be shortened for a mantle. What is
>> the best way to cut it and still end up with a reasonably square surface?
>> It seems that it wouldn't be controlled well enough using a band saw, even
>> with two people and a conveyor stand.
>
>Japanese style hand saw after laying out the lines of the cut on three
>sides. Take your time. Then, if required, a good low angle block plane.
...believe it or not, a chain saw will do the trick nicely, takes some
practice, though...but I'd probably just use a Skillsaw all the way
around and hand saw the remainder, belt sander to clean it
up...carefully.
cg