Stupid question re sawing timber

loz

Hi All,

I have no powertools for cutting up timber ( tablesaw/bandsaw ) , use mainly a handsaw.

This is very difficult for some reason to rip planks down the centre ( with the grain ), i assume due to grain orientation etc.

Is there a blade/saw tooth pattern i can get for a handsaw that will help ?

I have several oak and mahog planks ( 3 inch x 6 inch ) that i want 3 x 3 for turning.

Thansk

Laurence

Fingalian

You need a rip saw but it is hard to get decent one these days. The tooth shape is different to that of a crosscut saw. You might pick one up on Ebay or one of the 'galoot' sites. Or you could pick up a new Japanese rip saw that cuts on the pull.
http://www.axminster.co.uk/user_search//sfile/1/jump/0/product-Z-Saw-Japanese-Hassunme-Rip-Saw-19703.htm

I got a nice double bladed one in Richard Goughs a couple of years ago , crosscut on one side , rip on the other. Cost about 20 euro.Handy toolbox saw too.

jack of all

As Fingalian rightly says you need a rip cut saw, unfortunately most of the hardpoint (throwaway) saws have a cross cut tooth profile. Even with the right hand saw it will be hard enough work to rip down those hardwoods by hand! I'm sure a local joinery would rip down a few planks for very little money....

loz

Thanks giys,

Wonder if mcquillans would have a rip saw ??

Wishbone Ash

loz wrote: »

I have no powertools for cutting up timber

Is that a point of principle?

(The reason I ask is that DIY circular saws can be had for very little money nowadays).

JoeB-

Yes, it'll be tricky to cut such large timbers... I would use a machine and have little experience using a hand held rip saw.

I would have thought that you'd want a long bladed saw, i.e 600mm or more and quite stiff... start the cut at a low angle, increase to a high angle of about 60 to 70 degrees quite quickly as the cut progresses... keep an eye on your line, if you are cutting off the line then reduce the angle of cut again to about 20 degrees and gradually increase the angle again as you re-find the cut line. Minimum pressure on the back stroke, full power in a straight line on the downstroke, the longer the saw blade the easier this would be.

I imagine you'd want a push cut saw (i.e cuts on the push stroke, like most saws), it should be easier to keep the line if you are pushing downwards with a long bladed saw at a high-ish angle, you may be able to take off as much as 3mm to 5mm with each saw stroke.

It would be a difficult thing to do, a little bit of experience should help a lot... I would have thought any general purpose, sharp, long bladed saw would help... the length of the blade is most important in my opinion as it allows you to make long, strong cuts which should help in keeping the line.

Cheers
Joe

CJhaughey

Hard to rip 6" Mahogony even with a circular saw, it would need to be some saw!
Ripping is very hard work for any kind of saw, I use a chainsaw to slab large pieces of tree trunk and a minimum size is 60cc preferably bigger.
Take the pieces to someone with a bandsaw and they will probably be able to do a reasonable job.
If you are turning them it doesn't really matter what kind of finish is left.

Alun

I agree, a bandsaw is your only man in a situation like this. Do you know anyone near you with a bandsaw who could help out, maybe a fellow turner or a woodworking shop of some sort? Otherwise, I have one and would be glad to help out, but I'm in Bray and possibly a bit out of your way. PM me if you're interested (may involve donating me a bit of free wood though ).

Carlow52

OP: how big are the planks, width, length?
Are they new or second hand timber?

I am in North Co Dublin and if you are stuck pm me

ennisa

CjHaughey is correct 3" thick oak or mahogany is going to need a monster circular saw and more than likely if the planks are in any way long, over 3 or 4 feet then you will more than likely burn it out. Maquillans in blanchardstown sell a spear and jackson japanese pull saw that is filed for rip cuts on one side and cross cuts on the other, i bought it the other day for about 29 euro. That is the only saw that I could see in the shop that was filed for rip cuts.
Even a big beefy table say will have problems cutting that and most would have 10 inch blades that can usually only cut to about 2 1/2 inches a their maximum height and you would still have to do several progressive cuts to get to the depth to make sure that you don't burn out the motor or overheat and warp the blade.
A band saw would be your best option, which I don't have one off. Alot of your local kitchen cabinet makers would not even have a band saw as they mostly work in sheet goods these days.
You'll have some biceps after finishing those. Christopher Schwarz ( http://blog.woodworking-magazine.com/blog/ )is one of the guys online that I look at for hand tool information and for all his love of saws he will still rip on the table saw.

Sorry for not being any more help.

Alan
Ireland/Dublin

jgoodman05

Hey Loz,

I did a similar job (3 inch sapele) with a hardpoint ripsaw I got in Mcquillans, had to ask a few guys before I got one, it was seriously hard work , and you'd need to factor in losing about 5mm either side of cut as its really difficult not to deviate. Rub a candle on the side of the saw as you go , I also found wedging a piece of wood in to keep he cut open as I went helped. But if I had access to a bandsaw I would have used one, that said if you want to lose a few pounds in sweat, ripping hardwood is your only man. If there for blanks , maybe you could rent a circular saw and go in halfway from both sides.

Good luck anyway