Cutting 6 X 6 beams ?? What Saw ??

[James Nipper]

I am building outside steps (large quantities) , using pressure treated 6 X 6 beams.

Chainsaw cutting leaves ragged edges, and I want to find a saw that can do the job precisely. I stongly prefer some type of miter saw.

I was told that it would take a 16 inch saw to cut these beams, given the size of the blade, and of course the mechanics of the saw itself.

I am told that they make a 16 inch miter saw, and I would need one that size to make a full , one-time cut of a 6 X 6 beam.

I have researched on the net, but cannot find one that size. The largest that I have seen is a 15 inch, but I don't think that it would be quite big enough .

Any ideas please ??

--James--

[Bradford Drummond]

Did you find a solution? We are in a similar situation and need to cut 6x6x8" long. A couple hundred at a time.

[Jim Joyce]

I'm thinking a beam saw might be a good choice, possibly more appropriate than a 16" miter saw. Here's an (expensive) example to illustrate the concept:

Looks and works a lot like a standard circular saw, but comes with a 16" blade.

[micky]

It's not DIY but I would still call sawmills in your area and see what they want to do this. They already have big equipment and they are set up, so what you "waste" in paying someone else might be more than made up by how much less time it takes and not having to buy tools.

I wanted semi-round fence rails like my fence is made with. They used to sell them even at HDepot, but I coudln't find them anywhere. I bought 8' 4" posts at one farm store and took them to a sawmill where he quickly split them down the middle. I could not have done such a good job and he wasn't very expensive.

(I was able to put about 7 posts in the back seat of my car, and they cut them into 14 pieces in about a half hours.)