I need about 150 6-foot cedar battens, and it turns out the least expensive source would be to buy 50 cedar fence pickets and cut them into thirds.
The pickets are 5/8" thick by 3.5" wide, 6-feet long, and cost about $1 each. So with two cuts, each picket would yield three batts around 1" wide, at a cost of about 33 cents each.
I don't have any equipment to speak of, but do have a B&D model
7308 circular saw which takes a 7.25" blade. It's 5300 rpm, 9 amps, if that matters. The blade on it now is 24-tooth, "combination industrial carbide." The actual cutting tips appear to be about 2.5mm wide.So I would need to make 100 cuts altogether to get my 150 bats. My only experience with this saw is cutting an occasional 2x4, and I know this picket ripping operation is more properly done on a table saw. But, you know, I don't have a table saw. And none of my neighbors have one. And I don't have a pickup. And I just told you everything I know about wood working. So....
Does anyone here have experience trying to do this kind of long cut with a hand-held circular saw? I know I would need to make up a jig of some kind so the saw would slide along against a stop and automatically make the right cut. But otherwise, is this something I can do with this saw, or are there reasons why it wouldn't work? Well I mean, is the blade going to get hot and warp before one cut is done? Something like that? Is there a better blade I should use for cutting this thin stuff?
Well, I'd appreciate any advice or suggestions.
And for those who'll need to know, these bats will cover the gaps between the pickets of existing "privacy" fences on two sides of my back yard. I have a pool there, and I want it to be private so as not to offend the neighbors.