Sticky wood

Apr 09, 2026 Last reply: 3 months ago 11 Replies
B

Not the correct term I imagine, but perhaps it will serve.



I was hand-cutting some newly-bought 22x38mm treated battens today and was surprised to discover that in almost every cut the saw got about halfway through and then seized up solid, as if stuck fast. Even removing the saw from the cut needed considerable force.



I had to rotate the battens and start again from the other side, as it were.



I was using a fine-toothed saw and I'm prepared to believe that it could be sharper, but it certainly isn't blunt. And it has no broken or bent teeth. So what could have caused this curious effect?



Thanks.


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A

My limited experience with roof battens is that the tanalising (it might not be spelt like that) leaves a bit of a residue which seems to clog the teeth on a normal tenon saw - I got on lot easier with one of those bow saw / pruning saw things

A lot of the trimming is done in situ, so you cant really drag a mitre saw up there

(its not exactly joinery - is it)

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B

Clamped into a metal mitre block, itself clamped onto a workbench.

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B

These were not roofing battens (sorry about the lazy use of the wrong term) but ordinary sawn timber in 2400m lengths.

I did wonder if it might have been the treatment that was causing the effect.

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A

A sort of green tinge running through the grain ?

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G

So no chance the way it was mounted was closing the saw cut?

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J

Tanalised timber is quite often fairly wet, and that makes awing more difficult. I take it you were cross cutting and not rip cutting? (Rip cutting can also release stresses in the timber that will in some cases cause the cut kerf try to close up, and that can trap a blade)

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B

To check this I tried a cut with the wood unclamped, simply held on my bench. The effect was the same.

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B

I think that must have been it. When I've a moment I'll try sawing an offcut that's been inside the house for several days. I was rip cutting, yes.

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B

Sorry: I was CROSS cutting. And I was cross - or at least annoyed - cutting.

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