Re: Cutting a beam

Jun 04, 2006 6 Replies

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chasgroh 20 years ago

>

>> 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.

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chasgroh 20 years ago

...hehehe, just read the thread back...yup, THIS is the way!

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Puckdropper 20 years ago

"Michael Latcha" wrote in news:qDigg.47047$ snipped-for-privacy@tornado.ohiordc.rr.com:

*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.)

Puckropper

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president 20 years ago

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

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Henry St.Pierre 20 years ago

" snipped-for-privacy@carbideprocessors.com" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@c74g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

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

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president 20 years ago

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

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RicodJour 20 years ago

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

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