The saw does a good job when rough cutting plywood and chopping 2×4’s. But any time I try to make a straight cut in something thick, like Maple, I’m not happy with the result. If you glued up a slab a foot or so longer than necessary, you will have some extra material to *try* using a portable circular saw to see if you can get a straight, smooth cut. Whether this is a test cut or the final cut, first position the slab so the good surface of the slab faces down.
If you are using this slab for just 1 live edge and the other 3 are straight cuts, congratulations, you just made your life a lot easier. There’s something magical and organic about a live edge slab. It’s fun to have a coffee table, dining table, desk, mantle, shelves, or loads of other live edge slab projects and know that YOU MADE IT! Go out there and hunt for a good slab, but do so knowing the kind of stuff you want to avoid beforehand so you don’t end up with a giant, wet, piece of wood that goes wonky on you and doesn’t end up becoming the piece you wanted to display.
09-13-2015, 10:01 AM. Cut as deep as possible with the circular saw, finish the cut with a handsaw, use a flush cut bit with the router to clean it up. Every time I’ve tried to cut slabs with a jig saw, it’s resulted in a tilted cut. 09-14-2015, 2:51 PM.Sounds like you have hand planes… so I’ll cast a vote for cutting as deep as possible with your circular saw, finishing the cut with a hand saw, and then trueing it up with a hand plane.
We had a radial arm saw at a shop I worked that would crosscut 24 inches another thought is a top saw that’s used to cut prefab countertops. Although the saw may be a bit heavy, if the wood is properly supported, the saw rests on the wood for most of the cut and the operator only steers and pushes the saw forward to do the cutting. I am looking hard at the track saws, I have one customer who has a business, buys slabs from us and processes them himself and says the track saw is the best things he has used.
circular saw for cutting wood slabs Related Question:
How thick of wood can a circular saw cut?
Generally, the blade of a circular saw can cut wood of thickness up to 2.5 inches. Depending on the thickness of the wood being cut, you need to change your blade’s depth. Since your wood is thick, ensure you are using Carbon-tipped blades. Use a crosscut blade for smoother cuts and rip blades for grain cuts.
What do you use to cut slabs?
Use a Chisel and Hammer to cut Paving Slabs: Using a chisel and hammer to cut your paving slabs is the easiest and simplest method. While it may be more time consuming than using electrical tools such as a hand-held saw, this method requires the least tools. Materials you’ll need: Chisel (pitching or bolster)
How thick of wood can a 10 table saw cut?
With a 10-inch table saw, users can often make a maximum cut up to 3½ inches deep (that enables the user to rip a 4×4 in half).
What is a ripping saw blade?
The best saw blade for ripping hardwood is a rip blade. This blade is specially made for cutting through wood fibers, so it will cut through hardwood easily and leave a clean edge. Rip blades usually have 10 to 40 flat-topped (FT) teeth, which is a comparatively small number, but it will move through the grain quickly.
How do you rip a 4X4 with a circular saw?
One creative way to rip a 4X4 with a circular saw is to run a pass with your saw down your line on the top side of the 4X4. Then flip it over and run another pass with your saw. Depending on the size of your saw you may need to finish splitting the 4X4 with using a hand saw to cut through the remaining material.
How shallow can a circular saw cut?
Circular saws turn corners about as well as a freight train, and standard models will cut only about 2 1/2 inches deep. There are ways around the shallow cut—for example, you can flip over a 4×4 and cut from two sides—but the curve limitation has no work-arounds.
How do I know what size circular saw to get?
Circular Saw Features Blade capacity determines the maximum depth of cut a saw can achieve. The larger the blade, the deeper the cut. The most common blade diameter is 7-1/4 inches. Most saws with blade capacities of 6 inches or more can cut through 2-inch dimensional lumber at a 45-degree angle in a single pass.
What size circular saw Do I need to cut 2X4?
You need a minimum 5-3/8 inch size circular saw blade to cut a 2X4 at a 90 degree angle in one cut which is a crosscut. If you want to cut a 45 degree bevel with this size circular saw it will take 2 cuts. You could go with a 7-1/4inch or 10 inch blade to avoid making multiple cuts with the 45 degree bevel angle.
Can you cut patio stones with a circular saw?
Paver stones are often cut with large concrete saws or miter saws, but they can be cut successfully with a simple circular saw. Rather than the circular saw standard blade used for cutting lumber, however, the circular saw needs to have a diamond masonry blade to cut through paver stones.
How do I cut patio slabs?
Measure the space that needs to be filled with the paving slab and mark the required cut on the paver with chalk. Lift the handle of the splitter and place the slab into it with the chalk line at the point which will be cut. Lower the handle and apply the appropriate force to split the slab.
Can you use a chainsaw to cut lumber?
If your chainsaw bar can reach across the log, then you should be able to cut it into lumber. Your chainsaw is also great for cutting wide slabs from large trees.
How thick should I cut live edge slabs?
*Cut slabs a minimum of 2″ thick to minimize warping. Saw thicker slabs for specific purposes or projects. If you want to use the warp-prone pith (the log’s center), cut it as a 4–5″-thick slab, as shown at right.
Can I rip a 4X4 on a table saw?
Yes, a 10-inch table saw can cut a 4X4. However, it can not cut it all in one go. It can only cut material that is 3.5 inches thick, so you will have to do it twice. A 12-inch table saw will be able to cut a 4X4 in one go.
Can you put a 12 blade on a 10 table saw?
The arbor is usually smaller on a 12-inch saw than on a 10-inch blade. The arbor on a 10-inch blade is usually 5/8-inch, while a 12-inch blade uses a 1-inch hole or arbor.
What is a good RPM for a table saw?
Table saws typically run at 3,000 to 4,000 RPM, which stands for revolutions per minute. A table saw in good condition runs at 3,450 RPM. You can alter the table saw blade RPM by increasing or decreasing the arbor pulley’s size.
