How to cut old barn beam

[BSevier]

I am looking for some ideas on how to cut an old barn beam. It is about 12" square, 7' long. I need to cut it length wise to make a couple benches out of it. The thing is real heavy and too big to cut on my band saw. I cannot see where a chain saw would be a clean enough cut, but at this point, its the only idea I have.

Thanks,

Bryan

 

[Mike Davis]

See if one of the sawyers will resaw it for you. Be prepared to buy a new blade(s) if there are any nails or other metal in the wood.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/content.php?r=81-Sawyers

 

[Graywolf]

+1 on the find a sawyer and see if they can help

 

[Henry W]

... about 12" square, 7' long. I need to cut it length wise to make a couple benches out of it. The thing is real heavy and too big to cut on my band saw. ...

Too big for stationary tools? Ideas?

1. Rig up large in-feed and out-feed tables or stabilizers.
Here is a link to an old thread that describes a bit of using a bandsaw to cut a tenon on the end of a larger (moderate compared to your) beam. Look in th e"floor stretch section"
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=37064&highlight=heartwood
See this picture also, from that thread (if it works)

for what I did using a 14" bandsaw and pieces NOT as large as what you are using. The principle holds though.

2. Figure out a way to cut down to size using multiple cuts using portable tools
a. circular saw cut from each side, as deep as you can (or use a long router bit and straight edge (more waste that way)
b jig saw or sawsall with long blade to cut the remaining portion (3" thick?); these will likely follow the path of least resistance in the kerf of those circ saw cuts

3. Find someone (here?) who will cut it for you (as Mike suggests). Some folks have BIG equipment on the scale we are unaccustomed too for home shops. This can be a
- chainsaw mill, or
- anyone who can process logs can do what you need

4. I am not a hand tool guy, but a large frame saw with a rip blade might do this cut (with some calories expended).

Hope that helps

Henry W

 

[Gofor]

If you can find someone with an Alaskan Chainsaw Mill attachment, you can get a fairly straight cut. Screw a 2 x 8 to the top to give you a straight reference surface for the mill attachment to ride on. (may have to shim it to get it flat.)

As with the sawyer, you need to be prepared to pay for chains if there is any metal in it.

Go

 

[mkepke]

Not sure what kind of bandsaw you have, but if it has enough resaw height, you might think about keeping the beam stationary and moving the bandsaw.

Another alternative would be to use a circular saw to make a full depth rip on opposite faces, then use a rip saw to handsaw through the remaining wood. A Sawzall might work too - with a proper blade.

-Mark

 

[BSevier]

Yeah - currently, my bandsaw only has the typical 6" resaw capacity. I dont really have many cases where i need more than that, so I dont want to buy an upgrade just for this. Plus the beam is a beast to move. I have been contemplating the idea of using the circular saw first then follow the kerf with a handsaw. I just dont want to get part way through and wish i hadnt gone down that path.

I am leaning toward using a sawyer. Their equipment is much more suited for this.

Thanks for the ideas.

 

[DIYGUY]

Don't know what saws you have in your kit, have you considered using a table saw? If you have one, you could cut several passes, increasing the depth with each one until the max is reached. Then flip it over and repeat. If your TS is a 10" blade, you should be left with a narrow residual that any sharp rip handsaw would take out very readily. When you have completed this cut your remaining stock will now fit within the depth limitations of your BS. If you take this path, be sure to consider which faces you want exposed. Good luck, and please share pics of your results!

 

[TENdriver]

Bryan, I've seen some ads by guys that specialize in harvesting and selling old "reclaimed" barn beams. You most likely won't want to drag it up here but if you do a search on that type of business you may get lucky.

They'll be quite familiar with any hazards to their blades since it's what they do.

I think there is a guy up here under Old Growth New Life that does reclaimed wood and he may have some ideas.

 

[Fishbucket]

Have you looked into renting a beam circular saw?

 

[Cbozz]

A client of mine had to do this recently, and we wanted to put them in a kiln as well to kill any bugs.

On a trailer to Scott Smith's place they went.

 

[zapdafish]

+1 on Contacting Scott Smith. And afterwards can get them surfaced and sanded