Thanks all for your help.

I'm tending to agree with Don about the suitability - tried cutting a few
smallish logs with a 10" mitre saw and it wasn't easy going. If chop saws
are geared *up* (mine has gears alright and the motor label says 3750 RPM -
not sure what the blade RPM is though), it's not going to work, especially
since the logs tend to wiggle around, not having a uniform surface, and bind
on the blade.

Now, I wonder if building a chop saw with a 14 or 16" blade running in
pillowblocks or equivalent on the end of a pivot arm, belt driven by a motor
of suitable size on the other end would work? I would guess a 2 or 3HP 3600
RPM induction motor might be big (and durable) enough (?).

Laurie Forbes

"Don Foreman" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 08 Oct 2005 04:17:06 GMT, "Laurie Forbes"
wrote:

This may not be a great idea but it has occurred to me that my 14" metal
chop saw, with a 14" *wood* blade, might be useful for cutting up small
logs
(4" to 6" or so) into firewood lengths. Anyone ever try something like
that
or have any comments??

Laurie Forbes

I think it would lug down and overheat in short order. Even a 10"
1-HP tablesaw (3450 RPM) will grunt a little cutting thick oak. The
chopsaw has about twice the speed so about half the torque -- and a
14" sawblade will need considerably more torque than a 10" blade does
-- and you're talking thicker wood than can be cut with a 10" saw.

Heavy duty hand-held circular saws have worm drives which reduce speed
and increase torque.

Saw blades need some torque, abrasive wheels need speed. A
chopsaw motor is not well-suited for running a large woodcutting blade
in thick wood.