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#41
Posted to rec.woodworking
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How do I cut a 4x4 post?
Maybe a guillotine
with a 50 pound blade and a hundred foot drop. That would be awesome. Though it would probably shatter my post not cut it. Ok, don't want to knock anyone for any more suggestions, but I think I got enough to try we can let the thread die now |
#42
Posted to rec.woodworking
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How do I cut a 4x4 post?
"J. Clarke" wrote in message ... CW wrote: wrote in message oups.com... On Mar 16, 1:02 pm, wrote: Ok, I've tried cutting the end with a sawzall, the ends come out uneven. I tried with a circular, I can't ever seem to get the cuts to line up when I flip the wood to do the other side. And the miter saw I have just isn't big enough. I've resorted to having Home Depot cut them there, but they don't do precision cuts, and sometimes they are too busy and I don't want to wait. Add in the fact that sooner or later I'm going to have rough sawn 4x4 that I will have to cut myself regardless. Besides buying a really big miter/radial arm saw, any suggestions? Handsaw, chainsaw, or a Prazi-beam cutter attachment for a circular saw. Or you can use the method one of my neighbors uses--find a neighbor to do it for you. If you chose a handsaw try to find an antique Disston crosscut saw with maybe 8 points and sharpen it yourself. Joint it first and set it after if it needs it, often they do not. Most off-the shelf handsaws are not really sharp, set too coarse, and with teeth that are two fine. A 4 point ripsaw will crosscut quickly too, but leave a rougher kerf. You could also design and build a 16" radial arm saw. Maybe a guillotine with a 50 pound blade and a hundred foot drop. How about a large lathe, steady rest and a part off tool? There is all kinds of ways to overcomplicate this if you think about it long enough. Using a sharp handsaw isn't "overcomplicating"--it used to be that sharpening one's saw was just part of daily life--my father sharpened his saws regularly and he wasn't even a carpenter by trade, he was a sailor. The trouble is that modern Western-pattern saws are either very expensive or not very good and finding an old Disston in decent shape may be difficult. A 40 buck ryoba with a throw-away blade works remarkably well and is readily accessible. Odd, J Clark actually catching the point. Got to say though, I have a modern Stanley handsaw and can do pretty good work with it. For cutting the 4x4 though, it wouldn't be my first choice. Circular saw and speed square would be it. |
#43
Posted to rec.woodworking
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How do I cut a 4x4 post?
CW wrote:
snip Odd, J Clark actually catching the point. Screw you very much. plonk -- -- --John to email, dial "usenet" and validate (was jclarke at eye bee em dot net) |
#44
Posted to rec.woodworking
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How do I cut a 4x4 post?
wrote in message Hmm, moving it out away from the fence is a thought. I'll give that option a try as well. Just to reiterate because of a safety issue ... be sure to use, as John suggested, an auxiliary fence if you do. The piece being cut needs to be against a "fence" during the cut, even it is just a board between the saw fence and the workpiece. -- www.e-woodshop.net Last update: 2/20/07 |
#45
Posted to rec.woodworking
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How do I cut a 4x4 post?
CW wrote:
"J. Clarke" wrote in message ... CW wrote: wrote in message oups.com... On Mar 16, 1:02 pm, wrote: Ok, I've tried cutting the end with a sawzall, the ends come out uneven. I tried with a circular, I can't ever seem to get the cuts to line up when I flip the wood to do the other side. And the miter saw I have just isn't big enough. I've resorted to having Home Depot cut them there, but they don't do precision cuts, and sometimes they are too busy and I don't want to wait. Add in the fact that sooner or later I'm going to have rough sawn 4x4 that I will have to cut myself regardless. Besides buying a really big miter/radial arm saw, any suggestions? Handsaw, chainsaw, or a Prazi-beam cutter attachment for a circular saw. Or you can use the method one of my neighbors uses--find a neighbor to do it for you. If you chose a handsaw try to find an antique Disston crosscut saw with maybe 8 points and sharpen it yourself. Joint it first and set it after if it needs it, often they do not. Most off-the shelf handsaws are not really sharp, set too coarse, and with teeth that are two fine. A 4 point ripsaw will crosscut quickly too, but leave a rougher kerf. You could also design and build a 16" radial arm saw. Maybe a guillotine with a 50 pound blade and a hundred foot drop. How about a large lathe, steady rest and a part off tool? There is all kinds of ways to overcomplicate this if you think about it long enough. Using a sharp handsaw isn't "overcomplicating"--it used to be that sharpening one's saw was just part of daily life--my father sharpened his saws regularly and he wasn't even a carpenter by trade, he was a sailor. The trouble is that modern Western-pattern saws are either very expensive or not very good and finding an old Disston in decent shape may be difficult. A 40 buck ryoba with a throw-away blade works remarkably well and is readily accessible. Odd, J Clark actually catching the point. Got to say though, I have a modern Stanley handsaw and can do pretty good work with it. For cutting the 4x4 though, it wouldn't be my first choice. Circular saw and speed square would be it. I'd use a 'camp' saw (small bow saw). Th blade is long enough (and straight) to get a good line up on the cutting line. The OP could take some off each end and use the best end up. Bill (who has other ways to cut a 4by that apparently the OP does not.) -- I am disillusioned enough to know that no man's opinion on any subject is worth (much) unless backed up with enough genuine information to make him really know what he's talking about. H. P. Lovecraft http://nmwoodworks.com --- avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 000724-1, 03/16/2007 Tested on: 3/18/2007 10:04:20 PM avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2007 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com |
#46
Posted to rec.woodworking
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How do I cut a 4x4 post?
On Mar 17, 10:13�am, wrote:
On Fri, 16 Mar 2007 16:25:19 -0400, "Locutus" wrote: "Father Haskell" wrote in message roups.com... On Mar 16, 3:15 pm, "Locutus" wrote: "Father Haskell" wrote in message groups.com... On Mar 16, 12:52 pm, "Pop`" wrote: wrote: Ok, I've tried cutting the end with a sawzall, the ends come out uneven. I tried with a circular, I can't ever seem to get the cuts to line up when I flip the wood to do the other side. And the miter saw I have just isn't big enough. I've resorted to having Home Depot cut them there, but they don't do precision cuts, and sometimes they are too busy and I don't want to wait. Add in the fact that sooner or later I'm going to have rough sawn 4x4 that I will have to cut myself regardless. Besides buying a really big miter/radial arm saw, any suggestions? Either get more accurate with your skilsaw or use a power sander on the cuts. *This is sort of silly. Especially since dead square post tops are undesirable. *Chamfered or sloped tops don't hold rainwater, and will last longer. The OP never said anything about post tops... Why would anyone want to cut the part that sits buried under 3 feet of concrete square? LOL, the OP just stated he wanted to know how to cut a 4x4 post!!! Unless I missed a post somewhere, he didn't specify if it were in the ground. Considering he said he has Home Depot cut them for him, I don't imagine they are. It's for a bed post, sorry if I led anyone astray. Although I'm learning a lot about other techniques even if not for my application.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - And this is why Stanley, and others, used to make hand saw miter boxes with backsaws that had blades 30" long x 6" deep. Not many still around, and a decade or so ago when they could still be found, they were commanding very high prices...I seem to recall seeing one at around $350. To get the same capacity, you need to go to a sliding compound miter saw with a 12" blade, if you insist on power. If you're used to using a handsaw, it's fairly easy to do freehand if you mark carefully and follow the marks. With the big Stanley, it's as easy as it gets. With an SCMS it is even easier, but you're looking at about $600 for the saw, and the blade that comes with it has a 50-50 chance of being aimed at the construction market, so you can earmark anywhere from $90 to $150 for a new blade. In truth, I think I'd pop for a decent handsaw at maybe $45. |
#47
Posted to rec.woodworking
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How do I cut a 4x4 post?
"Charlie Self" wrote in message ups.com... And this is why Stanley, and others, used to make hand saw miter boxes with backsaws that had blades 30" long x 6" deep. Not many still around, and a decade or so ago when they could still be found, they were commanding very high prices...I seem to recall seeing one at around $350. To get the same capacity, you need to go to a sliding compound miter saw with a 12" blade, if you insist on power. If you're used to using a handsaw, it's fairly easy to do freehand if you mark carefully and follow the marks. With the big Stanley, it's as easy as it gets. No operation with a hand saw is easy on pressure-treated lumber. |
#48
Posted to rec.woodworking
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How do I cut a 4x4 post?
"Charlie Self" wrote in message ups.com... On Mar 17, 10:13?am, wrote: On Fri, 16 Mar 2007 16:25:19 -0400, "Locutus" wrote: snip follow the marks. With the big Stanley, it's as easy as it gets. With an SCMS it is even easier, but you're looking at about $600 for the saw, and the blade that comes with it has a 50-50 chance of being aimed at the construction market, so you can earmark anywhere from $90 to $150 for a new blade. In truth, I think I'd pop for a decent handsaw at maybe $45. Or a $14 Disston handsaw from Ebay, sharpened by Circle Saw (less than $10, I think $4), and then stone the side of the teeth to even the set, and you'll have a saw that is sharp and will stay in it's kerf. Sometimes a commercial sharpening will leave filings on the edges that need to be stoned off. It takes 2 or 3 minutes to do that. I have a 1950's Craftsman saw, 10 tpi, that is sharpened as a rip saw, that cuts cross cut or rip, just like Tage Frid said to do. It's the saw I pick up more than others. |
#49
Posted to rec.woodworking
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How do I cut a 4x4 post?
"Charlie Self" wrote in message ups.com... On Mar 17, 10:13?am, wrote: On Fri, 16 Mar 2007 16:25:19 -0400, "Locutus" wrote: "Father Haskell" wrote in message roups.com... On Mar 16, 3:15 pm, "Locutus" wrote: "Father Haskell" wrote in message groups.com... On Mar 16, 12:52 pm, "Pop`" wrote: wrote: Ok, I've tried cutting the end with a sawzall, the ends come out uneven. I tried with a circular, I can't ever seem to get the cuts to line up when I flip the wood to do the other side. And the miter saw I have just isn't big enough. I've resorted to having Home Depot cut them there, but they don't do precision cuts, and sometimes they are too busy and I don't want to wait. Add in the fact that sooner or later I'm going to have rough sawn 4x4 that I will have to cut myself regardless. Besides buying a really big miter/radial arm saw, any suggestions? Either get more accurate with your skilsaw or use a power sander on the cuts. This is sort of silly. Especially since dead square post tops are undesirable. Chamfered or sloped tops don't hold rainwater, and will last longer. The OP never said anything about post tops... Why would anyone want to cut the part that sits buried under 3 feet of concrete square? LOL, the OP just stated he wanted to know how to cut a 4x4 post!!! Unless I missed a post somewhere, he didn't specify if it were in the ground. Considering he said he has Home Depot cut them for him, I don't imagine they are. It's for a bed post, sorry if I led anyone astray. Although I'm learning a lot about other techniques even if not for my application.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Or buy a Festool Jig Saw. Great capacity and a very square cut. |
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