# slicing with a chainsaw



## Karda (Nov 19, 2016)

Hi, I want to slice about an inch from this pice of ash bowl blank. The piece iis 3 to 4 " thick, how can I hold it so I can cut it with a chainsaw. I would also like to know this so I can slpit thick pieces ''


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

If you don't want to keep the 1" thick piece
I think it would be easier to manage the
cut by making several crosscuts 1" deep
with a circular saw and split of the waste
with a chisel.

A long controlled split can be executed with
a shingle froe.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

Probably too difficult/dangerous with a chain saw. If you have a bandsaw, cut it to length, ( same as width) and then stand it on end and cut the inch off using the bandsaw. If you are going to be turning on the lathe anyway, use a bowl gouge to turn it away before you hollow it.


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## johnstoneb (Jun 14, 2012)

Chainsaw and that piece of wood is an accident just waiting to happen.


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## Fresch (Feb 21, 2013)

Router time


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

Slice an inch from where? If the end (cross grain), that's easy. If lengthwise (with the grain), that will be a bit tricky but still doable.

Cheers,
Brad


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

Flat face down on top of a tree trunk or large slab - engage felling dogs and go to town.

Cheers,
Brad


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

If the face is reasonably flat you could clamp
it to a jig and saw into the ends with the
table saw. Then split it off with wedges
pounded into the kerf or finish it up using 
a reciprocating saw. The kerfs do a great
job of guiding the long saw blade.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Resawing-Without-a-Bandsaw/


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## Karda (Nov 19, 2016)

sorry, I forgot to tell you what I want to cut is the face. The dark streak in the middle is part of the pith and i can see a crack forming. I am hoping to find a way to hold the wood so I can chainsaw it never thought of my table saw. I could also kerf it with my table saw and split with my ax,. thanks for the suggestions. I know the ideal is a bandsaw but mine will only cut to 5 15/16ths


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

Set the piece flat face down and mark 1-1/2" from flat end up on all 4 sides. use a chalk line and snap a line from corner to corner. Use your chainsaw and cut series of kerf using the chalk lines as a guide. knock out the chunks with a chisel. You will have half inch to play with while you plane it.


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

If all you want to do is to get rid of the crack and keep the bark on the other side, lay it with the bark side down and barely touching the surface with your chainsaw blade, go from right to left to right until the crack is gone.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

> ... I know the ideal is a bandsaw but mine will only cut to 5 15/16ths
> 
> - Karda


Aren't you going to cross cut it to less than 5" length's anyway to mount on the lathe? Cross cut it to length first and then stand it on end to slice the inch off the face using your bandsaw.

And next time, when you initially cut the log, don't cut it exactly in half. Cut to one side of the pith and then the other "half" may be large enough to do that again for a second cut. A side benefit of that approach is you end up with a slice out of the middle that if you cut it in half (cut out the pith) you actually wind up with 2 quarter sawn rough boards that will be very stable that you can use for something else. If you plan to do this a lot you might want to make a cradle to help hold your logs while you mill them with your chainsaw.


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## JollyGreen67 (Nov 1, 2010)

Circular saw and a chainsaw is looking for a place to cause some real damage to your body !!!


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## yvrdennis (Jun 14, 2015)

If you're putting it on the lathe why bother? You can remove that material with a gouge faster than you could with jigs or circular saws or whatever.


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## tomsteve (Jan 23, 2015)

looks like a good job for a handheld planer


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

As you said the problem of cutting this piece with any saw is how to hold it firmly enough to be safe during the cutting process. I have made cuts similar to that with a chain saw but I had it well clamped to a bench and proceeded carefully. You might try clamping it between the top bar of two saw horses (if you have them) or something similar. I have one of those Black & Decker portable work benches with a the two halves that clamp together and I would use that.
When I split log sections like that I usually look for early stage cracks and try to follow them with the cut.

If you are just trying to stop or remove the crack that is developing try filling it with thick CA glue (at least the lower part) Then take it off when you turn the piece on the lathe. With the angle the crack is taking, even if you remove the current visible part, it may continue with further drying. I would start rough turning it soon so it can dry without the stress in the wood.

For safety purposes I like the hand plane idea the best to just remove the crack.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

Like Les said, the key is to holding it steady. For most of my stuff, an old tree trunk with a "V" cut in the top works well. You can build a cradle out of 4×4's and 2×4's that would do the same thing (google has lots of designs you can choose from). Between that and using the chainsaw dogs properly to prevent the wood from moving, it's pretty easy to slice just about any part of a blank. YMMV.

Cheers,
Brad


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## BobAnderton (Oct 5, 2010)

Clamp it upright in a vise and take a handsaw to it.


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## Karda (Nov 19, 2016)

Brad what would I search on google. I haven't a clue what to call it


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> Brad what would I search on google. I haven t a clue what to call it
> - Karda


Search for chainsaw cradle or sawbuck - lots of designs from super fancy to dirt simple.

Cheers,
Brad


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## Karda (Nov 19, 2016)

ok thanks


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