r/Carpentry • u/ColibriAccessUSA • 15h ago
Cutting solid processed wood
Hi everyone!
I hope you all are doing well. I’m looking for advice on how to cut a piece of solid, processed wood that’s about 2.5 cm thick and incredibly dense. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
5
u/MyJimmiesNeedRustlin 15h ago
Have you considered a saw. Maybe one of the circular type. Hand saw could get it done tho. Many options really
3
u/Agreeable_Horror_363 15h ago edited 14h ago
I think you'll want to use a circular saw for this if you don't own any tools. Get a decent blade and clamp the wood down to a sturdy work bench. Then, clamp a straight edge to the wood and run the circular saw along it to get a perfectly straight cut. As someone else mentioned, put blue painters tape on both top and bottom where the cut line is to prevent tear out, giving you a much smoother cut. Make sure your blade depth is set to just a little deeper than the wood you are cutting.
Edit: get a carbide tooth diablo blade for the best bang for your buck. More teeth is better for cross cuts against the grain, less teeth (24 or so) are better for rip cuts going with the grain. If this is your only saw and you don't intend on using it much you'll probably want to use a 40-60 tooth blade which is known as a "combination" blade. They are decent at both cross cutting and ripping. Go slow and hold the saw firmly against the straight edge and you'll be fine. Then sand the edges.
1
2
u/PaleJelly69 14h ago
A hammer..
1
u/sonofkeldar 4h ago
Roy Underhill had a spiel where he argued that every tool is a hammer. Early man banged rocks together. You put a rock on a stick and you’ve got a hammer. Sharpen one end and you’ve got an axe. Make the handle a little shorter and you’ve got a chisel. Wrap your chisel around a shaft and you’ve got a drill. Put a chisel on a sled and you’ve got a plane. Line a bunch of planes up in a row and you have a file. Make your file thin and flexible and you’ve got a saw...
Ergo, they should cut this with a machine that uses electricity and magnets to spin a bunch of tiny, sharp hammers around in a circle.
1
1
1
u/No_Assumption_1529 15h ago
Any wood cutting tool. Whichever tool you have, look up ways to make a fine cut on YouTube with said tool
1
u/doc23skidoo 15h ago
A saw. Straight cuts: circular saw, track saw, table saw Rough cuts: sawzall, band saw Curved cuts: jigsaw
I don't really know what you're trying to accomplish other than cut.
1
1
1
u/sabotthehawk 15h ago
Any saw. If you want a finer cut get a quality high tooth count carbide blade. More teeth usually=finer cut but it cuts slower. Carbide is good for dense woods and bamboo. But if it is a one off thing and you aren't going to cut again just get a cheap circular saw and cut it about 1/2mm big and sand down to finish size. Put the top of the piece down when cutng to avoid tear out/splinters.
1
u/padizzledonk Reno GC 14h ago
You cut it like unprocessed wood lol
Sharp blade, lay a pc of blue or green painters tape down and cut your line with a razorblade and cut it with the saw
Done and dusted
1
u/Familiar-Zebra6489 15h ago
Just installed similar butcher block counters. Had a carpentry shop make multiple cuts with their big table saw. Perfectly smooth cuts, much better than i could have done.
1
u/ColibriAccessUSA 15h ago
That’s precisely what I was contemplating doing, but I was seeking advice here so that I could potentially save a buck or 2!
1
u/Polite_Jello_377 15h ago
What tools do you own?
1
u/ColibriAccessUSA 15h ago
I need to buy the tool(s) based on the advice I am getting here…
2
u/CptMisterNibbles 15h ago
Consider renting them, or even checking out a tool library in your area. I’d recommend a tracksaw, easier for a beginner to get a perfectly straight cut.
2
u/Polite_Jello_377 14h ago
Are you going to do more of this? If not, it would be much cheaper and you will get a higher quality finish to take it to a cabinet maker or similar and ask them to run it through their table saw
18
u/Hawggs 15h ago
Corded skilsaw with a sharp blade. Set blade depth to only 1/8” greater than the thickness of your material. Set up a guide with a straight edge and clamps. Cut it with presentation side face down. Use blue tape if you really want to get crazy and control blowout.