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How to cut a 200x50mm sleeper lengthwise?

manunited10

Hi all,

I am building around 2m x 2m deck at the side of the house to put my bins on it, nothing fancy. The frame sits on the ground. I don't have much depth to go down.

I chose to buy the only H4 treated pine available in Bunnings, which is 200mm x 50mm by 2.4 metres ( I think that's the only choice I have for a timber exposed to the soil, am I right?). I need to cut them lengthwise (along the 2.4m side) to make 100mm x 50mm as my base frame.

I thought it was doable with my Dewalt table saw. It is a 10-inch saw with the standard 24-tooth blade. I started with a cutting depth of 10mm and gradually added to the cutting depth. It took 5-6 goes to do a cut.

The cutting was messy, with a lot of smoke (possibly due to the wood type, strength and chemicals in it). The cut edges turned out to be a bit burned, and I could see the blade's tracks on it. And it took me and my son 30-40 minutes for one cut.

I have 5 more pieces to cut. The way I did it doesn't sound efficient.

The question is, what is the better way of doing it? Last time I asked Bunnings, they didn't like doing lengthwise cutting for me.

Or is there a better timber of cross size of around 100mm x 50mm that I could buy somewhere?

Any help is appreciated.

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JacobZ

Hi @manunited10,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is wonderful to have you with us.

I own one of these Makita 18V 165mm Brushless Circular Saw, and I've ripped multiple treated pine sleepers down their length in just two passes without any smoking or excessive struggle. A table saw will generally have a more powerful motor than a circular saw, so I'm surprised to hear you are having so many issues.

A table saw is about the best tool you could use for this kind of cut, so from what you've described, I'd be looking closely at the blade. If the blade is blunt or not particularly well suited to ripping timber, you'll generate a lot more friction and heat, which could explain the smoking and difficulty you're experiencing.

If you can let us know the specific make and model of your table saw, I'd be happy to have a look at what blade size it accepts and recommend a suitable replacement blade. You could then use the table saw to rip the sleepers down more efficiently.

You're correct that you need to use H4 treated timber, and unfortunately, we don't usually stock profiles smaller than the 200x50mm sleepers. However, we can special order this https://www.bunnings.com.au/90-x-45mm-4-8m-mgp10-h4-treated-outdoor-structural-radiata-pine_p0616147 if you wanted to avoid ripping down your sleepers.

If you'll let me know what you'd like to do, I can certainly advise further.

Jacob

JacobZ

Hi @manunited10,

I just had another thought that would be worth checking. It is oftentimes possible to put a saw blade on backwards, which would obviously make it a struggle.

A table saw's blade will rotate up through the workpiece, so the teeth should be pointing upwards on the side that you feed the timber. . Are they doing that on your saw?

Could you snap a picture of your table saw showing the teeth on the blade?

manunited10

Thanks Jacob for the quick reply.

My table saw is DWE7491-XE and I have hardly used the table saw. I used the standard 24T blade mostly for cutting a few hybrid floorboards and a few cuts. I wouldn't call it heavily used so it's not sharp any more, to be frank. Yet I don't know how to figure out if it's sharp or not.

I also have another dewalt 80T blade which I recently bought and used for a shelf project to have a cleaner cut. But I thought since i don't care for the look of the framing, the original one should be alright and I get to save my more expensive blade for other projects that need fancy cuts.

manunited10

here are two photos of the blade:

manunited10

I think one photo didn't get uploaded

JacobZ

Hi @manunited10,

I haven't used that exact model, but I have used similar table saws and if the saw is functioning correctly, you should not be having that much trouble out of a relatively new machine cutting through a soft wood like pine, even if it is a bit wet, which sleepers oftentimes are.

A 24T blade should also be perfectly capable of doing rough rip cuts, so I don't think the type of blade is the issue. I do suspect it is either blunt or has been put on the wrong way though.

I'd first check that the blade is spinning the right way, then consider either getting your blade sharpened, or buying a new one such as this https://www.bunnings.com.au/dewalt-xr-254mm-36t-extreme-runtime-circular-saw-blade-dt90274-qz_p0670679 .

Allow me to tag @Nailbag who is a veteran of the power tool industry to see what he thinks.

Jacob

JacobZ

Hi @manunited10,

It looks like it is on the right way, so we can rule that out.

Making sure the saw is turned off and unplugged, if you grab the blade and shake it side to side, does it feel like there is any wobble? Or does it feel like it is on there tight?

A slightly loose blade could also cause problems.

Also, is the fence perfectly parallel to the blade? If you measure the distance from the saw to the fence on one side of the blade, then do the same on the other side, is it exactly the same to the mm?

If it is not parallel, this could also cause issues.

Jacob

Nailbag

Hi @manunited10

I’m very confident there is nothing wrong with the saw. However there are several reasons why your having such a struggle, all of which basically stems down to the saw not being suitable for this particular application.

You’re attempting to cut long lengths of thick green (wet) wood being pushed into the blade fitted with a riving knife against a fence. All of this combined is placing excessive load on the motor which isn’t good. The knife can’t do its job of keeping pressure off the blade during the cut by keeping the timber apart. So the motor is under constant extreme pressure. As the blade slows the moisture in the wood gets extremely hot hence the burning. The blade marks are because the blade is flexing and twisting due to the slightest offset of the length of the sleeper as you push it through against the fence, which is causing jamming.

Remember, the sleeper is long, thick and very heavy. Unlike a circular saw, it’s difficult to feel the load on the motor because your pushing the material through not the blade through the material. With a circular saw you easily know when to back off during cuts.

As with @JacobZ experience with his cordless circular saw, having had no trouble ripping sleepers. It takes a sharp blade, a high capacity battery, 2 sometimes 3 passes in depth and taking your time during the cut to let the saw run at the highest blade speed. If the saw is jamming then back off either in pressure and/or depth of cut.

So my recommendation would be to use either a decent cordless or an electric saw to complete the job. But my safety tip is to be very away of the possibility of kickback.

Nailbag

manunited10

@Nailbag many thanks for your detailed information - it really gave me many things to think and learn as a casual diyer. I'll try with a circular saw. Thanks again.