# Tough oak barn beam, whimpy underpowered tablesaw



## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

When it rains it pours... yesterday I saved some old redwood from a dumpster, and today someone gave me a couple nice oak barn beams.... very dense, nice straight tight grain.

Alas, I am still using an old benchtop tablesaw. On the upside, it was built when they built stuff like they meant it to work well and last a long time... so its a good benchtop, but still, its a benchtop.

Just for kicks, I am gonna try to process one of these beams on my wimpy saw. 

I'm thinking of making a ripping sled for it, and taking each cut with multiple passes. 

Other tricks, tips, or cautions, anyone?


----------



## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

Charge admission... You just may make enough to snag a decent saw off craig's list. :smile:


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*ripping sled?*

Wouldn't that be the fence? 
You didn't say what size....would a circ saw work with a guide? Beams are heavy, long, thick... easier to move a lighter saw than a heavy beam. JMO.  bill


----------



## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

A low tooth count thin kerf blade will help too...


----------



## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Yikes, that doesn't sound like fun at all. How big are the beams? Might be safer to move the table top TS over the beam.......just kidding obviously, but I agree about bring the saw to the wood if they are too big. Carefully lay it out, and if it is too thick rip one side, then the other and then finish with a handsaw and clean it up on the jointer planer. I have a contractor saw and it's a PITA wrestling big pieces let alone beams on it.


----------



## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

You'll obviously have to take multiple passes, and you may have to wedge the wood as you progess. For serious ripping like this you need a standard 1/8" kerf. Yes they use more power than the 3/32 thin but the thin kerf gets hotter during long sessions and can burn wood and the blade too. They flex too much when hot also (I never use them for miters). I also suggest a 24 tooth blade with deep gullets, flat ground teeth and a 18° - 20° hook angle.

I like thin kerf for crosscutting and _limited light_ ripping, but for ripping those rock hard old beams you need a standard kerf. A standard kerf will outperform a thin kerf when ripping even though on paper the thin kerf makes more sense. The key here Steve is something even many experienced woodworkers get wrong; too slow of a feed rate. You must find the happy median between blade height and feed rate. A slow feed rate will build up so much heat, especially with a thin kerf blade but even with a standard, that it can't dissipate the heat enough to remain as rigid as it needs. So even if you have to only take very small bites with your vertical blade height, the most important factor of all is keeping your feed rate fast enough to comfortably cut through the wood, but not so fast you bog down the motor, and the most important factors that will determine your feed rate is the type of blade you choose and the blade height. That's a function of the density of the wood also but we already know that part of the equation. 

Think about it, keeping your blade in the wood as short a time as possible is what keeps it from overheating. The exact same princple as a band saw blade. You will (and already have) differing opinions on TK v RK but for what it's worth I have ripped tens of thousands of lineal feet and the RK is better. Just keep your blade low enough that you can get through each cut quickly and efficiently. That's my 2¥ worth. 




.


----------



## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

mdntrdr said:


> Charge admission... You just may make enough to snag a decent saw off craig's list. :smile:


Still laughing..... 


Wedging! Thanks, TT, good idea.


----------



## MidGAOutdoor (Apr 7, 2011)

wouldnt a large bandsaw and a wood slicer blade work?


----------



## Allen Tomaszek (Dec 11, 2010)

I'd have someone tackle those beams with a portable sawmill. Nice and easy. I tried to rip some 10/4 white oak on a small table saw and the table saw lost in that match. It might have been my aggressive approach that caused the problem (it usually is) but if you're working with beams I'd opt for a heavier saw option.


----------



## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

Thanks for advice here, the beams are still in my pile. Somehow, there is always something more fun and likely to succeed on the list of things to do.....


----------



## mike1950 (Aug 29, 2010)

What about a skill saw with a guide on both sides and finish the cut with that sawsall in your avatar???


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

SteveEl said:


> When it rains it pours... yesterday I saved some old redwood from a dumpster, and today someone gave me a couple nice oak barn beams.... very dense, nice straight tight grain.
> 
> Alas, I am still using an old benchtop tablesaw. On the upside, it was built when they built stuff like they meant it to work well and last a long time... so its a good benchtop, but still, its a benchtop.
> 
> ...


I've never seen it done, but it may be worth considering.
I like to move the saw when the work gets too large and unweildy. So instead of a circular saw hand held, what about this concept? Take your bench top and clamp a guide as well as the fence to the table, flip it upside down and run it down the beams like a large circ saw. Without knowing which specific saw you have it may not be possible. It's a little "out of the box" but who knows? :blink: bill


----------



## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

There are a lot of suggestions about how to handle very large beams, but we do not even know the size of the beams.

George


----------



## SawdustDave (Feb 1, 2012)

If i were doing it, I think one of the most important things you can do is rig up a long infeed support and outfeed support. Plan on lots of passes and expect to do some planing.


----------



## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

GeorgeC said:


> There are a lot of suggestions about how to handle very large beams, but we do not even know the size of the beams.
> 
> George


+1. Some beams aren't that large. My conception of a beam would be lumber that is wider than it is thick, and used on edge for structural support.

Technically, a 2x4 can qualify as a beam.:yes:










 







.


----------



## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

mike1950 said:


> What about a skill saw with a guide on both sides and finish the cut with that sawsall in your avatar???


*Update* Took awhile to get around to this. This is the first I've tried to mill salvaged beams and that was the ticket. Another thread told me about the great metal-finder circ blades at HF. For a free ugly beam on a burn pile, that sure is some nice oak under the dirt and scars. Guess I gotta go by that place again....


----------



## Alchymist (Jan 2, 2011)

No problem:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1hnMFeLaos


----------



## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

Those bad boys are a bit $$teep for me.


----------



## gideon (May 26, 2010)

I had some beautiful white oak beams a while back. Smaller pieces but like 12/4. 

I jointed, cut about 1" each pass and jointed again in case the ts blade moved around. I use a contractors saw too and the arbors are prone to moving a tiny bit during cuts like that.


----------



## Jim West Pa (Jul 27, 2010)

First thing I would do is get my metal detector out.
2ndly, for .20 or .30 a BF, ( which ever it is in your area),I'd haul 'em straight to the nearest saw mill and be done with it.


----------



## Paarker (Mar 20, 2013)

MidGAOutdoor said:


> wouldnt a large bandsaw and a wood slicer blade work?



+100000000000:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
This is the way to go. I once struggled trying to cut up some thick locust beams on the table saw then I moved over to the bandsaw and was done in no time.:icon_cool:


----------



## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

Jim West Pa said:


> First thing I would do is get my metal detector out.
> 2ndly, for .20 or .30 a BF, ( which ever it is in your area),I'd haul 'em straight to the nearest saw mill and be done with it.



Both good points!


----------



## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

MidGAOutdoor said:


> wouldnt a large bandsaw and a wood slicer blade work?



When I started the thread (2-3 years ago) I didn't _have _a BS. Since then I picked up an older one, Delta 28-245. It will be interesting to try some of the smaller pieces and see how it does. Motor is only 1/2 hp. As for doing the whole beam, I'd need to buy or build a lot more in/out feed supports than I have right now. Rig up a winch to hoist it up onto the working surface, too. This beast is heavy.

In any case, my shop has been overrun with salvaging 2000 sq ft of oak flooring. I'll get back to the beam when I have room to move again.


----------

