# Cutting oak



## uk1simon (15 Jul 2009)

Hello,

I'm new to this forum, I've just registered. I'm going to buy some railway sleepers and make a piece of furniture. This is my first project ever and I am a complete newbie, but wanna learn and develop in this area.
My question is: how to cut these oak railway sleepers?


Cheers,
Simon


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## OLD (15 Jul 2009)

Both power and hand tools will cut oak, but new sleepers will be wet oak called green oak so will shrink & crack etc as they dry not good for furniture. A good wood yard can supply kiln dried to the nominal sizes you require.


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## wizer (15 Jul 2009)

Welcome

...and old sleepers will be full of preservative, stones, metal etc


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## jasonB (15 Jul 2009)

New oak sleeper have a highish moisture content, not as much as fresh cut green oak but more than air dried oak. Provided you want a chunky rustic look they will be OK

They can be cut with a coarse handsaw, circular saw (cut from both sides) or chainsaw (but only if you know what you are doing and have the safety gear)

Jason


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## PowerTool (15 Jul 2009)

Hello Simon,and welcome to the forum  

You need three posts to get past the spam trap,but after that - no pictures,it didn't happen.. :wink: 

Andrew


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## OPJ (15 Jul 2009)

Welcome, Simon. 

I also wouldn't recommend 'new oak' sleepers for anything other than outdoor use. As already mentioned, once you start cutting in to unseasoned timber with a higher moisture content, you should prepare yourself to expect some problems! :?

To be perfectly honest, the quality of these sleepers isn't that great anyway - with all the sapwood and other defects, it isn't quite ' fine furniture-making quality'... :wink:

Some yards/sawmills offer a cutting service where they'd be able to do all the resawing for you (at a cost).


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## MikeG. (15 Jul 2009)

Welcome Simon,

this sounds a bit scary to me! If they are seasoned sleepers they will have all sorts of nasties in and on them. If they are unseasoned (green), they will twist, warp, shrink, crack etc when you start working on them. Unless you are making rustic garden benches this is only going to lead to endless frustration!

Anyway, best of luck....and don't forget the photos.

Mike


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## marcus (15 Jul 2009)

Hi Simon,

Just to reiterate what others have said a bit more strongly, if you're thinking of using old/reclaimed sleepers then DON'T DO IT! They are heavily treated with creosote, are poisonous, and shouldn't be used indoors or for any application where they are likely to be in frequent contact with skin or around children in particular!

Cheers

Marcus


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## big soft moose (15 Jul 2009)

I'd second what the others are saying , new green oak sleepers not a great idea 

that said i have resawn numerous old sleepers and IMO chainsaw is the only realistic way to go (providing as someone else said that you know what you are doing and have the appropriate safety gear )

my approach is to first give them a good clean up with a pressure washer and yard brush - this removes most of the grit and sh*t and enables you to see if there are any big lumps of metal included.

Assuming there arent I then lay them accross two battens and rip and cross cut them down the middle on both length and width

this produces 4 bits that are ball park 6" x 4" x 4ft which can then be further resawn with the bandsaw.

If there are metal inclusions I draw a line either side and cut that bit out with the chainsaw first.

Be aware that you will need to regularly resharpen your chain , and that you will need a decent powerful saw - a cheap DIY shed electic C/saw is not man enough for the job.

All things considered if you are new to working wood and not a chainsaw expert , forgetting the sleepers and going to a decent timber yard is the way forward - for example UK Oak http://www.uk-oak.co.uk/product-catalog ... _and_Posts! will do decent prices on most common dimensions.


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## wizer (16 Jul 2009)

This is as good a place as any to ask. I'd like to make some carved garden benches out of very chunky timber. Would I have to keep new unseasoned sleepers under cover for a year before I use them ? I don't mind a little movement but I'd prefer they didn't crack too much. Also is it bonkers to suggest laminating sleepers together to get a heftier chunk to (power) carve?


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## uk1simon (16 Jul 2009)

Thanks guys for advice.
Now I'm a bit sceptical about my project.
How long does it take to dry new sleepers?



Cheers,
Simon


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## woodbloke (16 Jul 2009)

uk1simon":8idbvm35 said:


> How long does it take to dry new sleepers?
> 
> Cheers,
> Simon



...about 10 years, and even then the core won't still be dry. *Forget *railway sleepers and go to a decent timber yard as others have suggested - Rob


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## Benchwayze (24 Jul 2009)

Yep... 
I don't know how many sleepers you have, but they aren't very long anyhow.

My advice is use a less expensive hardwood and make a few things. Then with the money you save on not buying too much furniture, get some decent hardwood to match your growing level of skill. 

Don't chuck the sleepers out. They are good for making raised growing-beds in the garden, and I once saw a very nice 'log-cabin' made with them!

HTH

John


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## OPJ (24 Jul 2009)

wizer":3db8igk2 said:


> This is as good a place as any to ask. I'd like to make some carved garden benches out of very chunky timber. Would I have to keep new unseasoned sleepers under cover for a year before I use them ? I don't mind a little movement but I'd prefer they didn't crack too much. Also is it bonkers to suggest laminating sleepers together to get a heftier chunk to (power) carve?



The shorter 6ft sleepers are generally 5in. thick so, it's going to take several year before the wood is anything like dry! In that time, I would expect the timber to split. The quality of these sleepers isn't great, which is why they are available so cheaply. With all the sapwood, they are vulnerable to insect attack.

If you want to make garden benches from oak, Tom, you're better off buying green oak, which is higher quality timber altogether. These are still going to want to move or, depending on the thickness, going to take a bloody long time to dry out.


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