Circular Saw for cutting Oak Sleepers - recommendations needed

[menatarms]

I'm looking to build a new workbench (actually 2 small modular ones) and was thinking of using oak or other hardwood 200x100mm sleepers from my local timber yard. It seems a fairly cost effective way of making an extremely solid workbench.

The issue I have though is getting them from the yard to home. I need to cut them down from the 2400mm length to 1800 or less to fit in the car. The timber yard will do cuts of sheet materials, but not lumber.

I was thinking of getting a cordless circular saw and then just using that to make cuts there, flipping the sleepers over as I go. I have no idea how powerful a saw I'll need to make these 50mm cuts. I currently have 2 DeWalt 18v 5AH batteries so ideally a bare unit that can fit these would be ideal.

B&Q currently have a deal on this DeWalt 165 saw that has a max depth of 55mm, but I'm not sure if it would have enough oomph to get the job done? There's always the handsaw if it runs out of juice I guess....

https://www.diy.com/departments/dew...rcular-saw-bare-tool-dcs391n-xj/154522_BQ.prd

Would love any recommendations people have. I don't really want to splurge for a tracksaw as I don't think I wouldn't use it very much, at least not for quite some time.

Cheers.

 

[simonridout]

I am sure that that saw would do the task, although a 36volt saw would be more powerful. If needed do several cuts, eg 18, 36 and 55 mm deep. Personally, I prefer a rear handled circular saw as they can be used one handed (plus a Swanson speed square held in the other hand makes a good, easy to use fence to ensure straight cuts. However they are more expensive, unless you have more use in the future.

 

[Agent_zed]

A handsaw will probably be quicker than you think. You will be cross cutting so much quicker and easier than along the grain. Unless you actually need a battery circular saw don't bother, just get a handsaw for <£10.

 

[ChaiLatte]

You do not say how many you need to cut.

Is the Armstrong method not possible?

The saw is over £100. An acceptable hardpoint cross-cut saw is £11 (SF 60885). How much is your time worth?

The sleepers are likely to be wet and the saw will try to bind in the cut, so try to bias the cut so it is opening as you make it to give whatever cutting tool you use an easier time.

 

[Bingy man]

A chainsaw will slice those sleepers up like cheese

 

[niall Y]

I suppose the obvious answer is to have them delivered, or even get yourself a sturdy roof-rack. But, as already suggested, a new hard-point saw will make short work of chopping the end off a sleeper.

 

[menatarms]

You do not say how many you need to cut.

Is the Armstrong method not possible?

The saw is over £100. An acceptable hardpoint cross-cut saw is £11 (SF 60885). How much is your time worth?

The sleepers are likely to be wet and the saw will try to bind in the cut, so try to bias the cut so it is opening as you make it to give whatever cutting tool you use an easier time.

I think around 7 or 8 sleepers, so not a huge amount. What's the Armstrong method?

The circular saw is useful enough for me beyond just this use that I don't mind spending £100 on one, and of course the ease of it is the main draw. Had some issues with tennis elbow from sport so I try to avoid too much hand sawing.

 

[menatarms]

A chainsaw will slice those sleepers up like cheese

That's a good point, a chainsaw would be quite useful too for chopping up deadfall logs that I can turn into timber. The circular saw though I thought would be useful for this project even after the timber is back in the workshop, as realistically I can't crosscut these on the table saw even with a sliding carriage.

 

[menatarms]

I suppose the obvious answer is to have them delivered, or even get yourself a sturdy roof-rack. But, as already suggested, a new hard-point saw will make short work of chopping the end off a sleeper.

I want to be able to pick the sleepers out myself, and the yard isn't far away. Also with the weight of them a roof rack isn't really a viable option for my skinny frame!

 

[Fitzroy]

Even if the saw will only do 40mm from each side it only leaves an easy 20mm to cut with a hand saw. My bigger concern for you is using sleepers for your workbench, if the sleepers are green ie not dried they will split and move considerably as they dry. I bought some sleepers a good few years ago for a garden project which never happened, they have sat and air dried under cover for 5 years and some of them have moved/twisted/split more than 5-10cm along a 2.4m length. I would personally pick a more traditional bench material, ie construction timber or joinery timber.

A quick look online and 200x100x2400 oak sleepers look like about £35 each, which is £730/m3, I bought redwood joinery timber 200x75 for £700/m3 last week. It's for some windows I'm making but it would make a great bench.

 

[Agent_zed]

As above. I was thinking about the weight of oak sleepers. I bought one last year and made a mantel for my fireplace. It was flippin' heavy. It did twist a bit, but that's not so much an issue for a mantel as it doesn't need to be perfectly flat as such.

I reckon you'd struggle to move a bench made of 5 or 6 sleepers, even if they are dry.

My bench is 2x12inch pine boards and 4x4 posts in a traditional english workbench style and it is pretty heavy and rock solid. The bench doesn't move at all when I plane wood etc.

have a look on FB marketplace if you want oak as you may find kiln dried boards that aren't much more expensive and more suitable sizes.

 

[menatarms]

Even if the saw will only do 40mm from each side it only leaves an easy 20mm to cut with a hand saw. My bigger concern for you is using sleepers for your workbench, if the sleepers are green ie not dried they will split and move considerably as they dry. I bought some sleepers a good few years ago for a garden project which never happened, they have sat and air dried under cover for 5 years and some of them have moved/twisted/split more than 5-10cm along a 2.4m length. I would personally pick a more traditional bench material, ie construction timber or joinery timber.

A quick look online and 200x100x2400 oak sleepers look like about £35 each, which is £730/m3, I bought redwood joinery timber 200x75 for £700/m3 last week. It's for some windows I'm making but it would make a great bench.

Thanks that's an interesting point. I've seen various people have success with it, but yes of course movement is an issue. My plan was to sticker them and tie them together using bailing wire which I'll gradually tighten as they dry, as shown in this great video:



The time it will take them to dry out (probably 4 years) though is a real concern...

How does the redwood joinery timber do in terms of hardness? Ideally I'll try to find some dried oak but I imagine that will significantly increase the cost.

In terms of weight management the plan is to have the benches on heavy duty self levelling castors which I've found to be excellent on my combination tablesaw/router table bench:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leveling-W...d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&psc=1

 

[menatarms]

I was particularly impressed with this idigbo railway sleeper bench a member here built some years ago:

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/railway-sleeper-workbench-wip.52190/

Do lumber yards still stock this?

 

[sometimewoodworker]

As above. I was thinking about the weight of oak sleepers. I bought one last year and made a mantel for my fireplace. It was flippin' heavy. It did twist a bit, but that's not so much an issue for a mantel as it doesn't need to be perfectly flat as such.

I reckon you'd struggle to move a bench made of 5 or 6 sleepers, even if they are dry.

One point that is seldom mentioned is that, as long as your floor is up to it, a workshop crane is an extremely useful addition.

Since we built our house ourselves I designed an overhead crane into the build and though it doesn’t get used that often it does rather mean that I can move virtually anything anywhere it probably has a 1~2 tonne safe limit, though I have de rated it to 500kg. Now that is probably overkill for most but a floor standing double A fame and crossbar wheeled version is often useful.

The last big item I used it on was my 16” bandsaw, I don’t know exactly how heavy it is but something over 30kg I would guess and not something I would ever attempt without 3 or 4 people without the crane, but with it it was a trivial gob to position and move around single handedly.

Before that I put a steel workbench top on my welding table that was probably about 150kg.

This is a much lighter use but it means that a full sheet of 20mm plywood can be moved around

 

[menatarms]

As above. I was thinking about the weight of oak sleepers. I bought one last year and made a mantel for my fireplace. It was flippin' heavy. It did twist a bit, but that's not so much an issue for a mantel as it doesn't need to be perfectly flat as such.

I reckon you'd struggle to move a bench made of 5 or 6 sleepers, even if they are dry.

My bench is 2x12inch pine boards and 4x4 posts in a traditional english workbench style and it is pretty heavy and rock solid. The bench doesn't move at all when I plane wood etc.

have a look on FB marketplace if you want oak as you may find kiln dried boards that aren't much more expensive and more suitable sizes.

Currently scouring Facebook marketplace for hardwoods. There's a lot more available than I realised. Just finding enough 75mm+ thick enough to build a workbench surface out of is proving tricky. God I hate inflation!

 

[menatarms]

Someone's selling this stuff in 120x120x1400mm @ £10 each, 7% moisture content:

https://www.pollmeier.com/product/beam-baubuche-gl75/

Looks like it's been reclaimed, certainly a lot more weathered than the manufacturer's photo. Could potentially make a surface out of it and then frame it all in some nice bubinga that I have. I'm not sure what running it through my planer thicknesser would do to the blades though...

 

[Sideways]

I picked up the cheapest bosch 18v brushed circ saw as a freebie when I bought an expensive biturbo tool. It's handy for sheet, cuts 50mm in softwood and pressure treated, and great for breaking stuff down to dispose of at the dump.

Re the bench, surely you only need one sleeper along the front and optionally one more along the back of the top ?
Are you planning on using sleepers for the legs ? And if so, will you rip them into 100mm square section or something like ?

 

[menatarms]

I picked up the cheapest bosch 18v brushed circ saw as a freebie when I bought an expensive biturbo tool. It's handy for sheet, cuts 50mm in softwood and pressure treated, and great for breaking stuff down to dispose of at the dump.

Re the bench, surely you only need one sleeper along the front and optionally one more along the back of the top ?
Are you planning on using sleepers for the legs ? And if so, will you rip them into 100mm square section or something like ?

I was planning to use sleepers for the surface all the way through so it would be a real solid chunk of a thing, and yes sleepers for the legs, I hadn't decided whether they would be ripped to 100x100 or left as 200x100 yet. I'm having second thoughts though now with the sheer timescale of drying them out.

 

[recipio]

You can get beam saw attachments which will work on cordless saws. I think it would be easier just to buy a cordless chainsaw. I have the 36v twin battery Makita and it is excellent.
In the US they have dedicated beam saws with 16" blades. Makita and Skillsaw are two examples but of course they are 110 volt. Only worth the hassle of importing if you have a shedload of beams to cut up.

 

[HOJ]

I need to cut them down from the 2400mm length to 1800 or less to fit in the car

Have you worked out a cutting list, as randomly cutting things up so they fit in a car could well be very wasteful.

B&Q currently have a deal on this DeWalt 165 saw

I would look to the future if buying a saw now, if the Dewalt will serve all your needs then no reason not to buy it, you'll probably need one to carry on with
making the bench anyway.

I want to be able to pick the sleepers out myself

Will they not let you, then arrange for them to deliver your selection, my timber yard does.

The time it will take them to dry out (probably 4 years) though is a real concern...

Are you prepared to wait that long? they will probably be saturated, so inevitably no use for making any thing now that you want to stay in shape.

In all my years, only ever made mine of out of cheap redwood, rather spend my money on decent wood for making things.