Circular Saw for cutting Oak Sleepers - recommendations needed

[menatarms]

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


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.


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


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.

No cutting list yet, still very early stages. First want to know what materials are realistically available.

At the moment I just know I want 2 workbenches, each with around 900x600 tops (could be upto 1000x700), ideally with a face/leg vise and a tail/wagon vise (overall, not each), with plenty of drawer storage underneath.

Yes could possibly go pick them out then arrange delivery, but I more and more am thinking I just don't want to wait so long to get cracking with it.

I would love the table to look great, I'm considering at the moment making a core of thick structural glulam (hardwood veneers), then covering the top with maybe 25mm of maple/oak, then framing it with a face of walnut/bubinga. I know it's a bit disingenuous, but it would enormously reduce the cost whilst still being very strong and looking great. Is there a reason people don't do this more?

 

[HOJ]

Is there a reason people don't do this more?

I always look at things from a practical point of view, not vanity, my benches get absolutely hammered and abused so cheap to replace is my mantra.

 

[Inspector]

I always look at things from a practical point of view, not vanity, my benches get absolutely hammered and abused so cheap to replace is my mantra.

I agree. You can spend a lot of time making showpiece benches, out feed tables, tool chests and wall hung cabinets but never actually make any nice furniture for the house you live in. My bench was of maple because it was cheap at the time and I had my father (Danish trained) along with all his factory machines to help with it. Everything since has been what was at hand including sheet goods that were functional and not pretty. My father feed us working for decades at a bench made of a solid core door and construction lumber. I keep it for sentimental reasons. Ultimately the choice is yours but I would rather spend some extra money on dry wood that I could get to right away because if you have to wait for it to dry, stuff will happen and you may never get to it.

Pete

 

[simonridout]

A member of my ‘men’s shed’ (actually a community shed, as all are welcome) has been making a bench, using softwood 100x 200 x 2.4 m treated sleepers, initially quite wet but drying out, during 2 four hour sessions a week. Legs were 100 x 100. Cross pieces similar, mortised and tenoned together. 200 x 50 for aprons, 50 x 50 for bottom rails, all very heavy and solid. As others have suggested, unless you plan to do fine cabinet making only, the top will get hammered in use, so design it to be sacrificial and replaceable.

 

[sometimewoodworker]

My main work bench is mostly made from 20mm plywood sheets cut and glued together so all the tenons were formed in place no cutting or chisels were needed the main parts are 100mm square. For the top I have a torsion box with a 96mm grid of 20mm holes (Festool design) I can disassemble it and the parts use construction J bolts and 200mm coach bolts. There are 2 sets of drawers that are captured when it is assembled. It is solid as a rock though I don’t do much with hand tools. I only needed a track saw and clamps to make it.


I also have a smaller set of drawers, again with a holy top. All of my workshop furniture has wheels so I can easily rearrange things when needed.


Neither of them are pretty but both are very functional.

 

[okeydokey]

A member of my ‘men’s shed’ (actually a community shed, as all are welcome) has been making a bench, using softwood 100x 200 x 2.4 m treated sleepers, initially quite wet but drying out, during 2 four hour sessions a week. Legs were 100 x 100. Cross pieces similar, mortised and tenoned together. 200 x 50 for aprons, 50 x 50 for bottom rails, all very heavy and solid. As others have suggested, unless you plan to do fine cabinet making only, the top will get hammered in use, so design it to be sacrificial and replaceable.

This sounds sensible - most, well at least my local fencing supplier will sell this timber from stock and deliver, from your location is Percy Hudson your local one google says they have good stocks.
Then you can cut at your leisure with as others have suggest a hand saw, if you want to get a move on with this job don't prevaricate just get this timber.

 

[TRITON]

What you want is a beam saw, one of these. Mafell 185Ec 450mm blade for the 185mm depth of cut.
Currently a snip at £4614.98 and available right now at Axminster tools

 

[Bingy man]

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.

Plenty of cheap chainsaws available for under £100 . I recently purchased a 10” top handle for around £70 delivered..perfect for small logs and sleepers . The make was Parker brand -eBay ..

 

[Chubber]

Use redwood for frames and legs and if you must have it, laminated hardwood for the top. All manageable. You would save enough on the cost of a big saw to have a very posh top with the added extra of planning in end vices, dog blocks etc.

 

[TRITON]

Plenty of cheap chainsaws available for under £100 . I recently purchased a 10” top handle for around £70 delivered..perfect for small logs and sleepers . The make was Parker brand -eBay ..

Doesnt have to be a cheapo brand. B&Q have the Makita 14" electric for £102
Electric is fine for home use. Petrol is really only for people working in the middle of nowhere.

https://www.diy.com/departments/mak...oz2Gq-gAg2s0xkQYnYJMSSIxYRaTRrIIsocZAo4fx8OXA

 

[Fergie 307]

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 View attachment 189888

So useful. When I built my workshop I used an I beam as the ridge piece supported on other beams on each side. The joists secured above the beam on large metal plates. Have two chain hoists, a big old pull the chain job, and a little electric one for when I'm feeling lazy. Really handy

 

[Fergie 307]

Doesnt have to be a cheapo brand. B&Q have the Makita 14" electric for £102
Electric is fine for home use. Petrol is really only for people working in the middle of nowhere.

https://www.diy.com/departments/mak...oz2Gq-gAg2s0xkQYnYJMSSIxYRaTRrIIsocZAo4fx8OXA

Used big petrol ones for years but now much prefer electric. Fine for smaller stuff and just so much more convenient, and quiet!
Mine is corded, but I can imagine a battery one would be even better.

 

[Bingy man]

Doesnt have to be a cheapo brand. B&Q have the Makita 14" electric for £102
Electric is fine for home use. Petrol is really only for people working in the middle of nowhere.

https://www.diy.com/departments/mak...oz2Gq-gAg2s0xkQYnYJMSSIxYRaTRrIIsocZAo4fx8OXA

I guess it’s just what you are used too , I just prefer petrol as it’s what I’ve always used , no problem with electric if that’s your or anyone else’s choice .

 

[accipiter]

Unsure what you refer to when saying Timber Yard? Is it a sawmill also? Googled for 'sawmills' in your area and had a few come up... Contacting some sawmills to discuss your requirements may be better than contemplating using the sleepers you mentioned? And also cover delivery?

Late 1980's (87 to 92) I worked for a local company selling English hardwoods to various trades: cabinet makers, joiners, turners, fencers as well as crafts people. They had (still have) their own sawmill and supplied English hardwood in sawn, (Kiln Dried,) waney edge/live edge boards, PAR, imported H/W, exotics... Used to have an annual Craft show/demonstration ‐ similar to Yandles of Martock. They'd also do cut to size green oak for beams, posts etc. Supplied various gates... 'by Royal appointment etc...

If one (or other) of the 'mills near you did the same, or similar, service(s) they may be a better option once you sort out a cutting list?

Above offered in good faith as I don't know what steps you've taken before making your post here, don't know if the 'mills near you do as my past employer used to... etc.

 

[TRITON]

I guess it’s just what you are used too , I just prefer petrol as it’s what I’ve always used , no problem with electric if that’s your or anyone else’s choice .

Its not really about personal choice, but in the domestic use that we're discussing a case of convenience, and also situational
I mean you can get a A stihl or husqvarna 12-14" for about 200 quid, Though you'll need a separate can for petrol, but with the plug in its simply a case of plugging it in and away you go.

Petrol, pretty much going to have to use that outside, and with electric you've the choice of using it indoors - cutting joists etc in situ, bodies and the like.

So its really a flip up.
Petrol - very convenient out and about, or even camping(if its a small saw), though again you need a can of fuel
Electric - Good for domestic use or even on site in enclosed spaces where a petrol saw is problematic(fumes)

Mine is corded, but I can imagine a battery one would be even better.

I agree
I'd have preferred battery, but I put my faith in buying Bosch blue and Bosch in their infinite wisdom have decided not to include a saw in their range.
This is what happens Bosch-Makita and i just didnt like Makita guns so got the Bosch, but limited myself to a small range.

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

Plenty of cheap chainsaws available for under £100 . I recently purchased a 10” top handle for around £70 delivered..perfect for small logs and sleepers . The make was Parker brand -eBay ..

If you buy used need to check the oil pump as many never check the oil and just steam ahead so runs dry which means pump is toast.

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

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.

If your looking at that saw this one is better and a 2nd blade https://www.diy.com/departments/dew...-tool-2x-blades/5056709506898_BQ.prd?alt=true It's a Brushless motor so more power and battery runs for longer.

check on here have them plus more and some deals https://www.powertoolworld.co.uk/brands/dewalt/dewalt-saws/dewalt-circular-saws

 

[Bingy man]

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.

That’s expensive for sleepers my local fencing /building supplier does them for £20 each and they are very good quality but yes inside they would eventually dry and twist - reclaimed might be a better choice but you have to cope with oil tar and creosote etc

 

[TRITON]

That’s expensive for sleepers my local fencing /building supplier does them for £20 each and they are very good quality but yes inside they would eventually dry and twist - reclaimed might be a better choice but you have to cope with oil tar and creosote etc

Indeed, some places are just taking the proverbial. But that said it really depends on the grade of timber they're offering. If its class A that type of section 8 inch by 4 or 5 inch, then that can prove pricier but grade C(C for crud) its more character with knots and splits is next to nothing, and well suited for outdoor or even indoor use

https://www.oakmax.co.uk/shop/oak-s...MIgsvf2JaHiQMVYZFQBh05QgT3EAQYASABEgIDoPD_BwE

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

If your going to go with railway sleepers ie covered//full of creosote/oil/pee and whatever your going to need a "saw" as they gum everything up.
If needing first cut to take home either a decent chainsaw or brushless twin battery recip saw with outside wood blade!.
Plush bucket of likes of paraffin! or something similar as sleepers soon kill a chain off! chain get's gummed up with cack then burns so cack hardens which then makes it almost impossible to sharpen so a throw away job. Did two in time a cut a load up for a garden so if did again would run it through Parafin/diesel etc to clean chain and lube it still every cut plus drags saw down why need power.
The cordless and diy chainsaws use low kerf chains so less to push through but also less to push/pull with!