How would you cut this?

I have this crazy looking, irregular 15" diameter, ~2.5" thick, very heavy olive wood blank that i am wanting to resaw in half to two ~1.25" thick pieces.

Any suggestions on how to do this?


The laguna band saw - I would clamp 1/2 plywood to the fence the size of your stock… then slowly cut it

If you want help with it? I’ll be at Makerspace today around 4.

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Second the Laguna Bandsaw. Extending the height of the fence to match the piece is a good idea.

I would also attach the blank to a sled to prevent it from rolling while being cut. One way would be to sandwich [hot glue or double stick tape] the wood in between two square plywood sheets , then have the flat plywood edges slide along the table top [and against the fence].

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This is one of the few ways it possibly could be done. But I wouldn’t do it. Rolling anything through a power cutting tool is inherently risky.

If I had to do this, the bandsaw would be the way to go, but I’d rig something such that the piece was locked in place on something slide-able, i.e. securely affixed to an “L” shaped sled. Your tall auxiliary fence is a good idea for this sled-approach as well.

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Arrgghhh! What he said :–)

@mblatz @TSki perfect! yeah my concern was taking something with an unstable base through the saw, i like the idea of gluing it to the plywood so it has a stable surface

@got_tools thank you for the offer! i will be out there today around 6 probably and im going to keep my eye out for some scrap plywood to make a temp jig as Tom suggested, i think this will help aid in a cleaner cut

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Anything to make it more stable , safety is the key…

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No matter what you do, I think the proper way to cut this is: carefully.

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agreed, i like my 10 fingers. :slight_smile:

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I daresay you are rather attached to them.
:smirk:

Beautiful wood piece though.

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Use pilot holes and brass screws to attach the blank to an L-sled which can ride along the bandsaw fence. The sled will provide a firm, non-rotating base, the Brass Screws will hold better than hot glue, and they won’t hurt the saw blade if you accidentally cut into them.

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ah thats good advice, I appreciate it!

Do not use the laguna, it’s has tracking alignment issues, the wheels are about a 1/4” different causing the blade to ride forward until eventually cutting into the metal gaurd

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Do you mind sharing where you got that piece of olive?

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Of course. It came from Turkey but the prices for the quality of the product (even with the shipping) is incredibly fair. I told the woman what I was looking for and she sent me pictures of multiple pieces for me to choose from so if you’re looking for something specific she’s more than helpful.

Here’s the link:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/olivewoodsupply/

@olivewoodsupply on Instagram where they post new items everyday

And they ship incredibly fast

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I figured as much but wanted to ask, I have a package ne route from her right now as well! Thanks!

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I am also ordering a piece from them! I am new to woodworking and would also love some pointers if I can watch you guys while you work with it. She recommended combined shipping if anyone else would like to order together!

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I just want to come and sniff while you’re working on it …

:slight_smile:

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ah tempting! i dont need any more stock right now though unfortunitely.

So ive been working with a lot of olive recently and its really one of the best woods ive used with epoxy. its incredibly hard and non porous so unlike some maple ive used, the epoxy doesnt bubble from the the wood, it simply finds the cracks and fills them.

feel free to message me if you have specific questions, ive gone through the trials and errors and am happy to pass on anything ive learned.

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For a few years I’ve been looking for a 4x4x8 block that I can turn into an olive oil bottle. Any clue where I could find one?