Best saw for cutting railway sleeper.

conny · 20 May 2020

I have an old sleeper, approximately 5 1/2" x 10" x 8'-6", which I want to cut down to smaller blocks for use in my lathe. Not sure what it is made of but it is very, very heavy so hoping maybe oak.
My question is, what is the best way to cut it? I'm thinking a chainsaw as my table saw and hand circular saw don't have the depth of cut. I have a decent bow saw but find they tend to run off parallel when doing thick stuff, (think hacksaw wandering LOL).
If a chainsaw is the way do you have any recommendations? Have a budget of around £100

HERTS P&D · 20 May 2020

When I cut up railway sleepers for a wall (these were the old creosote type) I marked all the way around then cut to a depth of 75mm with my skill saw, cutting all the way around then finished the rest off with a panel saw.

Andy

rsgaz · 20 May 2020

If I had a lathe, I'd definitely get a bandsaw. That way, after cutting into smaller blocks, you can then trim them down to an octagonal shape to save time and mess on the lathe. (i.e. you make a 45° sled to hold the material safely to trim off the corners)

conny · 20 May 2020

HERTS P&D said:
When I cut up railway sleepers for a wall (these were the old creosote type) I marked all the way around then cut to a depth of 75mm with my skill saw, cutting all the way around then finished the rest off with a panel saw.

Andy

Thanks Andy. It had crossed my mind to do this but my wife suggested getting a chainsaw. As I've never used one I'm a bit wary but it may come in handy if I find some logs in a forest or something. Think I will use your method for now.

rsgaz said:
If I had a lathe, I'd definitely get a bandsaw. That way, after cutting into smaller blocks, you can then trim them down to an octagonal shape to save time and mess on the lathe. (i.e. you make a 45° sled to hold the material safely to trim off the corners)

Yes I have a bandsaw and do this before putting in the lathe, in fact I try to get it quite circular rather than hexagonal. Thanks rsgaz.

EddieM · 20 May 2020

Is it a genuine used sleeper? If so, I'd probably forget about it. Those things are soaked in oil, tar, creosote and other sh*t. Add to that the amount of metal in them, personally I'd leave well alone.

Burnerman · 20 May 2020

Got to agree with Eddie there, if its a genuine used item.....full of all sorts of nasties

John

opps · 20 May 2020

Possibly human urine and faeces too from the loo on the trains...

conny · 20 May 2020

It's been outside our patio doors for at least 5 years and been pressure washed numerous times over those 5 years.
I know this won't get rid of the creosote or deep oil but think the other 'contaminants' should have been washed off by now I hope. LOL
The only piece of metal I can see is a u shaped staple protruding about 1/4" but I reckon I can get it out or cut away from it.

EddieM · 20 May 2020

conny said:
It's been outside our patio doors for at least 5 years and been pressure washed numerous times over those 5 years.
I know this won't get rid of the creosote or deep oil but think the other 'contaminants' should have been washed off by now I hope. LOL
The only piece of metal I can see is a u shaped staple protruding about 1/4" but I reckon I can get it out or cut away from it.

And therein lies the problem, I can see. There's a good chance you're going clog, knacker and generally ruin a lot of tools.

Also, although there's a good chance they're oak, they could be teak, which is "full" of silica, which also buggers blades up.

(anyway, if you insist, the answer is chainsaw.)

blup · 20 May 2020

I have used an electric chainsaw on a new sleeper, it's useful for other jobs too like taking down and sectioning small trees.

With practice it gives a straight cut.

Old railway sleepers are very contaminated, cutting them and turning them on a lathe will throw out highly carcinogenic dust

Blup

HERTS P&D · 20 May 2020

conny said:
my wife suggested getting a chainsaw. As I've never used one I'm a bit wary but it may come in handy if I find some logs in a forest.

The last thing you want to do is be running around a forest with a chain saw, the Police would be called in no-time.

Andy

lostinthelight · 20 May 2020

I would be interested to know what you were hoping to turn from a sleeper.

conny · 20 May 2020

Maybe some small bowls or dishes. It's just to try and gain the experience.

EddieM · 20 May 2020

conny said:
Maybe some small bowls or dishes. It's just to try and gain the experience.

I strongly advise you consider another candidate. There's no denying there's good wood in sleepers, but they're more trouble than they're worth IMO.

lostinthelight · 20 May 2020

Fair enough if its for that reason but if you smell creosote as it heats I would stop..pity you didn't live closer, I've got plenty of six year old chunks of yew and two year old 26" cherry buts

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Best saw for cutting railway sleeper.

EddieM

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