Forum

Replies

• 

  Dan M Valencia March 18, 2012 at 8:38pm

  Thanks Stephen that sounds like a plan, I think there is a wide range of saws and prices so should be cool! Will look into it Cheers Dan.

  
   
  stephen Huxtable said:

  I use a large circular saw and finish with a hand saw.
• 

  Thermo March 18, 2012 at 8:42pm

  i have a dewalt 508 sliding mitre saw. they dont make them anymore but they are still avaliable on ebay etc. they have a 305mm blade which will go through a softwood or oak sleeper the whole way. My first one has lasted over 8 years and has mainly been used for sleeper work. I recently bought another ex-hire one off of ebay for £225 for the other crew and it is well worth the money. You can also do all the angles etc on them. failing that its 2 cuts with my large makita or a very sharp panel saw. Have used a chainsaw with a good sharp chain on, but i find the cut is either never accurate enough or doesnt leave a clean enough cut.
• 

  Dan M Valencia March 18, 2012 at 8:46pm

  
  Thanks for that Thermo, ill check with Hire station for next job  but will invest in one as soon as Cheers.
  Thermo said:

  i have a dewalt 508 sliding mitre saw. they dont make them anymore but they are still avaliable on ebay etc. they have a 305mm blade which will go through a softwood or oak sleeper the whole way. My first one has lasted over 8 years and has mainly been used for sleeper work. I recently bought another ex-hire one off of ebay for £225 for the other crew and it is well worth the money. You can also do all the angles etc on them. failing that its 2 cuts with my large makita or a very sharp panel saw. Have used a chainsaw with a good sharp chain on, but i find the cut is either never accurate enough or doesnt leave a clean enough cut.
• 

  gary newton March 18, 2012 at 8:48pm

  • try a recipicating saw 
• 

  Dan M Valencia March 18, 2012 at 8:49pm

  Nice one Paul, Im on a used sleeper job at the moment and they have knackered the chain on my saw. im hoping to sharpen up tomorrow to get me through the job! The client wants me to slope the cut from the wall down to meet some setts should be fun :) thanks bud Dan.
   
  Paul @ PPCH Services said:

  I find a chainsaw by farr the easiest method and the quickest by a long way.

  With used creosote sleepers they do dull the chain  but  I have a mains bench top grinder in the workshop so sharpening is a quick job. I guess however a circular saw would also dull quick in sleepers.
• 

  Thermo March 18, 2012 at 8:51pm

  i refuse to work with reclaimed railway sleepers. too heavy, too smelly, too unceratin whats in them from a health point of view and always a complete nightmare to cut.
• 

  Dan M Valencia March 18, 2012 at 8:54pm

  
  Yeah its not great using these old sleepers, Client is a farmer and has in stock. Im using a mask and gloves when cutting them but yeah never again !

  
   Thermo said:

  i have a dewalt 508 sliding mitre saw. they dont make them anymore but they are still avaliable on ebay etc. they have a 305mm blade which will go through a softwood or oak sleeper the whole way. My first one has lasted over 8 years and has mainly been used for sleeper work. I recently bought another ex-hire one off of ebay for £225 for the other crew and it is well worth the money. You can also do all the angles etc on them. failing that its 2 cuts with my large makita or a very sharp panel saw. Have used a chainsaw with a good sharp chain on, but i find the cut is either never accurate enough or doesnt leave a clean enough cut.
• 

  CJ March 19, 2012 at 12:26am

  Chainsaw and cutting on outside of mark as loose depth of chainsaw when cutting, worked well on a few benches Ive built from new sleepers.
• PRO

  Jeff Bradley March 19, 2012 at 7:41am

  Check out this link: http://www.professionaltool.co.uk/protool-univers-ssp-200 Basically it's a chainsaw in a circular saw stylee and can apparently go to 60 degrees If I remember correctly from a timber frame course I took a while back there are attachments, mainly in the U.S., that you bolt onto your chainsaw. It's like the baseplate of a circular saw and acts in much the same way.

   
• 

  Austin Powell-Allen March 19, 2012 at 9:27am

  I have seen a lot of trades using chainsaws on them just be careful of the Knotts as there have been accidents from kick back.

  I have found my supplier always seems to price new sleepers cheaper than old but depends on what the client wants.