Maple Bench Top is Too Big, How to Cut It?

[Marty Tippin]

Several months ago, I had a friend who runs a cabinet shop make a very nice solid hard maple bench top for a workbench I'm building (Philip Lowe's "Workbench with Built-In Storage" from FWW (http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/109209/build-a-basic-workbench-with-built-in-storage)) - but unfortunately, the dimensions I asked for were either lost or misunderstood and the finished top is about 8" too wide and a foot too long. As a result, I can't use with the rest of the workbench as it simply dwarfs the cabinet.

I'm currently not in a position to ask him to cut it down to size for me (it's a long story... don't ask), so I'm trying to figure out a reasonable way to do it myself. I have all the tools I should need - 17" band saw, 10" table saw, circular saw, hand saw(!) and 8" jointer - I just need to figure out a smart way to accurately (and safely) cut this thing down to size. The primary challenges are that it's 3" thick and weighs upwards of 150 lbs., so trying to wrangle it on the table saw while ripping 72" of 3" thick stock just seems like a recipe for disaster.

Anyone have a suggestion on how I might tackle this problem?

[Robert Parent]

Not sure if this helps..... I recently crosscut one of similar size using a guide and a handheld router. First I secured the guide and then cut a dado as deep as I could safely go. Then I took a jig saw and cut the scrap piece free from the top. I now took a flush trim bit and finished cutting to length.

Depending on your table saw I would just rip to width if possible. The router trick would work as well.

Robert

[Art Mann]

You will certainly need a good out-feed table if you use the table saw to do the ripping. I don't know what Kind of saw you have but if it is a 1.5 or 2 hp contractor saw or hybrid, I would buy a new thin kerf 24 tooth rip blade to cut it with. A 40 tooth combination blade will burn the wood and damage the blade. I have a Makita track saw that I would use to do the cross cutting. If you don't have one, you can make a saw guide and use a circular saw to cut it to length. I am assuming that it would be too difficult to cut the length on your table saw.

[lowell holmes]

My contractor saw with the 7 1/4" blade will not cut 3". I would be tempted to cross cut with an edge guide as deep as I could and then finish the cut with a handsaw. I cut some 2" thick cherry like that today. I suppose you could do that with the rip cut as well.

I used to have an 8" contractors saw. I wonder if a tool rental place might have one.

[Kevin Jenness]

I would suggest starting with a skilsaw and guide, maybe in two steps to ease the load on the saw, finish the cuts with a jigsaw, then clean up with a router and straightedge and a long pattern bit to finish from both faces.

[Chris Padilla]

*IF* you can support it, the bandsaw is the way to go.

Otherwise, you need to push the tool through the "wood" due to the "wood's" massive size so any combination of a saw (power or not) and routers and such is the way I would go.

[Rich Enders]

Certainly in Kansas City there are cabinet shops or hardwood suppliers that have the scale of equipment needed to safely handle the task.

[Paul Grodziak]

Marty,

Whenever I have large materials that need to get cut down, I use a large metal ruler as a guide against the side of my 7-1/4 circular saw. For a thickness of 3", I would probably mark the top and bottom sides of the bench. I'd clamp the ruler with the appropriate offset so the blade is cutting at the correct location, then cut through half the thickness and turn the bench over, reposition the ruler guide, and complete the cut. I've been pleasantly surprised how accurate a cut I can get with my 7-1/4 circular saw using a fine tooth crosscut blade.

[Matt Day]

I'd do similar to what was described above with the circular saw. I'd cut it as much as possible with the CS and a straightedge, then flip it and finish with a jigsaw. Clean up the jigsaw cut with a flush trim router bit.

[Prashun Patel]

Router from both sides with a jig to align the straight edge on both sides.

[Reinis Kanders]

I cut mine with circular saw and guide from both sides and squared it up with a handplane by planing to the knife line, was pretty easy.

[johnny means]

Plus 1 on hauling it to a cabinet shop. I would charge around $15 for something like this. Small shop owners could always use a few "undocumented" dollars.

[Marty Tippin]

Lots of good ideas, thanks.

Short of taking it to a cabinet shop (which I may look into - I know there are dozens around here), it sounds like the next best bet would be a circular saw with a guide, and then a flush-trim router bit to clean up. I've got a shop-built guide for my circular saw that I use for breaking down plywood sheets but it's not long enough to use on the workbench top, so I'll need to come up with something else.

[Prashun Patel]

Also, can your circular saw cut 3" deep especially when it loses some height from some types of shopbuilt circ saw guides?

[Dave Zellers]

Is it really 3" thick?

Dang, that thing must be almost too heavy for one person to move around.

I remember trying to move a High School wood shop 60" x 50" x 2 1/4" maple bench top I bought. It was all I could do.

It did have 3 vices attached however... :D

This project has 3rd party major equipped wood shop written all over it. Pay the money for someone with a big panel saw to cut it and be done with it. If you try to push this through your band saw and something goes wrong, you'll regret it. The time it would take to set up so nothing goes wrong, is better spent on paying the guy with the proper equipment.

Of course, you haven't said if the cut edge will show. If it's to the back, cut it with a circular saw and get back to work.

[Frank Martin]

I think the circular saw with a straight edge would be quicker and less painful than taking this to a cabinet shop. You can practice by cutting a smaller section and then move to the final size if needed. Then if needed hand plane or router would give you perfect 90 degree edges. I bet once you try you would say it was easier than you thought.

[Brian Kincaid]

Makita 5104 :D You are done in one shot!

Track guided circular saw followed by panel saw (hand saw), then router or handplane to taste. Have done this a few times and it's a fine way to go if you don't want to flip the top.

There are very long jigsaw blades if you have a good jigsaw, Festool S 145/FSG is 5"+ long. I have used one of these with pleasing results. Don't get in a hurry and you only need to do it once.

Not sure about the router recommendations, maybe you guys are a lot better with a plunge router than me. I would muck it up.

-Brian

-Brian

[Myk Rian]

Were nails or screws used in the construction of the top?
That would be good to know.

[Matt Meiser]

Check around if anyone rents a 10" circular saw which would certainly be easier than moving that thing around any more than needed.

Or use a circular saw and cut from both sides. On the second, make sure your cut is slightly (part of a kerf) too far to the waste side of the cut Then use a top bearing router bit to follow the first cut and remove the excess from the second cut to get a nice edge.

[Marty Tippin]

I like the 10" circular saw idea -all I can find to rent locally is a 16" (!!) circular saw and that scares me just thinking about it.

For those who've asked, yes, it's really 3" thick, made from laminated 8/4 maple ripped to 3" width and then glued on the 3" side. No nails or screws anywhere - it's really a beautiful piece of work and is why I'm considering all my options. If I wasn't so far along with the rest of the workbench construction, I'd just scale the base up by 25% or so and make it work with the top at it's current size. But I'd pretty much have to start over if I went that route.

[scott vroom]

+1 taking it to a cabinet shop

[eugene thomas]

I made my bench top 36 by 84 and 3" thick. Cut to length with skil saw and then hand saw . Cleaned up the end with my 5" rotex sander . As to ripping think skil saw is best bet then sander or router, whatever will work best.

[Erik Christensen]

Tracksaw is the way to go - that is how I squared the ends of my 2 1/2" maple top

[Rod Sheridan]

Skilsaw from both sides, finish with a plane............Rod.

[Earl Rumans]

Something that beautiful, made by a friend, I would hate to mess up. One thing to consider, when cutting length wise, are the glue lines. You don't want a 1/4 inch section at the edge of the table. I would also try and find a cabinet shop in the area that would make the cuts for you, just to make sure it is done correctly.

[John Piwaron]

Sounds like the perfect excuse to buy a Festool tracksaw. That's what I'd do.

The size you mention - I personally find it hard to believe a benchtop can be too long. :) Too wide - yes. But that's just me. My next major project will be a new workbench. But I decided that a split top is a good idea for the problem you mention - weight. And easier to move around during the construction process.

[Patrick McCarthy]

If it were me, I would start redesigning the base . . . . or make a pair of legs for one end.

[Dave Richards]

Have you built the case already? It's a pretty simple design and it would be easy enough to modify the length. Or, as Patrick suggested, add some legs to one end.

Here it is with the top made 12 inches long and 8 inches wider. I added the length to the right and the width to the back. If the case is already built, you could essentially duplicate the case side as legs and make that section deeper. Shove your shop vac or something in the hole. Or some of your stack of Festool Systainers.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3919/14466865424_5c54dc336d_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/o3ot5d)

[Marty Tippin]

Have you built the case already?

I'm probably not so far along that I couldn't re-design it a bit. I suppose I could play with the SketchUp file and see about stretching the width and depth of the cabinet. Might give me that excuse I've been needing to spend more time learning how to use SketchUp... ;-)

While the top is "too big" for the current design, it's not "too big" for me to want to use as-is!

[Dave Richards]

I gather you have the Digital Plan for it, then. The SketchUp model was made to be easily resized for things like this.

[Marty Tippin]

I gather you have the Digital Plan for it, then. The SketchUp model was made to be easily resized for things like this.
Yep, I've got it. (I'm the one you helped with the router mortising jig a few months ago...)

Been playing with it this afternoon and making limited progress -- I've managed to move the back of the case 6" farther to the rear, but I'm stumped trying to figure out how to add 6" to all the stuff in the middle (the sides, drawer rails, etc.). I can scale it up, but that stretches the tenons and all; what I really want is to add 6" in the "middle" of each piece. I'll figure it out eventually... ;-)

[Dave Richards]

Now I remember the mortise jig.

I sent you an e-mail about your current puzzle.

[Ted Calver]

.... I have all the tools I should need ...
2 3/4" depth of cut. Finish with hand saw.
http://www.festoolproducts.com/Festool-561438-TS-75-EQ-Plunge-Cut-Track-Circular-p/561438.htm