Splitting turned newel post in half lengthwise.
maxglitz
| Posted in General Discussion on
How would I use my bandsaw to split turned newel posts in half lengthwise? I’m guessing that I have an advantage in that on either end, they’re square (not turned) and the same dimensions on each end. I’ll need for the finished product to lay flat when glued to a flat surface after splitting.
I found some beautiful, aged newel posts with layers of multicolored paint partially removed resulting in a great shabby-chic surface. I create picture frames for old-west style paintings and these would be great to dress up a frame on either side of the art.
Replies
Jig
I'd make a jig to hold the posts offset, so you'd have a smooth support at the bottom, and one on one side to ride against the fence.
I'm slowly getting the hang of some things. I'm picturing from your comment that I'd have an attached piece to ride along the fence, but that the bottom piece (like the base of a letter "L" when seen from the end) might only be supporting one half of the post's width and UNsupported under the part that would be "cut away" so to speak. In other words, when I'm sawing I'd only be cutting the post and NOT the additional support beneath it because that support would stop just shy of the blade.
You got it...
The only thing I would add to Ralph's advice is to possibly stabilize the post along the length of the post in a couple of spots. Band saws are notorious for blade drift and you will need make sure you watch for that.
Yep
I think you are on the right track. A block at either end that would butt up against a bit less than half the ends of the post would allow a couple of screws to protrude through to hold the post steady.
Keep it simple...
I have done similar things in the past with just one piece of plywood. Assuming your newel posts are somewhere around 4 or 5 inches wide, grab a piece of ply that is just wider than that and attach it to the side of the post that will ride on the bed of the bandsaw. Let the ply stick out to the left by an inch or two past the left edge of the post so that you have a straightedge to ride against the fence. As for attaching the post to the plywood I would use some carefully placed screws (so that they don't get in the way of your final design or the blade while you are cutting) or if the screws will affect the final look of the piece I would use some double stick carpet tape (it is pretty cheap and can be found at any home improvement store in the flooring section). The tape is remarkably strong and I have even used it for some light duty turning applications on the lathe when nothing else would work. Lastly I would run the freshly cut surfaces over the jointer to flatten them out as the bandsaw is not going to give you a perfectly straight cut no matter how careful you are.
The above technique would also work on the table saw assuming that the post is not thicker than your blade is tall and it would give you a much straighter cut.
Nick
Check indexes for older issues of FWW. This was covered, but in the article I recall the posts were quartered after turning.
The author used a layer of craft paper glued between two pieces of stock. When he was done turning he split them apart with a chisel. No problems with drift on a bandsaw, and only will need a little cleanup with a scraper and or plane.
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