I have been working on re-milling old beams that I salvaged from a project. I am basically ripping them in half, or at least trying to.
I have used an Alaskan Mill with some success but still much more difficult than it aught to be.
If I could use the Shopsmith in drill press position with the saw blade, it would allow me to cut much deeper than any other method I have. It would also make it easier to manage the very heavy beams.
I have thought about this a great deal and I cant come up with any reason why this wouldn't work, but I figured I better ask the pros before breaking something.
Do you have good health and life insurance? I would not use an entirely exposed blade and then load it to the hilt. Kickback is a bytch!That and the flex in the table would do me in! Plus the old Mark V you have is under powered for the task. You'd be better off with a good size band saw.
Chris Neilan
Shopsmith Mark 7, Shopsmith Mark V 1982, shortened, Shopsmith 10 ER; Craftsman table saw (1964); Powermatic 3520B lathe
I can see the safety geeks passing out from seeing that!
Needless to say extreme caution would be necessary.
However I do not recommend this for other reasons.
Ripping deeper will require greater power from the motor.
It appears you have a Greenie. That usually means a 3/4 motor.
Internal stresses that become changed by ripping will be a greater problem the deeper the rip cut.
P.S. The thinner bandsaw kerf will leave more usable material.
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Goldie(Bought New SN 377425)/4" jointer/6" beltsander/12" planer/stripsander/bandsaw/powerstation /Scroll saw/Jig saw /Craftsman 10" ras/Craftsman 6" thicknessplaner/ Dayton10"tablesaw(restoredfromneighborstrashpile)/ Mark VII restoration in 'progress'/ 10E[/size](SN E3779) restoration in progress, a 510 on the back burner and a growing pile of items to be eventually returned to useful life. - aka Red Grange
An industrial bandsaw, with full in-feed and out-feed support for your beams, if you have to cut them yourself.
Unless you plan on getting heavily into that reclamation business, I would try to hire it done. If you are planning on a steady diet of heavy timber, I would invest in the best tool you can afford, designed for that job.
Depending on where you live, you may find a sawmill that is set up to do it with in a few hours of where you are. Even a few hours of driving is going to be cheaper that the least cost emergency room visit you can find.
Take them a trailer load of usable beams free from imbedded nails, screws etc., and come back with a trailer load of wood ready to work with.
There is great interest in many areas of the country for preserving old wood, such as timber framed barns etc. and I suspect there are even forums for discussions of that type of work.
I cannot discourage you enough from using a Shopsmith table saw, even a brand new one for heavy timbers.
I realize a 70lb beam may be heavy for one person, and a 200lb beam is heavy for someone else.
Without the right tools and safety set-up, it is dangerous. Even with the right tools, it can be dangerous.
I agree totally with what others have said. The Shopsmith Mark V table saw is not a candidate for this kind of work. The Shopsmith bandsaw isn't either.
I am sure one of the Old Shopsmith ads show them cutting wood in a vertical setup ( drill press mode).
That said I agree a bandsaw is the way to go.
But unless you plan to do this enough to warrant the purchase of a bandsaw a sawmill would be a better choice.
Thank you all for the helpful feedback! I am afraid these beams are going to be the death of me...
I should have mentioned these boards have ancient cut nails buried in them. They are too soft to remove, but no saw mill will risk it. I have a 10 inch circular saw that I will try next, but that will still leave me 2 inches to work through.
