# Forum Home Renovation Landscaping, Gardening & Outdoors  Cutting Sleepers

## Steno

Hi All, 
Looking to cut some new Red Gum sleepers for a Garden edging. They are 8" x 4" 
It seems there is varying advice between circular saw, chain saw, hand or bow saw? What would / have you used / recommend?

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## ringtail

I'd buy a 3 pack of blades and use a 235 mm circular saw. Its going to be hard going unless they are super green.

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## The Bleeder

What I would use is a circular saw. A big 235 Makita. 
What I have used is a chain saw....dependeing on how many cuts, how old the sleeper is, was it previously used..have plenty of sharp chains avaliable. 
Could do about 10-12 cuts before the chain was blunt. (That was on recycled railway sleepers) 
On treated pine sleepers (new) used a Makita Sliding compound mitre saw (12" blade). Quick and easy. 
So, if your sleepers are new (unused and resonably green) circular saw or chain saw.

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## Moondog55

Hell my 235mm Makita once sawed through a 3/4 inch mild steel rod and I never noticed, redgum is no problem if you use a carbide blade, you just have to take the second cut neatly from the other side

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## shauck

I've used big makita. I've cut, with one circular blade, amongst many other things, more than a hundred cuts on well sesoned (hard) redgum sleepers (not used, no nails). You have to cut straight and not force it to avoid burning the timber and blunting the saw.

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## Steno

Cheers all. Looks like I will be buying a Makita 235mm Saw! 
Seems pretty much unanimous

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## The Bleeder

Steno, 
Word of caution....If you have never used one of these, they are a powerful saw, keep both hands on the saw and you get to keep both hands.

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## Steno

Cheers Steve, that is the plan.  
Get to see the results in emergency of Saturday afternoon accidents; circular saws and angle grinders are the tool's industry version of highlighting those who don't think.   :Shock:  I won't be visiting myself.

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## ringtail

Cut some wedges too. Use the guide that comes with the saw, cut about 1 mt then stick a wedge in the cut to stop the timber pinching the saw blade. The longer the cut the more wedges you put in as you go.

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## Moondog55

Yes and yes again, take heed of that warning this saw is not a toy.
 It really takes two hands and 100% concentration and should only be used on supported timber but mine will cut anything I have ever tried.

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## shauck

One other thing. Never stand behind the saw. Stand parallel to it. No body parts or leads. If you cut through chunky timber and it kicks back, you don't want to be in its backward moving path.

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## rsser

Just a heads-up for those cutting old railway sleepers: there'll be asbestos fibres lurking from the carriage brake pads so wear a high quality face mask.

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## rsser

BTW, what size are you cutting them down to?

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## Steno

Cheers Ern. The sleepers are brand new red gum. So shouldn't have to deal with nails or asbestos or anything else. 
Essentially will keep them at the same size but just cut some to box up the area. I won't be doing anything fancy.

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## rsser

K. 
If you were going to do a lot of ripping then a dedicated rip blade might have been worth it.  You'll prob. get a combo blade if you buy a new circular saw. 
Keep an eye out on the blade gumming up anyway.  The new sleepers I've had from Bunnings weren't fully seasoned and had plenty of sap pockets. 
Good luck with it.

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## jiggy

If the job is nothing fancy use a standard 185 mm circular saw and cut from both sides. It may be a mm of a difference in the two faces but for garden edging it will be fine.

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