Cutting big slab

[KyleD]

You are over thinking this. Your circular saw, a srtip of plywood about 8'x12", and a nice straight strip of 3/4 ply 8'x2", some 1 1/4" screws, and a little googling will make a very serviceable straight edge cutting system for your needs. Mark top and bottom- cut a little over half from each side and your slab is in two pieces.

[OneStaple]

I managed to get a few pictures today, attached for your drooling pleasure.

I verified that the thickness is a hair less than 3" (about 2-7/8" on average). Width for most of the length is just over 40". Max width is about 46". Length is just over 11'.

As you can see in the pictures, there are some big unfilled gaps (3/16") on the underside between the two halfs where the glue line should be. The glue line on the top varies up to 1/8" wide. Butterflies are used on both top and bottom, I assume for some structural support.

Three metal straps are attached to the underside (why?...I don't know). My grandpa always told a story of one of the bolt heads being ripped off years ago by expansion of the table and being shot like a bullet across the room.

I should be able to pick this up on the 2nd or 3rd of Feb. I didn't get that model 127 Skilsaw, as it had already sold when I inquired about it.

Tyler

[Stwood_]

Looks like you have a project to do on your hands.

[ez-duzit]

It would be a shame to cut that up.

[Bob10]

Hey all,

I should be getting my grandpa's desk (from his estate) in about a month, which I plan on turning into a dining room table.  It's a beautiful bookmatched live-edge slab of walnut, roughly 11' x 3'-4' x 3".  The base is hideous and poorly done, so I'll redo that.  The slab has always been warped/twisted and the glue line wasn't well done (1/8" in some spots).  I plan to separate the halves, flatten each side, clean up the glue edges, put it back together, and build a new base.

Now the question is how to move it.  At that size, it should be 300+ pounds.  That's not a problem when I pick it up, but it's too much for me (and my wife) to handle once it's home, especially since it'll live in the basement for a while before I move it to the shop to work on.

My thought is to cut down the glue line before I load it and bring it home.  Given the size, live edge, and warp, a table saw isn't an option in my opinion.  And a standard circular saw can't cut through that thickness.  What would be a good way to cut down the length on a slab this size?  Remember, the cut is through 3"+ of thickness.  And I'd like to minimize the kerf, if possible.  The best I've thought of is a hand-held jigsaw against a straight edge, if I can get one with a blade that's long enough.

Thanks,
Tyler

Tyler after seeing that slab let me give you a bit of advice about moving it as a unit.  The slab is too nice to fool with without a good plan or tools to get it cut.  If you can get it to your house you slide it out of where ever it is into a frame with a 2x extending right and left to keep it upright like you were moving a sheet of ply or granite work with it to get it someplace until you can get help into the basement or a better idea of cutting it.  I know 300lbs seems like a lot but most if not all the time you won't be lifting all of it but only one end at a time.  I move granite fairly often which is more delicate that the slab.  If you take this method make sure the first end that hits the ground has something under it that won't let it slide or damage it carpet works.  Youtube might come in handy.  If you can string a rope up to support the weight it goes a long way to keep things from falling further than you want

Or crate it so it is much easier to handle and protected in the off chance it gets away from you

[jteneyck]

Those metal straps are on there for no good reason.  Get rid of them.  I'm sure your Grandpa's story is true.  Wood moves, always.  Metal, not so much.  The two don't belong together without allowing for that movement, which clearly was not the case with those straps  Your photo of how the base is connected to the bottom of the slab is illustrative of how it should not be done, too.  See where those filler blocks at the top of the legs have been sheared along the glue lines?  That happened when the top shrank.  Good thing, too; had they not then maybe the top would have split.  

Studying how old furniture has weathered time is always good learning. 

John

[joe1086]

Thought about calling a moving company? Could be a few hundred bucks to get it from his house to your basement in one piece, assuming it's local. I hired Two Men and a Truck to move a 400 pound tub from the garage to a second floor bathroom, and my back appreciated it. Call the local office and send them the picture, dimensions and weight. They'll probably send someone out to do a quote which doesn't cost anything.

[MKepke]

If you are committed to cutting the table to pieces, just remove the hardware, cut off the legs e.g. with a handsaw and rip the top in half using a plain old circular saw with a simple guide to cut from both faces towards the middle.

Someone gave you instructions on how to make a guide earlier in this thread.

Use a cheap ripping blade and wear protection in case you find hidden metal.

Should take maybe 45 minutes in total. Less if you bring a power driver and Sawzall.

-Mark

[Arlin Eastman]

Like a few others have said.  Call equipment rental places and ask if they have one and should be pretty cheap to rent.

A track sled is easily made.  Take a 1/4" plywood that is 4" wider then the saw and on one end nail or screw a 1x4 on one edge.  When it is done place the saw against the edge and cut off the remaining plywood.  That way all you have to do is place the edge of the plywood clamp and cut.

[OneStaple]

It would be a shame to cut that up.

In what respect? My hope is just to rebuild it so it's usable/functional. That means redoing the glue line properly and flattening the top at the same time. I'd like make a new base for it out of walnut that looks a bit nicer. I believe my grandpa used this as a desk for 40-50 years, so hopefully I can do it some justice and keep using it. Unfortunately, no one else in the family is equipped to even consider messing with it.

Bob - based on the newly measured dimensions, I think the top alone is close to 400 pounds. Eek! I agree that this should be approached carefully and with a plan, but his property has a shop that's nearly as complete as mine (although neither has a large diameter circular saw), so it seems like it's worth going ahead and cutting down the glue line to make transportation easier.

Those metal straps are on there for no good reason....Studying how old furniture has weathered time is always good learning.

Agreed, and yes, I plan to remove them. I assume someone put them on to give "extra support" to the table or something. Good intentions and all.

If you are committed to cutting the table to pieces, just remove the hardware, cut off the legs e.g. with a handsaw and rip the top in half using a plain old circular saw with a simple guide to cut from both faces towards the middle.

Haha, you make it sound so brutal! There's a part of me that doesn't want to touch/cut anything, but there's so much warp to the top that I can't use it unless I fix it. Which means cutting down the glue line and fixing that too.

The bigger question that I'm still struggling with is cutting the length. An 11' table really doesn't fit in my house. 8'-9' is about the most I can do. The concept of cutting 2'-3' off the end makes my stomach turn, but it would otherwise just sit in storage somewhere until we move to a bigger house (unlikely anytime soon). I haven't found a path forward with this that I love, but the best I can come up with is turning a cutoff into a 4-person kitchen table that would double as an extension to the dining room table when we have lots of guests.

Yes, using a track guide with a rented saw is likely the way to go. Although part of me wonders if my 7-1/4" saw will work, given that the glue line on the bottom side of the table seems to be empty.

Thanks all! I'm still open to ideas and am toying with how to best handle this beast, as well as do it justice.

Tyler