All kinds of great handicrafts can be made with wooden discs, for example for a beautiful, natural decoration in the house or for the garden. So if a tree has to be felled, you can still use it wonderfully - instead of simply disposing of the valuable wood. With the right tool, you can cut the tree trunk into manageable slices.
It's easier to cut with a chainsaw
Why wood should dry well before sawing
Before cutting, however, the tree trunk should first be carefully dried, otherwise the slices will simply tear within a short time. In the conventional way, it takes about five to ten years for the (sawn) trunk to reach the necessary residual moisture content of less than 20 °C. For this reason, it is better to use wood that has already been seasoned - or use a trick. It will dry a little faster if you put the log in a sack or bin with sawdust and store it in a dark and dry place. In the USA, on the other hand, the method of inserting the wood in a stabilizer (e.g. pentacryl) before processing is widespread, thus preventing cracking.
Which saw is suitable for cutting wood slices?
With the wood drying problem answered, you now need the right saw. For cutting wood slices you can use these saws:
- Circular saw: When the wood slices should be rather thick and accuracy is not so important.
- Chainsaw: You can work a little more precisely with this, but very thin slices of wood are difficult to achieve.
- Bandsaw: This is great for cutting slices of wood, allowing for thin, very precise slices.
- Scroll saw: This saw is the right choice for very fine and filigree woodwork.
Whichever saw you choose, you must follow certain safety rules while working to prevent serious accidents.
tips
If you don't have time to dry fresh wood for years, you can do it after it has been cut and thus processed: However, you have to moisten the wood discs regularly so that they don't tear.