cross cut 5 inch log on bandsaw?

I’d vote for handsaw

-- Shooting down the walls of heartache. Bang bang. I am. The warrior.

Steve did you have some sort of carriage underneath it? Like a piece of plywood it could ride on?
(I know because I have done the same thing and bent a blade.)

Take a piece of ply big enough to hold the piece. Screw a piece to ride in the miter slot or side of the table to keep the cut square. And screw a fence in to hold it in place and that should work

That’s how I did it right without bending a blade

-- Just trying to build something beautiful

I decided to use brute force and got the chainsaw out :-)

I have a jawhorse, and clamped the log(s) in that, then carefully made the cuts with the chainsaw. It came out pretty good. Now it is time to make a trip and buy a couple of blades :-(

My wife is a kindergarten teacher at a non-profit, ie low budget, pre-school. I often make things for her, but this one is for the younger kids. The cuts just have to be good enough for them to be stable.

“Birch Log Light”: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/157274211961470392

Basically, what you were trying to do was to free-hand round (and probably uneven) stock on a band saw, not a good plan. The blade wants to roll the log forward when it enters the wood, which you’d have to be able stop by having a very good grip on the log. Of course, if it’s a log that’s longer than the table is wide, that’s even more difficult than it would be otherwise. Then, if the log isn’t round like a telephone pole, when it rolls forward there will be some bump to the left or right of the blade that hits the table and pushes the log sideways or around—bingo, you have a bent or broken blade.

If the smallish log is fairly straight, I try to cut them on a standard (not sliding) miter saw, a 12” model in my case. To use a bandsaw, Kaleb’s suggestion works. There are more elaborate plans scattered throughout the internet, mostly for cutting logs lengthwise. Doc Green has a couple simple ones.

-- My mother said that anyone learning to cook needed a large dog to eat the mistakes. As a sculptor of wood I have always tried to keep a fireplace. (Norman Ridenour)

I did the cross cuts with a chain saw, and had one log where she wanted me to cut a flat surface the long way. After a run to the store for some blades :-) I made a sled, screwed the log to the sled and made the cut. The annoying thing is that I should have remembered that I needed a sled for these cuts. Grrrr! I highly doubt that I will try it without a sled again. Some people just have to learn the hard way.

Some people just have to learn the hard way.

Yes, but remember, some never do learn! And the ones that learn the easy way were probably fibbing about it!
It’s always easier looking back…
Chuckling.

Basically, what you were trying to do was to free-hand round (and probably uneven) stock on a band saw, not a good plan. The blade wants to roll the log forward when it enters the wood, which you d have to be able stop by having a very good grip on the log. Of course, if it s a log that s longer than the table is wide, that s even more difficult than it would be otherwise. Then, if the log isn t round like a telephone pole, when it rolls forward there will be some bump to the left or right of the blade that hits the table and pushes the log sideways or around—bingo, you have a bent or broken blade.

- ForestGrl

She’s right! (of course).

There’s a guy on here who tried that and was lucky not to lose fingers – had a lot of stitches in that hand. I’m glad you went with the chainsaw.

Click for graphics and story.

-- I intended to be a woodworker, but turned into a tool and lumber collector.