How do you cut up a lead keel?

[PeterSibley]

OK, I was going to come on the bike so a timely warning .

[Chip Chester]

If you have a good-size welder to use as a power supply, you might try making a hot cutter like used in cutting foam. Instead of a hot wire, maybe use a hot piece of bandsaw blade. You'll have fumes to deal with, but no chips. Make a bow-saw-like frame, keep the tension tight, and keep the blade engaged when the current is high, so the heat transfers into the work instead of vaporizing the blade. A steel cable draped over the part, with weights on each end and clipleads for the power connections could make it a hands-off affair. Note that this suggestion is fraught with danger at every turn, and is suitable only for educational discussion purposes. Chip

[andrewpatrol]

Just a thought Pete, if you drill all those holes then the sawzall may get through it way easier

[PeterSibley]

Just a thought Pete, if you drill all those holes then the sawzall may get through it way easier

That thought did cross my mind, actually any method would be easier after drilling as series of holes. I quite like the idea of a drill as a cutting tool , slow,steady and nice controllable swarf.

[Bob Cleek]

There's good food for thought there Mr Floss! I'll resist the Skilsaw for a while , my 7 1/4 " Makita is too small anyway but a drill would be a very useful .I could quite easily drill closely spaced holes down through the lead and come very close to cutting it completely . I have a very good Makita 500 rpm 1/2" electric drill motor and lots of drill bits . It would be far more pleasant than a chainsaw ! I'm not sure how I'd finish the job but that would be a great start !

I think you're losing it, Peter! Go to the tool rental shop and rent a properly sized chainsaw (16" bar should do it.) Lay out your tarps and start cutting. Lubricate a lot with a squirt bottle full of kerosene. The job will be done in half the time we've spent discussing it and you, too, will then be an expert in cutting up lead keels!

[emma55]

I'll take you up on that Gary , I don't want to use my little Husqvarna on lead, I think it might tear the plastic casing apart.

Be safe !!

[PeterSibley]

I think you're losing it, Peter! Go to the tool rental shop and rent a properly sized chainsaw (16" bar should do it.) Lay out your tarps and start cutting. Lubricate a lot with a squirt bottle full of kerosene. The job will be done in half the time we've spent discussing it and you, too, will then be an expert in cutting up lead keels!

With the greatest respect Bob, I won't do to a rental tool what I won't do to my own .

[Old Dryfoot]

With the greatest respect Bob, I won't do to a rental tool what I won't do to my own .

So you're the one...

[Duncan Gibbs]

Peter was going to walk to your place Gary?

ETA: I didn't see the second page: I thought Carol et familia was coming to Gary's shindig as well?

[Bob Cleek]

With the greatest respect Bob, I won't do to a rental tool what I won't do to my own .

The suggestion to "rent it," was mainly a joke, Peter. Cutting up a lead keel shouldn't cause any more stress and strain to a chain saw than cutting up a similar amount of firewood. In the past, I've cutormarily rented chainsaws myself because I don't have frequent occasion to need one and they are expensive if you buy a good one. (Not much point in buying a cheap anything that's run by a small gas engine if you want it to start every time you go to use it!) I'm about to bite the bullet and get a relatively small one, though. The trees around my place need some trimming and I can amortize the price of a nice one and the cost of renting a chipper for what it would cost to have a tree service come in and do it. If I have another keel to cut up, I'd expect I'd use my own if I had one.

[GWB]

Use an electric jackhammer with a wide chisel/bit/blade. It works.....rental places have them

[donald branscom]

Peter, despite the opinions to the contrary a sawzall will work just fine, and is probably one of the cleaner options in terms of dust containment

I cut up a two thousand pound keel into chunks of about 150 lbs. using a sawzall and a demolition blade about a foot long. Waxing the blade doesn't hurt, to prevent the teeth from loading. I think I used two blades, the lead being so soft. It probably took about six hours. Dead boring, but what would you expect.

A skilsaw would have been good to make initial cuts but I didn't have one with me.

Kerosene works very well.

[PeterSibley]

The suggestion to "rent it," was mainly a joke, Peter. Cutting up a lead keel shouldn't cause any more stress and strain to a chain saw than cutting up a similar amount of firewood. In the past, I've cutormarily rented chainsaws myself because I don't have frequent occasion to need one and they are expensive if you buy a good one. (Not much point in buying a cheap anything that's run by a small gas engine if you want it to start every time you go to use it!) I'm about to bite the bullet and get a relatively small one, though. The trees around my place need some trimming and I can amortize the price of a nice one and the cost of renting a chipper for what it would cost to have a tree service come in and do it. If I have another keel to cut up, I'd expect I'd use my own if I had one.

A friend (WX) and I cut a few lumps off the end of this keel so I had the opportunity to enjoy the process and also to examine the chainsaw afterwards. His saw is a Husqvarna, as is mine , both have plastic cases . We were both surprised to see how much of the plastic at the back of the clutch assembly had eroded. It was quite deeply pitted from the shotgun effect of a few million bits of high speed lead. This might not happen with an aluminium cased saw, I don't know.

[Slacko]

I cut one up using various methods. From skilsaw and a Sawzill thingy with long blades, which both kinda worked but was hard yakka.
I eventually got to the chainsaw method, buying a cheap electric one.
First cut done in 30 seconds as opposed to an hour or more with the 2 previous methods.
Second cut half way through, the clutch blew from the load. Took that back and it got repaired under warranty (took a month).
In the meantime I bit the bullet and bought a petrol one. It finished the job in about 15 minutes and no damage (other than needing a new chain).
The chain bites in and you have to pull the saw back to slow the cut, not push it in like cutting wood.

[Chip Chester]

+1 on the electric chainsaws -- they're expendably cheap, too. For reciprocating saws, you can buy tree-pruning blades that are 12" or more long, and have a deep, hardened tooth. Proper lube/coolant will help. Chip

[Bob Cleek]

A friend (WX) and I cut a few lumps off the end of this keel so I had the opportunity to enjoy the process and also to examine the chainsaw afterwards. His saw is a Husqvarna, as is mine , both have plastic cases . We were both surprised to see how much of the plastic at the back of the clutch assembly had eroded. It was quite deeply pitted from the shotgun effect of a few million bits of high speed lead. This might not happen with an aluminium cased saw, I don't know.

Interesting. I haven't come across that problem before. Good thing to be aware of. It seems like the problem can be avoided with some sacrificial covering.... Sounds like another good use for duct tape!

[mariner2k]

Chainsaw alll the way. I've cut up plenty. Use a sharp blade. Unless you hit something else in there, it'll stay sharp. Save the shavings, there will be a lot...and wear long pants, sleeves, gloves and goggles. It's fast and efficient. BTW I'm still using the same saw to cut wood. The lead doesn't ruin it.

[seo]

Over the years I've cut up quite a few big lead castings, usually boat keels, and because they were usually lying on a low-tide beach, the only tool possible was a chainsaw. They work fine. Most chainsaws have an adjusting screw that allows you to adjust the rate of feed of oil to the chain. I turn it up full. I also use an old bar that I don't much care about, and chains that are nearly worn out. If they're well oiled and you don't drive them in too hard, they'll do fine. I've never had trouble with lead chips clogging up the chip chute, but I guess that could happen. I don't think that there are any vapors to speak of involved with this job (I could be wrong), but in any event I wear my welding jacket and gloves, and a full-face mask. A chip of lead REALLY stings!
The shearing jaws would be very lovely, but they're going to charge you for it, and first you'll have to get a trailer, load the keel into the trailer, drive to the shear, pay the guy, drive home. For that time and money, you could but a cheap chainsaw, use it, and throw it away when you're done. Or sell it on Ebay...