Replies

1. 
   oak | Oct 13, 2004 09:06pm | #1

   hey rick..

   how many board feet are you talking about here?

   im no contractor, and honestly i have never even worked with the stuff....   but from everything i have read on breaktime concerning FC, i dont know if ripping it would be in your best interest... could be more hassle than what its worth...

   but like i said, i really dont know anything when it comes to this, but i could only imagine the amount of blades you might go through, and how much dust the poor motor would suck up... 

   but it will be interesting to see what the pro's think.  i guess it boils down to how much you have to rip...

   oak

2. 
   MarkH | Oct 13, 2004 11:40pm | #2

   Lap it so you get the reveal you want. It will result in a slightly thicker siding thickness, but that should be easy to handle.

3. 
   hasbeen | Oct 14, 2004 03:34am | #3

   I have a Kett cutter for the stuff, but in your situation I'd use a diamond blade in an old circular saw.  You could probably cut two or three pieces at a time.  That said, I don't see how you're going to get a 3 1/2" reveal out of a 3 9/16" piece!

   You're unique!  Just like everyone else!      Scott Adams

1. 
   donpapenburg | Oct 14, 2004 04:10am | #4

   Use the neighbors saw.

4. 
   FrankB89 | Oct 14, 2004 04:48am | #5

   A couple of years ago, I built a house for a guy who wanted alternating reveals of 7" and 3 1/2".

   We were using the 8 1/4" plank, so ripping the plank in half served up the right dimensions.  A plank cutting blade (the Hitachi or a diamond blade) enables you to cut about 5 planks at a time easily....but with dust of course....but you get nice clean cuts when ganging them like that.

   The problem with just setting the reveal you want with full planks, is that the bottoms of the planks won't lay flush and will leave a gap at the bottom, but the spiders will appreciate it!

   With the planks you have, you will want to cut your narrow planks to about 4 3/4" or a little less to get the planks to consistently lay flush.

   You'll have some waste, but if you crumble up the left-overs and till them in to your garden, you'll help raise the ph.  (I live in an area of naturally acid soil, so FC scraps and shear coils work for me!

    

5. 
   CAGIV | Oct 14, 2004 05:09am | #6

   If you're going to rip enough siding for an entire house, you might want to consider building a jig for the saw to ride in....

   and I'd make sure to keep the cut edges up.

   

1. 
   firstoffive1 | Oct 15, 2004 04:35pm | #7

   Thanks for all the replies and suggestions.  I have purchased my cement blades and will begin the process of ripping!  Wish me luck!  R