Working on a project that will have cantilever shelves. It's 16" at the bottom and about 5'7" tall. I need to cut the bottom at an angle to get the entire cone tilted at an angle. The cut it so in 2 more places at the same angle for the shelves. If I had a giant bandsaw it would be pretty easy to build a jig. I can probably cut the bottom on my bandsaw but the throat isn't deep enough to cross cut the other 2 places. Jig saw or even the chainsaw come to mind. I will have to clean up the joint no matter what and will probably build some kind of jig for the router if I don't feel I can do with hand planes. Open to suggestions. Heck even drawing the lines around it at the angle will be challenging.
How about a hand saw of some sort guided by an angled wooden frame. I first thought of a bow saw but I don't think I've seen one that will cut 16". Could build a larger tensioned frame from 2x4s for a bow saw blade.
A standard crosscut hand saw might give a better cut if you can find a large one.
I have an antique 2-man crosscut saw somewhere that might work if cleaned up and sharpened.
Reed Gray built a chain saw chop saw that could keep the angle right:
I think I would shim the bottom with wedges to the angle (lean?) you want. Maybe even hot melt glue so nothing shifts. Then use a scribe block and pencil like when scribing a line around a chair leg and scribe the bottom line, then rig up another scribe block for the second, and another for the third. The higher up, the more stable they (the blocks) have to be. Cutting? I think a good old fashioned cross cut hand saw... Please post pics, I love your work and ideas...
I made a jig to mount my circular saw on it's side so I could slide it around the piece which is held in the proper orientation to the base / work table. Keep in mind that the jig may need to have more reach for the cuts on higher up where the slope away from the bottom gets further over.
This take care of the cut coming out level ever time, whereas if you tried to cut the individual parts, even if the lines were laid out exactly right on the surface, the angle to the face is constantly changing.
I wish I had some pics of the process, but I made this long before I got a digital camera, and frankly I don't recall exactly how I mounted the hand held circular saw to the jig, but it was probably a couple of screws through the front of the sole into an angle iron, which was screwed to the arm of the jig. the arm of the jig would slide up and down a column of the jig base.
Think virtually like running ridial arm saw out to the end with the motor laid over in the yoke so the saw would be on its side. I'm not recommending that, but this is about what it amounts to. You will need a really big work-table, because my jig had a footprint at least 2' x 2', and my base was at least 3' circumstance, although yours is a bit smaller.
Otherwise, if you want a quick and dirty method that just wont cut as fast, think about using a multi-tool mounted on an arm that can move up and down,
I have a cheap laser level. It throws narrow line. You could tilt your cone and fasten it in position. Set the level up on some sort of stand the correct height and use it to draw a line around the cone. Any sort of laser pointer would work. Then you could cut an oval in a piece of plywood that would fit over the cone and support it level and make the cut with a multi-tool.
Excellent idea Clifton. I thought about putting a laser in a 2x4 on a stand and then mark it with a pencil as I rotate the laser around. A long arm connected to the 2x4 with a pencil would do the job. No on second thought I have a light stand and articulated arm for my photography. It would hold a pencil quite well.
Or I could set the piece on my lazy susan and prop it at the correct angle. Then set my drill press table to proper height and use either my router or jig saw sitting sideways on the drill press table and simply rotate the piece into the tool.
Tilt the cone. provide a surface parallel to the plane it will set on. Use this surface (plane in geometry terms), a table top as an example, to mark the cut lines. Obviously you will have to rig "table tops" at the heights you need.
Maybe make a plywood doughnut and shim an hot glue to the correct angle to establish the plane use a hand saw to cut off. Then use something to clean up the surface (low angle block plane, belt sander, router jig, ect.).
