Can You Cut Sleepers With A Chainsaw? (Explained)
Cutting the sleepers is possible with a chainsaw by making a straight clean-cut, or one can use a circular saw.
Use an angle rule to ensure the sleepers fit perfectly.
You can avoid the cutting work by asking for precut sleepers, as well.

Tips to use sleepers creatively
On mastering the basics with sleepers, working on the project options, finishes, and designs are endless.
- You can build for your flowers and veggies a raised bed. Consider rectangular beds or traditional square beds and get creative to give bespoke shapes as per the available space using sleepers.
- Gardening steps using sleepers are an attractive alternative to stone or concrete. It is a great choice to fill with gravel, and decorative stone and extends it with turfed steps.
- Pave with sleepers the way and enjoy winding walkways offering a natural lip. For a stylish landscape look, fill the spaces using gravel or decorative stones.
Sleepers make attractive and practical choices in designing your space.
You can line the garden beds or zone your garden keeping sleeper borders.
Cutting them with a chainsaw is helpful so that it has different sizes and is a bit off-size or off-shape, giving a creative styling.
The railway sleepers are cut using a chainsaw by making clean and straight cuts.
How to use the chainsaw for cross-cutting without getting stuck
The technique of cross-cutting is a necessity for felling trees. It ensures safety and prevents the chainsaw so that it is not stuck.
Using the cutting technique incorrectly can pinch the guide bar or split the trunk.
You may spend some time assessing the trunk and making the first cut.
Felling a tree is a good idea so that you know where it should fall.
Having the appropriate chainsaw helps felling the tree, but knowing to use the chainsaw is a skill, that comes with practice.
Safety First
Crosscutting a log means being aware of the terrain and the surroundings to prevent accidents.
However, consider the safety checks basics including:
- Standing from the log uphill while working on slopes, so that the logs roll before you cut through and may cause injury.
- Cutting into trunks can result in a jump or throwback, thus stepping to the side of the cut is the recommendation to reduce the injury risk.
- Avoiding standing directly in the front while cutting is not safe as the chainsaw may make contact with knots and kickback inside the trunk.
- Wear protective clothing as high-quality protective boots are enough for saw protection. It keeps the feet safe even if your hand slips while using the chainsaw. Wearing a functional pair of gloves ensures heavy-duty work wear and saw protection.
Working with chainsaws does not mean you can be too careful.
However, using PPE is a smart choice in making the cross-cuts and wearing protective high-quality boots, a helmet with ear and eye protection, a protective high visibility jacket, functional gloves, and high visibility protective trousers.
These protective wears and gears help you cut sleepers without any worry using a chainsaw.
Final Thought
Cutting sleepers with a chainsaw is a nice option, but you must not expect a smooth finish.
However, using a chainsaw grip the handle firmly and consider the first cut.
Always hold the chainsaw at a diagonal angle and never stand behind the chainsaw directly to avoid kickback injury.
Facilitate the process of felling using a felling wedge, and it helps in the direction of the tree falling.