Jeff,
I tried cutting a 4 inch candle with the electric knife. Tried with two blades first and that didn't work. Then I tried it with one blade. That didn't work either.
A few weeks ago I bought a new blade for my bandsaw to do some resawing. It is a 4 tooth half inch blade with hook teeth. I mounted it in the bandsaw and tried again to cut the candle. This candle is a fairly hard wax candle. This blade just walked through with no trouble.
Here are a few observations:
1. The cut is pretty coarse. I just pushed the candle through with no consideration for esthetics. He may want to use a little heat on the bottom of the candle after it is square and straight to make it look a little better. I'm sure he has ways to do this.
2. The sharp coarse blade actually cut the candle with no melting and no wax buildup on the blade. Both the blade and candle were about 55 degrees F when I made the cut.
3. On the fourth or fifth cut I felt the candle try to roll out of my hand a little. Round pieces tend to do that. A sliding table with a way to steady the candle will be good.
Conclusion: I think your idea of a meat saw with a sliding table and the right blade is a winner.
You might even be able to use the meat saw after a successful hunting trip.
Clem