I have been cutting up some walnut for bowl blanks. I built a sawhorse stand to hold the logs for cutting in half, and it is stable and secure. I can use the chainsaw to cut the log chunk in half (lying on it's side) to get two bowl blanks, but I am having difficulty sawing off the corners to get a octagonal/roundish shape. I cannot figure out how to secure the "1/2 log" so that it does not move when using the chainsaw to knock off the corners. Since I am cutting with the flat side up (to see the 14"-16" circle better), the rounded bottom wants to roll/pitch/spin at I cut. It is too dangerous to try and hold the piece still with one hand and chainsaw one-handed, so I need a method to secure the blank. I have had limited success with chocks/wedges on each side. Even if I cut with a template on top and the flat side down, it will want to move around. Maybe some kind of clamp frame?
My band saw is smallish and cannot handle this thickness of blank.
I assume someone has already worked out a good solution to this