u/dionysos803

I am looking to cut a 20-inch wide, almost 3-inch thick, 8-foot long slab of walnut in half (10 inches wide).

Last time I tried to cut a similar 2-inch thick slab down the middle, it deflected my blade and therefore cut into the aluminum track in several places, even when putting a wedge in it.

I am sure the idea here is to cut it on one side, flip it, and try to cut it on the back, but I do not want to cut into my track again and am wondering what I can do to avoid this.

Last time when I did this on the 2-inch thick slab, I used the stock Festool blade. I just ordered the rip-cut blade, but will this really make all the difference, especially if I have to make two passes (top, flip, and bottom)?