This is a tricky one. It's possible to do this with hand tools by marking a line, clamping the rosette in a vise, rough-cutting with a handsaw and cleaning up with a plane, but it takes a fair bit of skill and some tools you may not own. The best power tool for the job is a bandsaw, which you also may not have. Do you know anyone with a better-equipped shop?

I thought about a band saw, but I've had problems in the past with the saw blade bending, resulting in a not-so-straight cut. I was hoping for a power tool option, but I may have to opt for hand tools. FYI, I have in my shop a chop saw, table saw, router & table, rotozip, dremel multimax, and other hand power tools (circular saw, sawzall, etc.)

Any other ideas?

Thanks,
Tami

Use a hot glue gun to attach a handle (just a 2' long 3" wide plank) so the block can safely be ripped on a table saw. Set the blade at half height and make two passes for a safer cut.
Casey

Band saws aren't inherently so problematic -- it might be worth making sure the blade is sharp, correctly tensioned, the guides and fence properly adjusted. Otherwise, Casey's idea is a good one.

Thanks for the idea - just to clarify, where would I attach the handle? On top, side, or on the backside, so I can push it through?

Easiest thing to do would be to rip a piece of scrap to 3" wide (same as the rosette) and glue the back of the rosette to one side, right in the middle. You can then put the back of the scrap stick against your TS fence, cut halfway through the rosette, flip the stick end-for-end and cut the rest of the way through. Just make the stick long enough that you can keep your hands well away from the blade.

Exactly as jon1270 stated. A upgrade would be a small stop block to back up the edge of the rosette "just in case" the glue fails.
Casey