The proper way to divide an Oncidium
 

I'm looking for suggestions on the proper way to divide an Oncidium. I have a few that just keep getting bigger and rounder and some are stacking their pseudobulbs. I did a division last year and found the whole process confusing and darn near impossible. When you look at the growth pattern it leads you to believe that you can just pop the pseudobulbs apart. I found this to not be true. They grow together quite securely. So how does one approach the task of division? Do you just slice straight through the plant and suffer the loss of adjacent pseudobulbs or is there a kinder gentler way?

And here is another question. How do you divide (not repot) a large Onc. growing in SH pellets? First you have the difficulty of dividing the plant and then you have to deal with the roots that are firmly attached to the pellets. It looks intimidating. Has anyone successfully tackled such a project?