Thanks, Paul. You really have this down to a science. The more time I spend on this BB the more I learn. That's one reason I'm in no big hurry to finish this kayak....I want to just spend time on this BB learning from others. Thanks, Mark P.S. I bought boards from 6" wide to about 13" wide with the bark still on the edges. These boards were right "off the saw." Only a few of them had been sitting and I can see the difference in moisture with those...so I don't think it will take long for them to dry adequately.

: What size boards are you getting? Are they already 1x whatever or are these
: 4x4 posts? Or are you getting freshly cut logs?

: Unless you are buying freshly cut logs these things have already started to
: dry. They may not have gone through a kiln, but they may have been kicking
: around this guy's wood pile for a while already. If they are already cut
: to (nominal) inch thick boards, then they are probably already dry enough
: to work with.

: If you have boards that are thicker than an inch, rip them down to 1 inch or
: 7/8ths inch thick boards. If the wood seens damp as you make these cuts
: then let those boards dry for a week or two while you cut your forms and
: build a strongback. Otherwise, go right to ripping strips.

: If you work with 5/16 strips you are guaranteeing yourself either a heavier
: boat, or a second cutting job, or extensive planing or sanding to get
: those strips down to a final 1/4 inch size. That effectively doubles the
: amount of time you spend making those strips. Cutting wider strips also
: means you will get fewer strips from each board. If you needed 40 board
: feet for 1/4 inch strips (4/16) you will need about 50 board feet for the
: same number of 5/16 strips. 25% thicker strips means 25% more materials,
: and more weight.

: I'd cut 1/4 inch strips. If it shrinks a bit, fine. You can certainly go down
: to 3/16 inch strips with no problems -- so don't worry about any
: shrinkage. You'll just end up with a boat that weighs a bit less and is
: just as strong. There are worse things in life. These thinner strips
: should dry rapidly, even if they are damp.

: 8 and 10 foot boards are just fine to work with. You will probably want to
: have some full length strips to start with.

: I like to scarf a couple of boards to get the length I want, first, and then
: rip my strips from those longer boards. I use fewer clamps, only make one
: or two large scarf joints (instead of a lot of small ones) and in ripping
: the strips I automatically get a neat area around the scarf, free of epoxy
: drips or discolorations. I also get a very good match for grain and color.

: To do this I first rip my boards in half. If I am using 1 x 8s I get two
: pieces that are roughly 1x4s. If I am using 1x6s I get two pieces that are
: roughly 1x3. I have been using a 1 to 8 scarf ratio, and could probably
: get away with a 1 to 6 ratio. The cut removes 24 inches from the length of
: the board. If I am joining two pieces of 10 foot stock I get an 18 foot
: board.

: After I rip the original board I flip one piece over on top of the other so
: that I match the grain. I stack these boards in position with a 2 foot
: overlap, draw a pencil line at the proper angle across these two, and cut
: along the line with a circular saw. If I can clamp on a scrap board for a
: guide, then I use it. Otherwise, I freehand cut it. Since the boards are
: clamped one above the other in the position they will be when glued, any
: minor cutting errors on the top match up with the pattern cut on the
: bottom board. Occasionally I may touch up the cuts with a plane or sander
: before gluing.

: If you find it too wasteful to scarf 3 inch wide stock, then rip your
: materials to an inch or inch-and-a-half and scarf those. With a 1:6 ratio
: on 1 inch wide boards you will only lose 6 inches ( or half a foot), so
: joining two 10 foot pieces gives you a piece that is 19.5 feet long.

: If you need really long pieces, consider scarfing 3 pieces from 8 or 10 foot
: boards. Working with a 1x12 you would get a 20 foot 1x4 from 8 foot stock,
: and a 26 foot 1x4 from the 10 footers. To get a good grain match with
: these, lay out the three freshly ripped boards in front of you, roughly
: reassembling them in the place they were before cutting. Keep the middle
: board in place, and flip the other boards so that one aligns its top with
: the top of the middle board, and the other aligns its bottom with the
: bottom of the middle board. Be sure that you have one edge made up of
: fresh cut edges, and the other side will have the freshly cut edge of the
: center board matched (poorly) with the factory cut edges of the other
: boards. After your glue dries you can trim off the bad edge as you rip
: your strips. Just leave that edge to be cut last.

: The wider the wood you work with the easier it seems to be to cut the angular
: cut for the scarf joint, and to clean it up so that the parts match well
: -- but you lose more wood.

: I get 7 or 8 strips from a nominal 1 x 6 that has been ripped and scarfed
: into an nominal 1x3 that is roughly twice the length. I can live with that
: many full length strips to get things started, so I only need to bother
: with one scarf joint for a whole project -- but you may want twice as
: many.

: Sounds like a great price for your wood.

: Good luck with your boat building.

: Paul G. Jacobson