: ...fir, red oak, walnut, and wrc. It
: looks good when you mix it up...

Yessir, I'll bet it does! I'd like to see a close-up, got any??

You bring up a decision we all end up having to balance sooner or later as woodworkers, to wit: thinner strips bend much easier, but require more laminations; whereas thicker strips, while tougher to manage, arrive at the desired build-up faster. I try to get 'em as thick as possible since I'm basically a lazy sob, but understand that fixing broken strips is a PITA too.

In my post from last night, I said, in part: 'Check it out: '. Hmm, I thought I had added a description of my process to my website, but turns out I never did (nor did I ever add a close-up photo of the end result), and then forgot to strike that line before submitting. I'm gonna be doing another coaming on my freebie Guilly soon, and will make a point of covering it better.

I've been finding that a final build-up to 5/8" or so works well with my spray skirt. I also tend to work with shorter strips so I can separate the tight bend taming, and fitted butt joint battles. As far as my eye is concerned, the plethora of staggered butt joints looks great, especially when staggered judiciously.

Cheers, Kurt