: Suggestions on how to tackle cutting up rough cut cedar that is a full
: 2" thick into strips? I thought I would slice off 1/4" thick
: sections and then cut each of these down again to get 1/4 x 3/4"
: strips? Any problems going at it this way?

You'll have a lot of surface area in the cut when you rip 2 inch thick wood. And a lot of kerf loss. There might be some burning, too, which you would have to sand off later. Why not rip the wood into 3/4 inch pieces, and then later flip these and cut strips which are all 3/4 by 1/4. You could cut some 5/8 or 1/2 or even 3/8 thick pieces, too, or you may get somehing like that showing up as the last stick left after cutting all the others.

When you rip these smaller boards into your strips you'll start with many pieces which are all 3/4 x 2 inches. This makes seting your fingerboards and hold downs simpler. Do one setup and run all your stock through. It will now be smaller, but ALL the stock will be the same size again, so you reset your holddowns and rip again until all the stock is smaller. Repeat until you run out of wood to cut. Depending on the kerf, you should get about 8 or 9 strips from each 2 inch wide board.

: Second question is what lengths should I make the strips in order to build a
: 14' boat? I've got shop space to run about 8' max thru table saw and
: router. Planks are 12' long. Should I go with 8' and 4', 7' and 5', or
: some random combination of lengths?

I expect you'll have a few knots in that wood. Let them determine the lengths for you. If you crosscut the boards around any big knots before ripping, you'll have shorter pieces to rip and your ripping blade won't get bogged down in the dense knots. By the way, if you cut out the knots by making 2 long, angular, parallel cuts you can glue the boards back together (those cuts make a nice scarph joint for you) and have nearly perfect "clear" wood for your strips, and the board will only be a few inches shorter than what you started with.

Try to find a way to get some 16 foot strips ripped. You want about 5 of them at least. They will be of great use when you start on your 14 foot boat.

PGJ