Rob--Thanks for your post. I too had some concerns about the circular-saw-mounted-to-a-plank-strip-cutting-set-up. I'm glad to hear somone with your level of experience explain the safety issues.

I think that, as a whole, our BBS community is fond of finding their own solutions to problems. Isn't that half of what boatbuilding is about? A lot of times we enjoy the economy of solutions that use materials and equipment that we have at hand. There is an extra measure of satisfaction in "making something out of nothing."

As much as we enjoy sharing these small successes with the BBS community, its important that we share the lessons that we've learned about woodworking safety, too. Contributions to this community came in many forms and keeping everyones fingers attached is a worth contribution.

Rob has made a pretty strong arguement on the side of safety here and if he was just some yahoo shooting off his mouth for the sake of an arguement I'd react much differently. Rob should be on anyones short list when they talk about the best in wooden kayaks and woodworking skill & experience.

Mike Scarborough
Friendship Kayak