Ribbands

At least I think they are ribbands - the fore and aft components of the frame that the planking is made over. Long thin pieces of timber about 16 or 17 mm square and 5.3 metres long, 10 each side of the boat so 20 in total. These are not a part of the finished boat so the choice of timber isn't important. I bought some Radiata Pine boards 184x19 mm and scarph joined them end to end. Then ripped them into 17 mm strips on the table saw, turned them on edge and ran them through again to make them 17 mm square.

Ripping long lengths of timber is an interesting exercise; for starters you need twice the length of the material to operate in. Here are some photos of the setup.

The long view; the roller table is a recent purchase and for this operation is very important. It is possible to hold up and control a narrow piece of timber but the full width board is too heavy and unwieldy to feed in a controlled way.

Here is the saw. The yellow device on the table is a feather board. Again it is a bought one and worth every dollar. I have always struggled with improvised arrangements held in place with clamps. This one has magnets to hold it in place and it really does a good job.

Behind the saw are two roller stands that carry the timber over the space between the saw and the workbench where there is a temporary run way to support the board as it runs through. There is just enough space between the saw blade and the back wall of the shed to accommodate the outgoing timber.

Finally, this is one of the by-products!