The Ribs are Split and Trimmed

Today, Sean, Norman and I trimmed the 8-ply ribs to thickness and split the 6-ply ribs.  (We laid up 6-ply ribs 1-1/2" thick and split them to get 3/4" thick 6-ply ribs.)

Here's a view of the setup for trimming:

The circular saw is clamped to the side of the table using 2x4s and lag bolts.  There is a small platform just below the saw with a shim to set the height of the blade above the table.  This is Sean's design and execution, and it worked very well.  The alternative was to attempt the work on a table saw, and there's little doubt it would have been far less successful.

During the trimming operation one of us was positioned on either side of the saw, guiding the rib past it, while the third person was "steering" the rib end and helping keep the rib against the saw base.

First we set the saw (as you see above) to cut slightly less than 3/4" and ran each of the 6-ply ribs past the saw twice with the face we had previously planed smooth against the table.  Then we reset the saw to cut 1-1/2" and ran each of the 8-ply ribs past the saw once.

Here is a view of the finished products, with the front ribs on the right and the rear ribs on the left:

 

Today was a milestone.  Now we can begin assembling the first side's structural elements.  The layout is already drawn on the 1/4" Baltic Birch.  Tomorrow we will rip the poplar boards to 3/4" x 1-1/2" and begin the process.