: Far better is to just work on a single strip after it has been
: ripped. Much less loss.

: But, when I need clear wood for stringers for SOF boats, or the few
: clear, full-lenght strips, I'll take a hit on the length.
: Actually I lose about 18 to 24 inches. With a 1x6 I'll first rip
: it to half the width . (about 2.75") then join the two thin
: pieces to get roughly double the length. If there are knots near
: the ends of the boards I lose them when joining the thin boards.
: I try to avoid buying wood with massive knots in the middle.

: Since my boards are just under 2.75" wide at this point, with
: an 8:1 scarf length I'd lose about 16 inches, plus the length of
: the knot. It is less than your forecast, but still pretty bad.

: As for scarfing through the thickness of the wood, I'd need to set
: up a jig to cut the scarfs, and cut each board separately. I can
: just cut through half of a 1x6 on edge on a 10" table saw,
: but not half of a 1x8. I might do it on the bandsaw, though.
: Cutting in the other direction is fast--just stack 'em and zip
: through with a jig saw.

: When the wood is cheap and time is expensive I go with the fast
: route. When the wood is expensive and the time is cheap, I'll
: cut the strips first, and then scarf them, or cut knots from
: them.

: PGJ

Actually pretty easy to make a decent thickness scarf with stacked boards and either a block plane or a belt sander, even easier with plywood as you've got guidelines for when the angle is straight. WRC is getting pricy, specially if you pay for clear stock, wasting wood bothers me.

I normally only scarf stringers for the SOF's, on strippers I just do a butt joint.

Bill H.