Step Two: Rip to an Approximate Width

Remembering to leave extra for straightening the piece, you have to take your freshly cut rough board and narrow it down. A handheld ripsaw and a pencil line will do the trick (actually I use a marker pen), as well as a circular saw or a bandsaw. My preference at this point is to use the bandsaw. It is a very forgiving machine, cuts quickly, and accuracy is not paramount so the roughness of the lumber will not throw any measurements out here. In fact its versatility is one of the key reasons why I think the bandsaw is the most important tool in the shop.

At the bandsaw, I use the marker lines as my guide to ripping out the two boards I need to get out of this slab. A fence would be pointless as nothing is straight or square just yet so an even, steady hand will yield two boards ready for the next phase.