Baking from scratch. None of the raw materials ever start out perfectly sized. These need to be
planed to a proper thickness (1.50 inches) and then ripped close to their final width (1.25 inches).

The original plank here is 2 in thick by 8 in wide by about 12 ft long. Yeah, it was heavy! I will
often do a rough layout in chalk like this on the rough material to get an idea of how to cut the
pieces and maximize use of material. It is very helpful also to avoid knots or other imperfections.