On 12/19/2019 8:02 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I recently took a walk through a conservation area in upstate NY. The following
boardwalk zigged and zagged through the area, creating a loop about 1/2 mile.
The curves were of various radii, some fairly sharp, some more sweeping.

https://i.imgur.com/hKswjPY.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/AlxlcRA.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/SqEXbcL.jpg

At every curve, and I mean every one, the boards were tapered to fit, sometimes
just a few, sometimes a dozen or more. If you zoom in on this image, you'll
see about 8 tapered boards in the center, and then a few more to left near the
posts that support the railings. The entire boardwalk is built like this.

https://i.imgur.com/CkWhb97.jpg

In addition, at each double post, the floorboards are notched to fit tightly
around the uprights. This notches are cut at all different angles, whatever
it took to get them tight around the posts.

https://i.imgur.com/dSW6AMH.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/B6l7Mir.jpg

I can't imagine that these cuts were made one by one, in the field, by a
person with a tape measure, a straight edge, and a circular saw.

Perhaps there is a computer program, which lays out each cut, numbers
each board, etc. so that the boardwalk is put together in the field
based on a printed plan? Thousands of boards, all individually cut by
a CNC machine? Gotta be done like that, right?

Even so, getting them this tight out in the field, the wet marshland in
fact, even if created and cut by a computer, is pretty damn amazing.

The cutout around the post shows the saw marks of the end cuts overcut
the cross cut just a little. Since it's Trex or similar, almost
certainly a circular saw was used w/ carbide blade--the age makes it
look like might have been a little early for battery powered so probably
had a generator along with them would be my guess.

The tapered cuts a doable; whether there was a shop plan and then
erected on site of just a set of guide markers and built to follow is
impossible to tell...as another noted, a job site saw table is
sufficient. I noted they went to the trouble to round over the edges to
match the original profile or just rounded them all the same which is a
nice touch. Didn't use SS fasteners, though; whether they were all
galvanized and just failing or some look like could have been ordinary
bright commons...

Whoever built it did a nice job but I think it was just hand work. Not
difficult, just time-consuming. Dunno that area so no idea--many of
those kinds of places have volunteer labor for such projects.

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