“I give it up, and it was stupid on my part,” added Ben.
“Such mistakes are to be expected from beginners. Now let us look at the board we have. In the length we have six inches to spare, which is abundant. Now let us see if the ends of the board are sound. Are there any checks or splits in it?”
None of any consequence were found.
“Now, boys, laying out the work is quite as important as doing it. If you make blunders in your calculations, the job will not come out as you expect. We must first cut the board into six lengths.”
“We are to take out six-sixteenths of an inch for the saw-cuts,” suggested Steve Baxter.
“Why six?”
“Because the board is to be sawed into six lengths.”
“How many cuts do you make in order to get six pieces?”
“Six, sir.”
“Do you think so? Look it over a little more.”