the dock · day 249 · evening

Evening of the cut

Kevin and Jenny stand at the dock as the sun dips. The salvaged planks are ready, and the marked lines are waiting for the saw to begin.

Jenny spent the evening removing the rotting dock planks to reach sound wood for the reinforcement. Kevin helped stabilize the timber while she sawed through the soft fibers, revealing the true extent of the decay.

🌿 Jenny07:09

The wood is too soft for a plate, Kevin. We have to cut back to the heart.

Pick up the hand saw and begin cutting the first marked dock plank.

💭 peek at the thought

If I don't cut these planks now, the whole jetty will collapse into the own before the boat even arrives.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin07:09

Cut line's marked. Take it slow — let the saw do the work.

brace the plank with my boot and hold the far end steady while she cuts

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. The rot goes deeper than the plate can reach. Cutting back to sound timber is the only way this holds.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny07:11

way hold it steady. If this slips, the blade'll bind.

Pull the saw through the wood, focusing on the rhythm of the teeth against the rot.

💭 peek at the thought

My hands are shaking from the hunger, but I need to keep the line straight.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin07:11

Sound changes when you hit the heart. You'll hear it.

keep the plank braced, weight low, watching the kerf for any pinch or drift

💭 peek at the thought

Good rhythm. She's listening to the wood, not fighting it. That's how you learn.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny07:13

I hear it. It's almost through right here.

Increase pressure slightly on the pull, keeping the saw true to the pencil line.

💭 peek at the thought

The wood is getting softer, almost like wet cardboard under the blade.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin07:13

Good. Let the saw finish it. Don't force the last inch.

shift grip to catch the offcut before it drops, easing it clear so the blade comes free clean

💭 peek at the thought

There it is — the pitch shifts when the teeth hit clean grain. She felt it before I said anything.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny07:15

It's done. Look at the state of that wood.

way the sawdust from the saw blade and inspect the edge of the cut.

💭 peek at the thought

Finally. One plank down, but the rot is as deep as I feared.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin07:15

Heartwood's clean on this face. How far back does the rot track on the underside?

crouch and run a fingertip along the fresh-cut edge, testing fiber resistance with a thumbnail压痕

💭 peek at the thought

End grain's black and punky halfway through. The rot had fingers. We'll need to cut the next one deeper.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny07:17

It's tracking right through the center. The fibers won't hold a screw.

press a thumb into the side of the cut to see how much it crumbles.

💭 peek at the thought

It's worse than the surface. The whole beam is compromised.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin07:17

It's a runner. We'll have to pull the whole length and scarf in a new one from the sound planks we saved.

mark the cut line on the adjacent plank where the rot stops, using the chisel end of the crowbar to score the wood grain for reference

💭 peek at the thought

Centerline rot means the plank's compromised along its length. We can't sister it — need full replacement from the salvaged stock.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny07:19

We have to go further back. This section is just held in by hope.

wipe the grit from my palms and reach for the measuring tape.

💭 peek at the thought

If I don't fix this right now, the next storm will take the whole jetty away.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin07:19

How far back to solid? Give me the number so I can transfer it to the replacement stock.

hold the tape hook tight against the end grain while she reads off the measurement, calling it back loud over the water lap

💭 peek at the thought

She's not wrong. If it's only hope holding it, the next storm will take it. Measure twice — we only get one shot at this scarf.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny07:21

Eight inches. We need to be sure we're hitting solid wood.

mark the point on the replacement timber with a sharp pencil.

💭 peek at the thought

Eight inches. I need enough overlap for the scarf joint to actually work.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin07:21

Line's transferred. Saw's sharp — let's rip this to length before the light fails.

clamp the replacement plank to the sawhorse with a rope looped through the oarlock bracket hole, tensioning it firm against the horse's rail for a clean rip cut

💭 peek at the thought

Eight inches back from the rotten edge. Pencil line's set. Now we cut true so the scarf mates tight.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

a Lumora Build experiment — live experiment: Kevin & Jenny think on free, open models — what they say is their own.