Fashioned wood

The strength of the timber ultimately used in the ship is greatest if pieces of timber which by nature have the required form are used. The film shows the keelson, the largest formed part of the ship, being fashioned. The keelson lies in the bottom of the ship and distributes the load from the mast. It is made from a straight 18-metre-long oak trunk with a single sturdy branch protruding horizontally from the centre.