24. Installing an Outer Stem

To prepare the surface for installation, I first sawed, then planed the strips flush with the inner stem. Then I cut a rabbet (stop line) with a pull saw, and chiseled to that line. (not shown below, sorry)


I used way too many screws installing the outer stem, but they were brass and so shiny.. anyways, do you see where the outer stem stops? (in the picture below) That's where I cut the rabbet. (The outer stem is inset a bit)

In addition to the screws, I used a mix of epoxy and lots of wood flour between inner and outer stems. There was a small gap ( < 1/8 " ) and the thickened epoxy hides it.
I shaped the outer stem in place with a sanding drum attachment on my corded hand-drill.

When I was happy with the shape, I applied another layer of fiberglass and epoxy over the whole thing. Below, I have started to feather out (sand down) the new fiberglass. (The white dust is mostly epoxy dust) When I am happy with that the whole assembly will get another coat of epoxy.