Shaping the stems

Once all the forms were in place the next thing I needed to do was shape the stems. The idea is that the outside of each stem is 1/4" wide and the strips lie flat on the stem as they run out to the forms. Typically a spokeshave or plane is used to put a rolling bevel on the stem. The “rolling” refers to the fact that the angle of the bevel needs to change along the length of the stem.

Working the stem with my spokeshave was a bit tedious and frustrating at first. I was planing through 3 laminations of wood and not all of the laminations had the grain running the same way so it makes for some tougher cutting. It was also obvious that it would take some getting used to before I would become efficient and proficient in using the spokeshave for this job. In order to assist the work, I made a sanding stick. The basic idea is from John Michne’s website. Instead of attaching short pieces of strips to my stems, I just draw lines marking where each strip would run and then move the sanding stick within these lines. It works well, but it is better to do most of the wood removal with the spokeshave and finishing touches with the sanding stick.

When I first started with the stems I found it quite tedious and was wondering if I could handle building a strip boat. Once my technique improved the job became more enjoyable. I decided not to shape the stems all at once but I make sure that at least 4" of shaped stem is showing above where the top strip lays. This gives me plenty of room for shaping more of the stem. Waiting for strips to be attached also helps a lot in stablizing the stem while shaping.