Building the backbone: The Stem

Ok, this is going to be a multi-parter.  Let's start with an impromptu vocab lesson:

These are all parts of the boat mentioned in the next couple posts,

Backbone: Structural elements that make up the boat.

Stem: The curved solid wood member that forms the front of the boat.
Keel: The very bottom of the boat.
Transom: The flat backend of the boat.
Sternpost: The solid wood structural member that forms the back of the boat.

The Stem

I'll start by sharing how I made the stem.  Keep in mind that I tend to do things the hard way but in this case I think it was the best method.  The complicating factor is that the grain of the wood needs to follow the curve otherwise it will be weak.  I did an epoxy lamination of mahogany strips as you can see below:



A choice piece of 8/4 African Mahogany.  I had to do some "interesting" rough sawing to work around a knot and still have enough for the sternpost.



Four chunks that have been squared up and planed to ~ 1 7/8"

I ripped strips off at 1/8" thick.  It took 30ish strips to makeup the 3 1/2" overall width of the stem! 

A whole pile of strips.  Can I convince them that they want to be curved?



I built a form by shaping several layers of mdf to the inner curve of the stem and securing them to a plywood base.



The thin strips are pliable enough to bend around the form.  I will point out that this was physically a lot harder than I imagined, there may have been some grunting and complaining.  The white board on top is a template of the final shape.

After testing the fit I removed all the strips and applied epoxy to both surfaces

Here it is all glued up, it'll be left for a full weekend to harden up.

Upon releasing the clamps I was happy to be left with a curved chunk of wood.  Fortunately, my fear that it would explode in spectacular fashion never happend!  Apparently I can convince them to be curved :)

 You'll see the completed stem in further posts but the next steps basically consisted of tracing the template and sawing/sanding the final shape.

And finally...

I alluded to the fact that there are other less time and wood consuming ways to build a stem.  I won't really get into these but I did find this interesting:  In the days of yore builders would actually find trees that had a natural crook or root knee that would provide a board with the correct grain curve.  Cool!