shaping the stem

Forming the stem for a Bevins Skiff requires some careful angle cuts on the table saw. Starting with a 2 in. x 3 in. piece of white oak, the first is made with the fence on the wrong side of the blade and with the blade tilted to 26 degrees. The photo was taken after the cut was made.

If you are reading this on facebook, you will need to go to the wisdom of the hands blog post to see the second and third photos completing the process. http://wisdomofhands.blogspot.com/2017/10/shaping-stem.html

For the second set of cuts, lower the blade but keep the angle the same. You will note that the fence is now in its conventional position at the right side of the blade.


For the final cuts, the stem is held against the fence, with the distance between fence and blade set so that a 3/8 in. deep rabbet for the 9 mm. marine plywood to fit flush.

This operation is different than was shown in the Bevins Skiff Building manual, as it assumes a right tilt blade. Saws with a left tilt blade have become more common, so perhaps this demonstration will be useful to others as the correct and safe process is different with a left tilt blade.  I sent the photos to Joe Youcha, designer of the Bevins Skiff.

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