Fig. 423.
Draw the fore-ends together and fit a piece of hard wood in the angle at the bow as shown in Fig. 423. You can cut this piece approximately to shape with a hatchet and then plane the surface down until you get an accurate fit. When you have made it fit, paint it and also the sides where they bear against it. Afterward screw or nail the sides firmly to this stem-piece, letting each end of the stem project a little. Screws are best (brass screws if for salt water), but nails can be used. Do not drive them all in line, but add a second row farther from the edge and alternately arranged. If a piece of hard wood is not available, a block of soft wood can be used, but it should be somewhat larger.
Fig. 424.
Another pattern of stem-piece can be used (Fig. 424). Much pains should be taken in making this post. The rabbets on each side should be cut with care, trying to get the sides alike and to cut accurately to the lines marked. When the cutting is nearly done, put the piece in place and you can then note any changes which may be required to make tight joints. When you finally have a good fit, paint and fasten in place as described above.
Fig. 425.
Still another form of stem-piece is shown in Fig. 425. One side of the boat must be got out longer than the other to allow for the lapping over at the bow, the stem-post being first fastened to the shorter side and then trimmed if necessary, until the side which laps over fits accurately.
When the boat is fastened together to this extent, it will frequently be found that the bottom has too much curvature lengthways, according to the degree to which the sides flare outward and bend up at the ends. This you can remedy by trimming off the sides in the middle, first carefully marking the desired line. Measure accurately, in doing this, to be sure that the two sides will be alike. In removing the superfluous wood do not attack it hastily with hatchet or draw-knife, for wood often splits in a way surprisingly different from the direction in which the grain appears to run (see Paring). It is sometimes best to remove the wood with the splitting-saw, but stop all such processes some distance outside of the line, and rely upon the plane for the final shaping.