A. Lay the heads of the spars on a trestle about three feet high, the right leg above the left, so that they cross at about twice their thickness from the ends, with the heels in their proper positions.
Make a bowline-knot in the end of the fore guy and slip it over the head of both legs.
Lay the middle of the main-tackle strap under the cross above the fore guy; bring the ends up over the cross; hook the upper block to them under the cross below the fore guy and mouse it, taking care that the splice comes in the middle of the strap and that the fall leads to the rear.
Drive the heel-posts on each side the heels about a foot toward the head and one foot outside; lay the shoes under the heels; make a timber-hitch around the inner posts with the heel-lashings; pass three turns over the legs below the cleats, and hitch the lashings to the outer posts. Drive four holdfasts for each back guy, as follows: two on each side the line of the legs prolonged, three feet apart, and two six feet in the rear of these.
Lay the ends of the guy-straps over the front stakes; connect each pair of front and rear stakes with a strap twisted up taut to insure the strain being distributed properly.
Drive two holdfasts for the fore guy, one in the rear of the other, in the prolongation of the axis of the shears.
Hook the upper blocks of the guy-tackles to a bowline in the end of the guys, and the single block to the guy-strap, and mouse them all.
Ordinarily the fore guy can be worked without a tackle, belaying it over the holdfasts, first taking a round turn over the one next the shears. If not too heavy, the shears may be raised by lifting the head and hauling on the guy-tackles, slacking the heel-lashings as required, and tending the fore guy carefully to prevent the shears falling over toward the rear.
Q. How are shears held in position after being raised?