Mast | Cutting Out The Old Front Stave

I now faced the tricky problem of removing the front of the mast. I could see no option other than cutting it out. 

So I set the circular saw very carefully to cut the exact depth of the rebate in the side staves and ran it repeatedly along the length of the mast while adjusting the fence to effectively excavate the front stave.

This technique worked well. I didn't take any pics - I imagine I was too preoccupied with not wrecking the mast to bother with the camera!

This was the outcome. In this pic I am cleaning up the rebates and hacking out the excessive squeezed out resin.

Chisels and an abrasive wheel did the trick.

This is the interior of the mast, close up.

And this is the interior at the foot of the mast.

One good outcome of this is that I was able to see that the rest of the mast was soundly made.

Next is making the new front piece!