More rudder stuff

I did a little more today,  I had read that you need to split the rudder longitudinally to free the old stock and tangs.   I used a thin cutting disc on the angle grinder and wizzed around the edges.. No hope of splitting this blade that way.   I then Sliced along the sides and took the front edge of the the blade off.  the old stock then easily come out, leaving it's tangs firmly embedded in the wooden core.

Old stock removed

The wooden core is a bit damp, doesn't seem to be rotten but needs to dry out.  The new stock is a few mm less diameter than the old one so can sit on a bed of grpand then be laminated up.

Old tangs embedded in wooden core.

The new tangs will be welded onto the stock and holes will be drilled into the core for them to go into.  I will probably fill these with Gripfil or similar to secure the tangs within the blade.

Using a jubilee clip to gauge squareness of cut.

One of the things I always struggle with is cutting tube nice and straight.  I come up with this idea to give me a visual aid while cutting.  A Jubilee clip a few mm from the cut line helps to keep things square.

New stock temporarily fitted.

I cut the new stock roughly to length and dropped it into position.  All looks good, The old lower bracket in the picture will eventually have a cup welded onto it, an off cut from the tube,  to make a lower bearing.

Roughly how it will look when done (Sans jubilee clip).