I’m humbled by Doug Mann’s outstanding artistry and wouldn’t feel comfortable posting in the same thread. But, since I’m way down on the checkering ladder, only a rung or two above a novice, I thought I might be able to contribute something useful to folks thinking of taking up the tools for the first time. This is not a “how to” or a substitute for Monte Kennedy’s book, but I do want to share some tips that I haven’t seen in books.
My tools are pretty primitive and my patterns simple, so if you aren’t overwhelmed by what this little overview entails, then go for it!
Starting with the glasses (Wal Mart readers with clip-on, flip-up 4X magnifiers), the tools are laid out clockwise in order of appearance.
I start with a couple rolls of auto pinstriping tape in 1/8” and ¼” widths. They serve as border lines to lay out my pattern. I can peel it up, move it slightly, curve it, lay it down…..in essence, draw and erase until I have it perfect. The widths (I wish I could find 3/16) are great for spacing the pattern away from the top tang and up from the grip cap. Also, one of the biggest challenges for a beginner (it never goes away) is not over-running the edges of the pattern and the tape helps. It’s not an excuse to charge the border, but it does help.
Next is the diamond template. You can experiment with various ratios, but I’ve settled on 3:1 for all my work. The white paper one is not a tool, but just for illustration as you’ll see later. The tool is the transparent acetate diamond with the reference scribbles on it from the last job.
The remaining layout tools are a couple of flexible straightedges (a plastic ruler and a feeler gauge), a fine tip marker and a scribe. This one is made from a dental pick. I experiment with filing different tips on them.
My light source is a small adjustable lamp so I can direct the light very low from the side to create strong shadows. It doesn’t have to be powerful, even though I sometimes checker in the dark with this as the only light source.
These are all the cutters I used in the following project (these and others are available from Brownells). Dembart makes a spacing cutter with a smooth edge to ride in the last track while the other edge cuts the next line. I’ve come to prefer to use the double edge cutter for layout as well as cutting for depth. To do a complete stock I’ll likely go through 3-4 of the double cutters (I like to start with a fresh double cutter on each panel) and 2 each of the fine and coarse singles….that’s about $25 worth of disposable cutters.
A jointing tool is useful for straightening errant lines and a triangular riffling file helps finish up the border lines and edge diamonds.
The next 3 pics show the use of the tape to lay out my pattern. I’ll lay it out and leave it. I'll study it the next day and maybe make an adjustment. I can change it all I want, but I don’t start cutting until I’m completely satisfied.
These next 2 pics are something you’ll never see on my bench. They are visual aids to show how I chose to orient the diamonds to please my eye. This is not only a matter of taste, but very important since I’m doing a point pattern (as opposed to fill). Later you’ll see how the forward edge of the pattern is completely defined by individual diamonds and you’ll appreciate the design aspect of angling the diamonds just so.
Let’s take a deep breath and carve into that beautiful finish I spent the last month on!
I used my template and pen to draw what I want the finished, forward edge to look like. Then I used a straightedge to draw my 2 master lines and some parallel lines through the pattern. These will provide a visual check of my progress; giving me early warning that my lines are wandering off the straight and parallel so that I can correct just as I screwed up….gradually. I used my straightedge and scribe to mark the master lines and now I’m cutting VERY LIGHTLY AND NOT TO THE EDGE with a spacing cutter. It can’t be stressed enough how life altering this first pass is. I make mistakes here, but the lines are so shallow, barely scratching the finish, hardly even through into the wood, that I can correct before going on. I can’t actually erase the bad line, but it’s so shallow that I can override it.
Notice that the only part of the forward border that’s clearly determined is the ends of the master lines. Notice how the rest of the lines consistently end short of the marker lines. That’s because, unlike a fill-in pattern, the border will result only when I’ve completed the lines in the other direction, as in this pic....
Here I’ve scribed all the layout lines in one direction and starting working off the other master line….now the final forward border has been defined.
Another 6-8 passes, alternating with the double line and the single coarse cutters and I’m about 80% done. You can see the first-pass mistakes I made as faint lines in the middle of the pic….those and the very slight, almost-over runs will be obliterated by the final passes and only you and I will ever know I made those screw-ups.
Time to peel the tape off.....
In the scope of a custom gun project, checkering by a real pro is a relative bargain. It’s not something to tackle if saving money is your motivation. The learning curve can be long and very painful unless you have the patience to practice on scraps and inexpensive guns. For me, it’s the most satisfying stage of a DIY project. If nothing else, maybe I’ve helped you decide whether it’s a skill you’d like to acquire.
