doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DIY Gunsmithing @ doublegunshop.com Heading up a boxlock

My bit of advice would be done ever assume that any bolts are central or that any of the tangs are at 90 degrees to the action.

Once headed up prior to drilling any holes or fitting any small parts hook on the barrels and make sure there is plenty of meat in the blank to achieve your dimensions.

Take time prepping your blank getting everything square, if your bandsaw cuts ever so slightly off 90 degrees that can make quite a difference in weather or not the line of the rib runs down the middle of the blank.

Im a fan of using an oil lamp.





Sharpen your chisels the best you know how.

Small riffler files can be handy.

Trust your inletting medium - don't second guess it because your nearly always wrong.

In the second picture when your are adding parts i use a sash clamp to keep the action firmly in the blank.

Just a few things I would like to say on stock making. On this side of the pond partly machined gun stocks are not commonplace at all. Infact I have always made replacement stocks from an unshaped blank doing it the traditional way by fitting the action first to the head of roughly shaped stock blank. Doing it this way does give you some leeway in case things don�t start off according to the right plan. As I never made stocks on a regular basis I always tried to have a constant method I would use one initial thing I would always do would be put a centre datum line along top and bottom and butt of the blank. This line gives you a sight line helping to make sure you have let in the action squarely also helps in providing a start point for the cast on or off you may require.
The tools needed for shaping are purely a matter of what you feel comfortable with as for myself for most of the initial shaping work I preferred to use a draw knife, this is probably one of the oldest tools for wood working still in regular use today. It does have a lot going for it when you have mastered its use, firstly depending on the blades angle to the wood differing thicknesses of shavings can be removed with very little effort. On the down side is that you are working with a ten inch razor pulling it towards yourself and if you get things a wrong forgiveness is not one of this tools attributes, meaning it will cut you and in some cases very deeply indeed. With that said if you persevere to learn how to use one you will be surprised how many other wood working projects can be undertaken with this ancient of tools, in this modern world if it was not of any use its manufacture would be ceased many decades ago. I did see in one of those short films of a Holland stocker using a traditional draw knife because it cuts much cleaner than the mallet and chisel method, and if kept sharp reducing the need for a lot tedious smoothing of the wood later on. Also those two old wood working tools well by today�s standards they are, can be used for a lot of a stocks initial shaping these are the flat and round bottom spoke shaves.



In this first photograph at the top is the traditional draw knife below that is a flat bottomed spoke shave (red) and below that the round bottomed spoke shave (black). Starting from the left the first five are small gouges including a very small �v� and shallow half round gouge. Next to that a cabinet makers stiff bladed marking knife with a razor sharp edge, next with red and grey tape handles are two homemade small bladed cranked chisels one around cutting edge the other square for working the bottom of inlets. Following on are two shallow carving gouges half inch the other quarter inch ideal for forming drop points. The next two chisels are commercially made straight versions modified by heating and bending to make them cranked then re-tempering one round three eights cutting edge firmer type the other straight edged quarter inch bevel edged type. The last three chisels two are quarter and eighth inch bevel edged chisels and the other is an eighth inch firmer type. Finally is a curved cabinet makers scraper this tool is invaluable for scraping and smoothing areas of wood with tricky grain characteristics and of course general smoothing of internal curves. This is my basic set of wood working tools for stock shaping letting in lock�s action�s trigger guards and silver ovals.


In the second photograph are two examples of the large end of my chisel and gouge sets with an AA battery for scale at an inch and an inch and a half not much used in stock making. The bottom item is a �Trammel� sometimes known as a beam compass I use this a lot for marking distances from set points, you can also see there is also the capacity to fit a pencil. Finally there is a Brace and auger bits I use for stock hollowing and boring deep holes a lot slower than power tools and in consequence far slower to make a disaster of things. Can I say this Brace is not a carpenters or cabinet maker�s version it is in fact a Victorian fitters Brace used for turning large hole boring bits with having a metal handle can be �flogged� that is using a wooden mallet on the bow to make it turn. These braces where often found in boat builder�s yards and this example was made in Glasgow Scotland at the turn of the nineteenth Century and definitely made to last. Besides the mallet there is a soft faced well used hammer for taping metal parts without marking them, some large sticks of chalk and a Victorian engineers smoke lamp with snuffer which I use extensively for close wood to metal or metal to metal fitting, a word or too on this lamp which at the time was the pinnacle of its design. Firstly it can be used in any position including upside down without leaking fuel also the wick chimney is covered with a guard so you won�t burn your hand. All of that did not save it from being thrown away as being outdated until I rescued it from the bin, the chalk is used on the odd time lamp black is difficult to see on the pieces you are fitting. In the close up picture of the auger bits you will see that the centre one has a much coarser pilot screw thread, this is designed for boring along the wood�s end grain though now difficult to find.



The last picture is a �sash clamp� this was mentioned by another countryman of mine, so just in case its name did not travel over the pond this is what it looks like.
And finally I would just like to say keep all cutting tools razor sharp a better chance they won�t cut you. Measure twice and cut once. And the only tip I received from a professional stocker. �Stick to making stocks for box lock guns for the first five years for the practice.� Good advice! I have fitted new stocks on a number of side locks and each time I have said never again, each was not enjoyable because of the cost of the wood and the time taken.

Thank you damascus. Very nice set of pictures. I appreciate the first one the most, it's pretty clear to get an idea of offsets and bevel placements on the working end of your tools. Take care.

Damascus thanks for sharing your commonly used tools are pretty similar to mine, though I'm constantly looking for a good sooting lamp without success. I have had all kinds of oily leaking, knock over, awkward sized lamps which have been serviceable but the perfect lamp eludes me

This is what I use, but with kerosene or lamp oil. Not alcohol. It does not turn over easily, and if it gets knocked over it will "catch" itself on one of the flats, and not spill or cause any problem.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ALCOHOL-LAMP-GLASS-SPIRIT-LAMP-BURNER-FACETED-SIDES-ADJUSTABLE-WICK-WAX-WORK-/190517226263?hash=item2c5bb62b17:g:IzcAAOSwLVZVqFVE

SRH

Don't know why it won't link in blue, sorry.

I hope we are not detracting to much from the original post - but thank you Stan, its certainly better than my current one ill give it a go!

444,
Not detracting from anything. All input is appreciated.

This is certainly an interesting thread; and very educational as well. I for one obviously need to re-think my feelings about cranked chisels. I suspect it is because I have never used the smaller ones.

On a different, and I hope humorous note: It is interesting that no one has suggested using a Dremel Tool! Thank heavens.

R.

Before you worry about which tools learn how to sharpen tools to a razors sharpness without removing too much steel. If they can shave the hair off your arm with no tugging they will cut quicker, better and safer.

My basic list would include a Miller Falls 106 6 piece carving set or its equivalent. Ebay $25.00 I use three or maybe four of these at most. Small gouge, veneer, two of the skews.

Three flat bottom, bent dog leg skew chisels, one left, one right and one straight cut. EBay, Ramelson maker about 15.00 each

1/4", 1/2" wood chisels,

Draw knife. Cabinet makers half round and flat files. Round file and a few rifler files as well.

Pfeil 15/16 or 5/8 skew chisel, 7/14 shallow gouge, 1/2" bent flat straight chisel and gouge if you don't have the Miller Falls set. Veneer also.

pfeil Swiss made Undercutting Tools left, right and straight, same as full size set but sometimes comes in handy but in tight spots. They are just a smaller version of the dog leg chisels. $45.00

Number 6 and 10 chip carving knives.

Burnisher (Tringular) to compress wood fibers if you come across a soft area. It helps by compressing the wood so it cuts cleaner. I use it a lot on stocks with hidden and not so hidden burls. Burl can be very hard but the wood around it can be soft or even the reverse. Burls should be in the butt area not the grip but they do not listen to me.

Ca thin glue to help strengthen weak areas or soft areas. Not to be used where it shows as it can make finishing difficult.

Diamond whet stones (3) to touch up an edge quickly. Woodcraft DMT Mini Hone, Set of 3 $22.99

Leather strop.

Dead Blow Hammer.

Bessey Parallel Bar Clamp 24" F clamp will do as well.

Tormek sharpening system for proper resharpen when needed.

I listed 14-17 total chisels but doubt half of them get used much on most jobs.

Full disclaimer I have my own Gemni duplicator machine for my own use and don't duplicate all balks to the same level of in-letting. I find that dense, hard stocks are best almost completely inlet, to the maximum of my machines and my ability, which is 96-97%, while normal or softer stock blanks are duplicated to about 90-95% and fit up just as fast from there. The difference sounds small but it is not. A 90% inlet hard blank might as well not be inlet at all. Normal or soft stocks almost are like carving soap with razor sharp tools. Hard stocks are just that, harder to carve but they give you the best inlet job. For your pride and joy use hard, dense wood for a klunker user softer stuff.

The quality of the blank makes all the difference. I like hard, dense English or a nice Crotch Black Walnut as a rule. Hate Maple of all sorts. Circassian, Claro and Bastonge work well most of the time, depending on the blank. But I had a dense Bastonge walnut, with extreme curl in it that took ten times the normal working time to inlet from a 97% blank. It was like carving a wash board. Razor sharp tools only would cut it. Black Walnut inlets quickly, English and French cleanly, better than Black, but longer for me and Claro is in between depending on density and burl or curl grain.

If you make one mistake you might, might recover but after two you are nearing the wood pile fast. And if I had to make a living doing this I look like a Sudanese on a hunger strike. I admire anyone who can do this for a living. To do it well is very hard.

I agree about maple, curly in particular. I learned to inlet on m/ l rifles, which are customarily stocked in curly maple. I knew it was hard to do, but when you are just learning you don't really know any better. When I first put a chisel to a piece of average quality black walnut my jaw dropped, it cut so well.

SRH