doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Which checkering tool angle?

I use a checking file, 90 deg. for recutting flat top.

bill

A 90degree tool cuts a BIG groove! I use a 60deg for everything. A good tool for recovering checking that is gunked up or really worn is a small triangular mill file with the end ground off to make a fairly sharp chisel point on one corner - and that's a 60deg cutter as well. The file thing takes some care but it is easy to see where you are and increase the cut or rock out just like with a chisel. In old texts I see refs to using files and the recommendation is to heat and bend them in a curve. I tried that once and found that the simply sharpened straight file was easier to use. The file will not cut deep easily tho, so the 60deg checkering tool takes over for that. The file is just way more better for correcting old crossovers and getting up to the border.
Like was said, just take your time and work with some magnification.
The stuff I usually do is 24lpi or 26lpi and is a righteous PITA. Brownells has cutters specifically for flat topped checkering - or used to anyway.

Dr.WtS

Here's a couple pix of the file. As you can see some real effort was made to produce an esthetically pleasing as well as functioning tool. I have been using this one for about twenty years with an occasional stroke across a stone to refresh the point.

HTH

Dr.WtS

I go over the lines with a knife blade first. Go forward and go slow. A rounded blade like a trapper works best. This gives a grove for the checkering tool to follow.

Like Mr. Campbell, I always install the blade to cut on the pull stroke. Much easier to cut straight and have no runovers. I'd use a 60 degree tool. Make sure you have some type of magnification and low angle lighting to increase the shadow. A light directed sideways across the pattern will show the lines more clearly. It helps also to have the room a bit dark to increase the effect.

This advice is very good and logical! Thanks greatly! Kurt

Kurt, you've received some pretty good advice on this subject so far. I know that Mike does very nice work and Charlie (aka Wts) is right about the 90 deg cutters so their advice should have some weight. I personally use Doiron carbide cutters for my work, mostly the 75 deg but some 90 deg. Unfortunately those cutters are VERY hard to get now because Doiron seems to not care. The Dembart tools are ok if you don't do much checkering but I don't enjoy changing tips, in fact I hate it.

I personally would use either the 60 or 75 deg S1 type cutter in a pull stroke as Mike suggested and just follow the lines. It can be done if you have a steady hand and take your time. It would also be nice if you had a small veiner tool to finish up to the border but its not entirely needed.

One thing to keep in mind with these so called "flat top" checkering patterns on older lower grade American guns is that they were not true english flat top. These patters were more like regular checkering that was not finished to a true point. True english flat top is very different and very difficult to do properly.

Ok, now for my rant of the day! If anyone decides to take up checkering they NEED a checkering cradle and a vise to hold it in. I know, I know, there are a lot of people that say use sand bags or whatever but that just doesn't do it for me. BTW, the current crop of cradles available are not very good and I'll just leave it at that. Make your own! I'm making a new one now for a student/friend that wants to learn how to checker and I promise to take pictures,give a bill of materials and measurements when its finished. I'm not saying that this is the only way to build a cradle but the one that I use has worked very well for me over the last 15 - 20 years.

Just so you know I'm not trying to "blow sunshine up your rear" I'm posting a picture of some checkering that I recently finished on a Remington 1894. This pattern was copied from a EE grade Remington with some small changes so if you don't like it blame Remington.

Anyway here is the picture.

As always, beautiful work, Doug!!! Is that a "mullered" border toward the butt? I've seen it in pictures, but never seen it in person. What is involved in producing it? I was very pleased with my first checkering attempt several years ago, and am looking forward to more in the future.

First let me say,Doug you are the Mann.That is incredible.
Not trying to steal the post,but just got back from NRA gunsmithing class on checkering and had some shoots of the cradle the instructor had as well as the one i made.I have the detentions if anyone wants it. The first shoots are the one i made and the rest are the one i copied.You will notice that on the older cradle you can add an extension for rifle stocks.I haven't fit mine for that at this time.

Thanks for this additional highly valuable advice and direction. I could not dream of doing anything on the level of Mr Mann's work! I only hope to clean the varnish out and a little more. I may fool around some, with the tools I'll buy, on boards or logs and may never do another stock? This will make my little project gun look a little less abused and hopefully not vandalized? I value greatly all the help I have received. Thank you again! Kurt