doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com What adhesive is good for fore end tip attachment?

Good "kinks" there! I never thought of doing that. (But I always used two �" dowels.)

I have to ask: how were ebony forend tips applied originally? I don't think dowels were used...the rifles I've examined (late 19th and very early 20th century British work) showed a tenon carved onto the end of the stock, and a mortice cut into the forend tip. It's a similar arrangement to putting a brass muzzlecap on a Kentucky rifle - same principle. The two that I've done followed this style.

I used a heavy, strong cut of hide glue on one, (the gun has been rained on without issue) and epoxy on the other because the customer specifically asked for it.

Steven - I'd be curious to hear your input on this. I think the dowel rod arrangement, although fine, is later mid 20th century work, and American, am I right? How far back have you seen dowel rods go in your experience?

I think (but I've been known to be wrong before) that wooden dowels as a general woodworking fastener came into use after WWI and pre-WWII. The mortise and tenon would be the best answer yet, but with the biggest PIA factor (not that it would be a huge PIA).

Ryan, I believe you are correct on the tenon method, but I've never seen one off the stock and can't be certain. I was taught to use a single dowel, and have used one in the middle or two off to the sides ever since.

Jerry Fisher installs the tip to the stock (end grain to end grain) with glue, without a dowel then plunge cuts a channel between the two in the milling machine then inserts a rectangular tenon with rounded ends in the recess, with glue, afterwards.

Years ago part of restoring a flintlock pistol, half of the tip was gone, It was horn bent around the tenon part of the walnut stock. I made a piece of horn the approx. size, boiled and bent it to form, hide-glued it and dressed to final shape.

That is why I question anything I haven't disassembled because you might have thought that a solid horn block over a tenon if not for seeing it half-way apart.

The tenon doesn't penetrate into a mortice, the ebony sort of "wraps" around the tenon. Mark Silver put me on to that, Steven - I was building a Manton fowler and he said that ebony forend caps went on just like brass muzzle caps did on Kentucky rifles. Of course it takes 10 times as long but you have a huge gluing area. And I've seen a couple since then.