doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Stockmaking -- Holes for Breech and Grip Screws

Dead center in the tailstock sounds simpler and always available, Mr. Ken. As far as locating the lower center, I believe you can omit the "adjustment" of the locator pin by clamping a piece of steel plate to the drill press table, chucking a center punch followed by a twist drill and pressing your center into the resulting hole in the plate. Should bring drill and pin point into alignment.

jack

Thanks Mr. Jack ---- another good point to remember for those who are starting to do their own stockwork. Ken

If you can get a hold of a copy of the "Modern Gunsmith" book by
Howe, it has illustrated pics and instructions on how to make a drill press centering device. I built mine from this book's instructions and works like a charm.

DLM

Handy drill guide I use on longrifle stocks which are very awkward because of length to get all positioned with a vise and drill press. The screw on the right has been center drilled to let a 1/8" bit pass through. I have another for 1/16" drills useful for longrifle pins. Greatly expedited accuracy and production with all the holes required on longrifles. The gap between jaws is 3". I normally drill half way from each side, swapping the guide around takes just seconds. Use it with my cordless drill or old hand drill. .

The main thing to remember is to only drill about half way through each side and to repeat this as you change to a larger drill. If the hole has wandered a little in the middle you can straighten it out with the next larger one.

Jerry, I would like to get a hold of one of those fixtures. How about helping me out with info on same. Ken

Slick as a whistle, Jerry V. Reminds me of the hollow cup center also used in the tailstock of wood lathe for boring lamp standards. Unlike with your device, spindle was powered by live center in the headstock and the lamp or shell auger held stationary and pushed by hand thru the hollow center. Your rig another "Wow I wish . . . !" idea.

jack

Thank you all very much, especially Bill S, CMWill, Ken H, Bobby from GA, Jerry V Lape and Joe Wood. My amateur methods are not nearly so certain, and I have been doing the rat-tail and chainsaw file boogie, which hasn't really been the answer, and now I'll have to glass bed. Never again I hope, now that you fellows have clued me in on more surefire methods. I knew there had to be a way. Thanks so much guys.

Rest assured that the method that Bill Schodlatz has passed on to us is not something new he has just come up with or that it's new and untried. This method has been in use for well over one hundred years. I use a thumb tack and a piece of masking tape on my drill press table to bring the point of the drill bit to the tack, it is just a matter of shifting the table and moving the tack for the final alignment.

Jack, fixture wasn't my invention. Lots of the boys at Americanlongrifles.com use them which is where I copied the idea from a true master builder.