Decker9
WKR
I received a few PM’s about my my previous post so thought I’d make a progression post on my current stock project. I’m about 50 hours into it as of now, so I’ll post up to where I’m at, after this post, I will post progression photos/posts as I move along with it.
Also, Macintosh, super generous in helping with some tips on checkering (thank you!! ). His generosity gave me the thought to post this, hopefully it helps folks who are interested in stock building maybe get a jump into where to start. It’s really not as “hard” as most think, but more time consuming and tedious then anything. If you’re a person of attention to detail though, stock making might be your cup of tea.
For the record, this is the third blank Iv tied into. I am a self learner, so you will see screwups, mistakes, and ways of fixing them, I hope lol. The biggest number 1 goal for me, is no gaps. Nothing ruins the aesthetics of a nice rifle more then gaps between the metal and wood. Secondly, the lines, everything “should” flow in harmony, as old stock makers would say.
This project all started out as a want for a carbon barrelled walnut stocked rifle. I recently had a custom rifle built, and figured I’d use that barrel/action for this build.
The components are,
Defiance deviant ga hunter action with a 22” carbon IBI barrel chambered in 7 saum. I decided to go with a BDL for the bottom on this one.
The blank, was sent to me from a good friend in Turkey. It has the perfect grain for a stock. I haven't been down the road of crooked grain, but in my learning, it’s best to leave some figure behind and go with the right grain.
I cut a template from cardboard to get my layout with the grain flowing properly.
Screw up #1
I cut the profile of the stock 1/4” big all around…. Lucky I did!! To start the layout for the barrel and action, I need a perfectly flat surface all around, that is perfectly square to one side (I work off the left side, being a left hand shooter). Unfortunately I missed the rear tang and cut the start of the grip, which was lower then the top of my blank. Luckily I added that 1/4” extra which give me enough wood so I could hand plane the top so it was flat, from rear tang hole all the way to the end of the forend.
Next, is to get that top surface perfectly flat, and square to one side, which isn’t as easy as one would think. I stole a trick that I remember my grandfather doing, using grandmas lipstick on a flat straightedge to locate the high spots (hopefully my lady doesn’t see this thread, she’s missing her “expensive” lipstick she says)
With everything flat, straight, plum and square, it’s time to put a centreline around the whole blank, top bottom and ends. Hopefully that centreline ends up right at the exact point of where you started, if it didn’t, then there’s more squaring up to do because this will cause issues down the road.
Now that we have everything “right”, we can go ahead and find out where our metal will sit in the blank. A lot comes into play with measurements. I find it easier to copy a stock that fits me. This piece, I copied a lot from the AG composites privateer stock. I really like the comb and grip on it, so I used it for most of my measuring and stock shape layout.
Once the trigger is located, I mark my action screw holes onto the top of the blank. A little learning lesson here I’ll share. My previous stock, I went and cut the outline of my action and barrel layout, before drilling my screw holes. My one hole edged up about 1/32” out of line, which put my layout out of line. It was fixable, but a lesson learnt. Get those action holes drill first thing, to make sure everything it point on.
The rear tang with the tang screw located and the action laid out with pin marks.
Another learning lesson, which Iv yet to do. Iv been cutting my inletting in about .010” shy on each side, which leaves a lot of fitting to be done still. I’m still getting comfortable with the layout, but if I can get to the point of cutting the layout “exact”, it would sure save time, and would keep my inlet edges sharper. But, that leaves little room for error. All part of learning I suppose.
Screwup #2.
I got restless, instead of waiting to get back to work so I could use the drill press, I thought I’d try free handing drilling the action screws. In the end, I was out a hair, witch put my barrel about 1/16” off my centre line at the end of the forend. A little filing in the rear tang hole fixed this, but reminded me why we use a drill press to get these holes, perfect. Any slop in them, and the metalwork won’t go into the wood straight, and will give a false reading in the inletting black.
Now with everything right, holes squared up, centreline perfect, it’s time to layout the metal ontop of the blank.
For this I use a piece of tape along the top of the barrel, and marked it in 1/4” and 1/2” increments, I think this probably depends on the barrel taper, how close you want these increments. I measure the diameter at each increment, divide it by 2, then lay it onto the blank measured off my centre line. It’s best to triple check these measurements, Iv caught myself a couple times mixing up numbers.
(Most of my marks have rubbed off the tape, each mark is numbered, to reference the same number on the blank and it’s diameter.
All layout is done by pinholes from the dividers, then I use a straightedge to connect the dots.
If this interests you, please feel free to follow along. I open to questions and suggestions. Happy stock building!
Also, Macintosh, super generous in helping with some tips on checkering (thank you!! ). His generosity gave me the thought to post this, hopefully it helps folks who are interested in stock building maybe get a jump into where to start. It’s really not as “hard” as most think, but more time consuming and tedious then anything. If you’re a person of attention to detail though, stock making might be your cup of tea.
For the record, this is the third blank Iv tied into. I am a self learner, so you will see screwups, mistakes, and ways of fixing them, I hope lol. The biggest number 1 goal for me, is no gaps. Nothing ruins the aesthetics of a nice rifle more then gaps between the metal and wood. Secondly, the lines, everything “should” flow in harmony, as old stock makers would say.
This project all started out as a want for a carbon barrelled walnut stocked rifle. I recently had a custom rifle built, and figured I’d use that barrel/action for this build.
The components are,
Defiance deviant ga hunter action with a 22” carbon IBI barrel chambered in 7 saum. I decided to go with a BDL for the bottom on this one.
The blank, was sent to me from a good friend in Turkey. It has the perfect grain for a stock. I haven't been down the road of crooked grain, but in my learning, it’s best to leave some figure behind and go with the right grain.
I cut a template from cardboard to get my layout with the grain flowing properly.
Screw up #1
I cut the profile of the stock 1/4” big all around…. Lucky I did!! To start the layout for the barrel and action, I need a perfectly flat surface all around, that is perfectly square to one side (I work off the left side, being a left hand shooter). Unfortunately I missed the rear tang and cut the start of the grip, which was lower then the top of my blank. Luckily I added that 1/4” extra which give me enough wood so I could hand plane the top so it was flat, from rear tang hole all the way to the end of the forend.
Next, is to get that top surface perfectly flat, and square to one side, which isn’t as easy as one would think. I stole a trick that I remember my grandfather doing, using grandmas lipstick on a flat straightedge to locate the high spots (hopefully my lady doesn’t see this thread, she’s missing her “expensive” lipstick she says)
With everything flat, straight, plum and square, it’s time to put a centreline around the whole blank, top bottom and ends. Hopefully that centreline ends up right at the exact point of where you started, if it didn’t, then there’s more squaring up to do because this will cause issues down the road.
Now that we have everything “right”, we can go ahead and find out where our metal will sit in the blank. A lot comes into play with measurements. I find it easier to copy a stock that fits me. This piece, I copied a lot from the AG composites privateer stock. I really like the comb and grip on it, so I used it for most of my measuring and stock shape layout.
Once the trigger is located, I mark my action screw holes onto the top of the blank. A little learning lesson here I’ll share. My previous stock, I went and cut the outline of my action and barrel layout, before drilling my screw holes. My one hole edged up about 1/32” out of line, which put my layout out of line. It was fixable, but a lesson learnt. Get those action holes drill first thing, to make sure everything it point on.
The rear tang with the tang screw located and the action laid out with pin marks.
Another learning lesson, which Iv yet to do. Iv been cutting my inletting in about .010” shy on each side, which leaves a lot of fitting to be done still. I’m still getting comfortable with the layout, but if I can get to the point of cutting the layout “exact”, it would sure save time, and would keep my inlet edges sharper. But, that leaves little room for error. All part of learning I suppose.
Screwup #2.
I got restless, instead of waiting to get back to work so I could use the drill press, I thought I’d try free handing drilling the action screws. In the end, I was out a hair, witch put my barrel about 1/16” off my centre line at the end of the forend. A little filing in the rear tang hole fixed this, but reminded me why we use a drill press to get these holes, perfect. Any slop in them, and the metalwork won’t go into the wood straight, and will give a false reading in the inletting black.
Now with everything right, holes squared up, centreline perfect, it’s time to layout the metal ontop of the blank.
For this I use a piece of tape along the top of the barrel, and marked it in 1/4” and 1/2” increments, I think this probably depends on the barrel taper, how close you want these increments. I measure the diameter at each increment, divide it by 2, then lay it onto the blank measured off my centre line. It’s best to triple check these measurements, Iv caught myself a couple times mixing up numbers.
(Most of my marks have rubbed off the tape, each mark is numbered, to reference the same number on the blank and it’s diameter.
All layout is done by pinholes from the dividers, then I use a straightedge to connect the dots.
If this interests you, please feel free to follow along. I open to questions and suggestions. Happy stock building!