Advice for shaping stock...

[Col. Batguano]

Pecatonica River makes all the stocks for TotW. Tip Curtis is another source, also Dave Keck.

 

[Dane]

You are going to spend WAY more than the gun is worth. IMHO.... Finish shaping and put some finish on it. If it shoots well, keep it. If not sell it and save money for a custom gun.

I just paid $250 for a REALLY nice sugar maple blank. $350 for the barrel, $150 for a lock, and still need the rest of the hardware.

 

[Crewdawg445]

Well, I purchased a beautiful pre carved maple stock from the log cabin shop for $125.00, very impressed with it's quality. Style is their Tennessee mountain stock which will allow me to inlet my own trigger and lock (Better option). To me this rifle certainly is worth the new stock and time even with the additional cost. The old stock... Certainly a different story, the wood they use is just horrible to work with. Since I have re-worked the lock, I'll be using that and also the stock trigger plate which I have also re-worked. By no means am I going for any type of historical correctness. I believe a rifle is worth whatever time and efforts you put into it's creation. Do a sloppy job, you have a sloppy end result... Take your time and go slow, be meticulous and the end results will be rewarding! :hatsoff:

Factory trigger plate, I spot welded the additional, screw holes and the extra trigger hole from the double trigger. Also my working piece for the single trigger. I'll be curling the trigger and finishing both pieces at a later time.

 

[Elnathan]

Is that a brass trigger? Brass is not really a suitable material for triggers - it will deform with use and cease to work well.

Just saw this discussed somewhere....

Edited to add: Might want to think of moving the trigger pivot point a bit higher, too, either by attaching new "ears" to your trigger plate or (simpler) just pinning it through the wood.

 

[Crewdawg445]

No, certainly not brass... 1/8" steel stock I cut and shaped. What you may be seeing that resembles brass might be from it being shiney? That's from the file work, good idea on the pivot placement, might possibly look into that. However, this particular trigger plate is secured via two wood screws and not pinned. Trigger is held to the ears by a 1/8" roll pin. Simplicity IMO is a winner, never pinned a trigger to the stock, know that's how they did it for years so it definitely could work fore me. That also would alleviate the need to inlet the plate... Yet again, need to secure the barrel with the tang bolt so I'll keep the trigger plate.

 

[Claycow]

I want to see this stock stained!

 

[Crewdawg445]

lol, patience my friend! Staining will be on the tail end of the build. The goal is she will be ready before September squirrel season. I'm in no hurry as the time spent on the build will ultimately reflect the overall appeal and quality of workmanship. :thumbsup:

 

[MSW]

he is right - patience is a virtue!

 

[Crewdawg445]

:hatsoff:

 

[Claycow]

Wow, that is a long build

 

[Crewdawg445]

In all realty, not entirely true. It wasn't uncommon to take up to a year for a builder to construct a rifle from start to finish. In my case, planning the build with seven months IMO is pushing it. Again, patience! Good things come to those who build patiently! :thumbsup:

 

[Claycow]

Crewdawg, do you also work on your guns when you get really drunk? That's about when I get motivated, and I get ALOT done. It might not look so nice, like the LMF Browning i'm doing right now. haha, you guys would be horrified if I sent you a picture of the first round.

 

[Crewdawg445]

:shocked2: I don't drink anymore... Being in the military and flying around the world has left me no desire to consume alcohol in any capacity... enough said. However, guns of any kind and alcohol don't mix. :nono: Yet... coffee on the other hand doesn't even have a chance, cheaper in the long run, also allows more money for parts not spent on booze.

 

[Claycow]

Well, I don't do alcohol with modern weapons. But in making a gun, that requires me to load with powder, ball, ramrod, and a flint, I don't see why not.

You are entirely correct about alcohol, I think after my birthday im going to tone it down. So much money I could save.

 

[Crewdawg445]

Glad to hear that, just be safe and practice common sense... Unfortunately that seems to be a rare thing nowadays. :idunno:

 

[Birddog6]

A Year ? :idunno: I guess that depends on the detail of the work, Style of the rifle, etc. 3 mo. is a average time for me, and not pushing it... But I have had them take a lil longer & also allot less as well.

Allot of it depends on what my regular work is that I am doing, & after that if I feel like working on a rifle. Carving one takes me more time, as I am too close to the end to make a screwup. And I have to be in the right mood to do that, as learned LONG time ago, if you don't feel like working on it.. DON'T. :nono:

Every single time I work on one & really don't feel like it, I mess something up.... So if I am not in the mood, or don't have lots of time to do what I want to accomplish that day, I leave it alone..... :wink:

Shaping one is what I call Grunt work. I may shape out 2 rifles while I am carving on one. Carve on it a bit, then sit it aside & do some grunt work. I always have at least 2 rifles going on.... one to carve & one or two for just basic build stuff.

Keith Lisle

 

[Birddog6]

Well, I don't do alcohol with modern weapons. But in making a gun, that requires me to load with powder, ball, ramrod, and a flint, I don't see why not.

:shake: You don't see why not ? Because it is Unsafe. Period. :nono:

Your statement above, is a recipe for disaster. If not for you, possibly for someone else in the future.

Keith Lisle

 

[Crewdawg445]

If I was able to devote continuous time, definitely can see three months. With my work schedule, threr months isn't even an option unfortunately...

 

[Crewdawg445]

Well, I don't do alcohol with modern weapons. But in making a gun, that requires me to load with powder, ball, ramrod, and a flint, I don't see why not.

:shake: You don't see why not ? Because it is Unsafe. Period. :nono:

Your statement above, is a recipe for disaster. If not for you, possibly for someone else in the future.

Keith Lisle

:applause:

 

[Birddog6]

3 months is with me working 8 hrs a day on my regular job/work. If I devote all day every day to it, I can build a plain rifle in about 60-80 hours, again depending on the detail, style, etc.

A fairly standard Tenn. Mountain rifle, plain except had a Over-theComb tang, took me 67 1/2 hrs to build. And I know this from Fact, as I punched a time clock every time I started & finished, just to see how it would go. But I was off that week & could devote every day to it. Normally I cannot do that. This is the one I time clocked.













Also, I had all the parts, knew exactly what I was going to do & etc. I think it came out fairly well...... Course I am prejudiced.... :idunno:
Also walnut takes me less time to build on, as it is usually not as hard as maple.

Keith Lisle