broach for key and tennons

[M. De Land]

I picked up another great tip in The March MB magazine that will help folks. I love great ideas other folks are willing to share and I don't have to go through the hard school of knocks to discover !
It is a simple broach made from spring stock or saw blade that will cut a clean hole to seat barrel keys (without escutcheons) through the stock and tenon. I did my SMR last year by drilling and heating the key to burn it's path through the wood into the staples I had seated in the bottom flat of the barrel. This works well but will scorch light wood and may be hard to sand completely out when stock finishing..
The broach is made the same dimension as the key in thickness and width but saw teeth are filed into both sides if the triangular front end and a round pilot in formed at the tip to guide the broach through the drilled stock and tenon. The broach is used from both sides so the wood is not chipped out as it comes through. It is driven in bit by bit and removed with vice grips ,straight back out to clear chips. It's designed to cut the tenon and stock mortise together when clamped together. You still have to clear most of the wedge hole through the stock and metal tenon by drilling holes but it will cut through these and make a perfect square hole to match the profile of your wedge.
I'm going to have to give this a try on the next one.

 

[hawkeye2]

I've got a pretty clear picture in my mind of the broach but a photo would be nice. I expect they are copyrighted by "Muzzle Blasts" and can't be reproduced.. Is someone offering these for sale or was it in a how-to article?

 

[M. De Land]

I've got a pretty clear picture in my mind of the broach but a photo would be nice. I expect they are copyrighted by "Muzzle Blasts" and can't be reproduced.. Is someone offering these for sale or was it in a how-to article?

How to article. Simple design anyone with some heat treat knowledge could easily make.

 

[Metalshaper]

here is some of my stuff. a rear sight holder for filing. A rifling cutter head.. a bent file/checkering repair tool..
a drilling tool for side plate/lock screws and the main thing to show.. My tennon key 'seat' tool for inletting.
drill a couple holes across the width of the desired key location.. and then plunge this in and carefully saw the inlet. ( think sheet rock saw )
my tool was made from a section of bandsaw blade I was given. works for me.

Usually make things on the fly and for function..

Respect Always
Metalshaper/Jonathan