Getting started

[PEARL DRUMS]

I’m ready to start building a rifle and have zero chisels or gouges. That being said. What do I truly need as for size and shape? I plan on buying a stock with a barrel channel cut in and RR hole drilled. I appreciate the help.

 

[reddogge]

I've used 1/2",1/4", and 1/8" flat chisels. The 1/8" I ground down from a 1/4" chisel. They are basic Stanley chisels. I have a variety of gouges 3/4" down to 1/8" with Swiss Pfeil being the best quality.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

TOW offers an 8 piece set that should get you started but I find there is always something different that I wish I had. Woodcraft.com has good quality but they are pricey.

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/1030/3/chisel-set-8

 

[billraby]

Don't go cheap on chisels. If you are going to make a habit of building guns, get the Pfeil chisels. They are expensive and worth every penny.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Make them yourself, if you can’t make a chisel then you are in over your head.
IMG_0250 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

 

[akroguy]

A Japanese Shinto rasp is an amazing tool for removing large amounts of wood during rough shaping tasks.

9 Shinto Saw Rasp by Shinto​

 

[PEARL DRUMS]

I have a few Shinto’s. Can’t live without them. I build a lot of bows and archery related items. Pretty much everything I need to bow hunt.

What grade steel are those tools from, Mr coffins?

 

[Phil Coffins]

Mostly O1

 

[rp77469]

IMO, learning to sharpen is more important than the quality of the tools themselves. You need to sharpen more often and do so as soon as you notice dullind. Having said that, still buy the best you can afford and only cry once.

A long time ago I made some decent, small inletting chisels from USA concrete nails and a propane torch. Buy some O-1 stock as they are all chinesium metallurgy today and will not harden for me.

 

[rp77469]

Here is an excellent discussion of gun building tools. You don't need all these to get started. My first build used a bench top mini Workmate as a vise, a couple Stanley bench chisels and an Xacto knife.

 

[rchas]

1/8, 1/4, 1 inch chisels. A small v and u gouge. An exacto or other good whittling knife. I prefer a spoke shave and a 35 mm wide #8 or #9 gouge instead of rasps to rough out a stock. You will need a way to sharpen the tools.

 

[PEARL DRUMS]

Thanks guy’s. This is enough to get me moving. Sharpening is no problem. My shop is set up for bows, but it seems a lot of my tools and holding devices will cross over.