Gun #2 - Inletting a swamped barrel

[19283]

Howdy fellers!

I'm starting on my next gun, a .54 Lancaster inspired build with a 42" swamped barrel. The first gun I built had a straight barrel, which was relatively simple to inlet with a table saw and a router :grin: , but with this one, it all needs to be done by hand, and I think I understand the process, but I guess I'm looking for any advice or guidance. The first thing I did was route a shallow (shallower than the narrowest part of the barrel) groove to just get some excess wood away. After that I traced the barrel and started removing wood from the sides, and it appears I have at least the profile finished, however, the barrel still needs to go down about an 1/8 of an inch.

So, from here, would my next step be to carve out a groove for the bottom flat, then get after the diagonals, or is there a better way to get where I want to be? Also, are there any homemade, or purchased tools, that would make this easier? I find that scrapers tend to chatter, and cause more issues than they solve, and that with this curly wood, I really have to pay attention to how much wood I take at one shot with the chisel (yes, they are sharp :grin: ), since this stuff really likes to tear. Any advice is appreciated, and if I'm on the right track, I'll just keep on keeping on, and hope to have the barrel in by Christmas :rotf:

Thanks!!!

 

[LaBonte]

Check out Jack Brook's method - http://www.jsbrookslongrifles.com/theclassroom.htm

scroll down until you find the how-to inlet a swamped barrel.

Hope that helps...

 

[Billnpatti]

I highly recommend this book for anyone's library.
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/PrinterFriendly.aspx/BOOK-GGC

 

[kaintuck]

hobby time!...slow with a 1/4" wood plane...or, a chisel, rasp also....or a combination of all three.....
I like my itty bitty 1/4" plane when your at the point you have gotten to.

doing great!

marc n tomtom

 

[Col. Batguano]

Marc has a terrific method of jigging up some rails and doing the whole thing with a router and a couple of collets and bits. Maybe he would post the pictures again and give an explanation?

 

[Stophel]

From where you are at right now, it will be a little harder to get to the bottom of things, than if you had cut the bottom "flat" first all the way to full depth. You'll need to lay a ruler or something of consistent thickness across the top so you can use a depth gauge to calculate your depths of various points along the barrel.

Here is how I have been inletting barrels. The photos are in reverse order. Hopefully, it makes sense. http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Fatdutchman/media/Flintlocks2/IM000265.jpg.html?sort=3&o=8
start here and click the left arrow to progress through the steps.

My first barrel took me about three months to inlet (I inlet that sucker all the way down). Now I can do one in about four hours (three, maybe, if it's walnut).

 

[19283]

Thanks guys.

The advice is helpful! I'm shooting for less than a month now, instead of Christmas :rotf:

 

[kaintuck]

Marc has a terrific method of jigging up some rails and doing the whole thing with a router and a couple of collets and bits. Maybe he would post the pictures again and give an explanation?

Take a look at my post on the finish of the current build....last picture has one of the flat bar guides.....
I just set up the flat bars spaced up from the blank with washers for the height, and the distance aprt, is the width.....
The a square bottom bit is used to route total depth.....the readjust to fit yor 45degree bit for that flat.....the adult for last total width cut.......takes awhile to do......but saves my elbows and back in hand inletting!!!
I use thin flat bars and they are drilled with two sets of screw holes....countersunk holes so the wood screws are flush and the lilpony router don't bind."...
Straight barrels are ey...smamped takes a little more work....

It's a hobby with me......

Marc n tomtom