How to taper a ramrod?

[CWC]

I'm building a Chambers Early Lancaster, and started working on the ramrod today. In "The Gunsmith of Greenville County" Alexander says that the ramrod should be tapered, but he never gives the length of the taper. Am I supposed to make it gradually taper for the entire length of the rod, or just taper the last few inches?

 

[ohio ramrod]

I just taper the last three inches. It is necessary to clear the lock bolt, longer tapers weaken the ram rod but do look better when out of the gun. But how often do people look at the ramrod other than what sticks out past the thimbles.

 

[Vaino]

I don't taper the RR unless there's interference w/ the front lock bolt but do make the RR slightly undersize for most of it's length. It should have just a slight clearance w/ the RR pipes and let the warp do the retaining....Fred

 

[Birddog6]

The Rods I have seen tapered that I felt looked the best, were a gradual taper from about 8" back & just enough to give the clearance required.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I agree. There is no good reason for the taper to extend out past the entrypipe, and doing so would unnecessarily weaken the wood ramrod. Tapering a RR can be downwith a powder sander, if you hold the wood to the sander with your fingers. Always mark a circle on the end of the rod, centered, to tell you how much more wood needs to removed.

You can also use spokeshaves, and even wood planes, followed by fine files, and sand paper to remove the "corners" from the flats left by the wood plane. These allow even more control, as they are Hand Tools. It does not take a lot of time to taper a Ramrod, IF you know how to use these tools.

Finally, a gunsmith I knew made a steel plate, with a U-shaped cut in the plate. The U expanded out in a V-shape, but was U-shaped at the bottom. He put bevels on one side of the plate. It wasn't even very hard steel, as I remember. To Taper a ramrod, he would put the rod in the Notch, and pull it through the restriction. The edge of the steel would remove a fine feather of wood on both sides of the stick, keeping it centered. He would then rotate the RR, put it back in and repeat the process. A Bit of pressure applied to the stick as it approached the end of the RR was all that was needed to get the rod to go lower in the notch, and create the taper.

Use what works for you. :thumbsup:

 

[Birddog6]

You mean similar to this ? You put it in the vice or hold it by hand, & pull the RR thru it & rotate it after each pull. You can shave down the entire rod or just the last ? 3-6-8-12" of it, or whatever you want. This tool will shave 4 dif sizes of ramrods.

 

[Packdog]

Those work great! You can taper a rod in minutes with one.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

When Acer was selling these one of you guys (looks like it was birddog6) said they needed two because of misplacing things........

well.... I wish I had done likewise! :redface:

 

[Birddog6]

Yes, I bought two cause if I have one I will misplace it with a week....... Have 2 & know exactly where they are both at all the time... :idunno:

 

[Vaino]

Buchele's "Recreating the American Longrifle" has sketches of a RR shaver that has an angled lead-in of approx. 1-1/2" which is handy for making RRs that have a larger dia. at the hand end and will also make a straight RR. A 1/8" thick steel plate is used and a RR dia. hole is drilled and ctsk 1-1/2" from an edge of the plate and a lead-in angle on both sides is sawed to the ctsk hole. The lead-in edges are filed smooth and then angled to match the ctsk hole. Many of my 3/8" dia. RRs are made from 7/16" or 1/2" RRs and this shaver is quite capable of doing this. All told, it's very easy to make this RR shaver in less than an hour....Fred

 

[Muskeg Stomper]

The quickest, easiest and CHEAPEST tool to taper ramrods is a WASHER. Most washers now a days are punched from steel and this process leaves a nice edge on the hole through the center. Simply clamp the washer in your bench vise and pull the rod through so that it shaves the rod as you pull. My favorite technique is to select a washer with a large enough hole so that I can pull the rod through sort of diagonally and scrap a couple of surfaces at once.

If the edge starts getting a little dull, simply touch it up by placing each flat side of the washer on an oscillating or belt sander for a few moments. Works like a charm. :thumbsup:

 

[stude11]

The last one I did, I made an l-shaped support from scraps, drilled a hole slightly larger than the rod, and slipped it in with about 8" or so showing.
Stick the other end in a drill, clamp the drill in your vise and clamp the jig to the bench. Turn the drill on slow, and you can evenly taper with a block plane skewed at 45 degrees, a file or sandpaper. You can even round over the end and make decorative cuts near the jag if it appeals to you.

 

[roundball]

The last one I did, I made an l-shaped support from scraps, drilled a hole slightly larger than the rod, and slipped it in with about 8" or so showing.
Stick the other end in a drill, clamp the drill in your vise and clamp the jig to the bench. Turn the drill on slow, and you can evenly taper with a block plane skewed at 45 degrees, a file or sandpaper.

I'm envisioning sort of a poor-man's lathe ?

 

[paulvallandigham]

Steve: That is a fancy version of my friend, Don's, homemade scraper. His used a 1/8" or 3/16" cold roll steel plate, and he cut a much deeper notch, that was tapered, with the U-shaped bottom. His bevels were more pronounced than yours. Your nice tools do the same thing his did, only he had just the one Notch to handle everything from 5/8" down to 1/4". :surrender: :hmm: :thumbsup: