Incising tool / raised carving

[Col. Batguano]

After about a year of work, I'm closing in on the fun part of a Lehigh build. The fun, and nerve wracking part. Carving. I created a jig last night to ride in the RR groove for the incise lines on the forestock. A chunk of 3/8" round steel rod, with a plate brazed to it, and holes drilled 1/10" apart (in progrressing distance from the rod) to put a sharpened #8 machine bolt through the brazed-on plate as a cutting tool. A small adaptation to how the book said to do it.

Since they are parallel to the groove, it's not much of a problem But, now what's the best way to do them on the butt? The butt has a gentle swooping curve to it, and I want the incise line to start about 1/4" high, and taper inwards, not following the curvature. I want to stay away from freehanding it too much, but am thinking that maybe a hand held Sawzall blade dragged over the stock with some kind if guide would be a good ticket.

The reason I think of that, is because those Pfeil gouges like a 12/1 with a 1mm tip are too wide at the top if you go deep. And they are a V-groove. The deeper you go in the carving, the wider they get. That makes it very difficult to keep everything just right over a longer distance like this. I'm thinking that these sorts of incise lines are better if they are a square-bottomed groove. If you are a little deeper in one place, and shallower in another, at least the groove width will be a consistent width.

Thoughts?

With the relief carving, right now I have my design about 1/32" proud to the base. How high do you guys get it before you start your contour carving? The book says 1/16", but that seems really high to me.

 

[Vaino]

I just pencil in the lower butt molding until it "looks right" and then cut in w/ an Xacto knife slightly outside the line. The curve of the toeline and the taper of the molding pretty well dictates a "freehand" layout. After the depth is achieved, I use a curved riffler file to smooth the molding line. Below is a pic of a Bucks County LR which has somewhat of a relationship to Lehighs and shows the lower butt molding w/ a bead. The termination of the molding varies but most of the time I end at the rear of the grip rail....Good luck on your carving....Fred

 

[LRB]

About 1/16" is good for behind the cheek piece, the rest is seldom over 1/32". Give or take some depending on the design.

 

[Stophel]

Virtually everything is done with a V parting tool. Draw the lines with a pencil, and just carefully push the parting tool right along the line. It can be chased with a mallet, if desired, for more control on tighter curves.

I'm not the greatest carver (but neither were many of the old masters, actually), but this was my attempt at a Neihardt type rifle. With the exception of the little chip gouge cuts and the hollows in a few of the leaf shapes, it is cut entirely with a V tool. Some portions are raised. With this type of carving it doesn't have to be very high relief, as the edges of the relief areas are incised, making it "pop" and look much higher than it is. This method is very much standard for most Lehigh and many Lancaster rifles.

The lower butt moulding (just like the fore end moulding) were simply drawn in place with a pencil and cut with the V tool. Now, I do have a cheater tool, and that is a checkering cutter, which is so nice for cleaning and straightening up the long grooves here. (It is possible I even used a spaced checkering cutter to cut the second line even from the first, I do not now recall.) A small three corner file is good for evening up the straight lines on the fore end. :wink: