Inletting Swamped barrel ?

[Hawken12]

have done a search ,but no luck as how best to inlet a swamped barrel,can somehelp with a link,I assume there is one,Thanx in advance Peter

 

[Stophel]

I have a series of photos showing the way I inlet barrels. Hopefully you can tell from the pictures.
www.photobucket.com/albums/v326/Fatdutchman/Flintlocks2

The photos are in reverse order.

I can now inlet a gun barrel in hard maple in about 4 to 4 1/2hrs...Ok, sometimes I can take rather longer getting it set down just so. Walnut is faster. Much easier to cut. :wink:

 

[Bubba45]

Chris,how far apart do you take the measurements for the depth of channel ?

 

[Onojutta]

I can't tell you if this works yet, but here's how I'm going about it...

I don't have a band saw and I wasn't confident enough to cut 4' of stock with a hand saw so I made up a jig to cut the the slab that is half the barrel channel with a 7-1/2" circular saw and a fine cut blade. Then, I used this device to mark the barrel:

Now that picture was taken before I cut off the slab. When I actually scribed the barrel, I had to do so with the barrel breech up on the 1/2" at the breech that was not cut, so the back of the barrel was up off the wood 1/2". By clamping it at the breech and at the muzzle, I was still able to scripe it with that tool.


Now I am using Dixon's method to chisel down a half of barrel flat. I'm going down the depth of the highest point (at the point where the barrel tapers smalles) and then I will go down deeper as required...

Here are the lines after going over them with pencil:

It looks like Stophel is going down the full depth along the bottom channel to bring the side flats down to the top of the wood so they can then be scribed. That looks like a good idea. I may continue on that way and check my lines. But, according to several measurements I took with a caliper, my lines seem to be good.

 

[Stophel]

Chris,how far apart do you take the measurements for the depth of channel ?

Eh, three inches or so. It ain't critical. You make it proper depth at each mark and basically connect the dots.

 

[Bubba45]

Thanks Chris , thats what I figgered but wanted to be sure . I have a pretty nicely figgered piece of walnut and didnt want to botch it having never done a swamped barrel :grin:

 

[Stophel]

It helps IMMENSELY to have a "starter groove" to get some of the wood out of the way first. I made a plane to do it, but it can be done with a Skil saw...VERY carefully.

 

[Bubba45]

I think I'll stick with chisels Chris , lol !! I can see that saw making fire wood right quick and in a hurry ! I'll just take my time with chisels :grin:

 

[Hawken12]

Hello Stophel and thanks for yer input,Is your starter groove ,of the thickness of the minimum measurment of the barrel?and how do you increase to final ,bottom flats(chisel?)as both ends increase,no?
I can see removing extra material ,fairly quickly as the way to go,probly gonna use a saw an chisel,there ,the side depths bother me as the barrel is let in the sides at the back and front or the minimum increase,do I just use lampblack on the bottoms to get this?
I do understand the importance of multiple measurments.Thankyou

 

[Stophel]

Hello Stophel and thanks for yer input,Is your starter groove ,of the thickness of the minimum measurment of the barrel?and how do you increase to final ,bottom flats(chisel?)as both ends increase,no?
I can see removing extra material ,fairly quickly as the way to go,probly gonna use a saw an chisel,there ,the side depths bother me as the barrel is let in the sides at the back and front or the minimum increase,do I just use lampblack on the bottoms to get this?
I do understand the importance of multiple measurments.Thankyou

I guess the plane I made has a cutting tooth about a quarter inch wide and it goes about 3/8" deep. This is a tad smaller and shallower than the smallest dimension would be on any barrel that I would ever use.

Once the starter groove is cut, then I mark my depth dimensions, and cut to those depths with a chisel. Then, I lay the barrel on the stock, and with a knife, score the edges VERY carefully. VERY CAREFULLY. Quite easy to screw up here. Better to have the lines in too far than out too far. Then I chisel down to make the side flats. The depth is strictly by eye. After that, I chisel the oblique flats, and widen the bottom flat as necessary, accounting for the taper and flare, again, entirely by eye. It's not until I have a nearly completed barrel inlet that I even put the barrel in and check for fit.

I use a pigment with paint thinner for marking. Burnt umber, sienna, whatever is handy (I have a fair supply of powdered paint pigments of various types). No black messy manure. The paint thinner evaporates, simply leaving the pigment dust...which is basically rust (earth pigments are primarily iron oxide). Wipes easily off the barrel, washes easily off your hands, and if desired, it can be easily scraped off the wood in the inlet. It doesn't soak into the wood.

One note: DON'T BELIEVE THE MARKS ON THE SIDES OF THE BARREL CHANNEL! It will mark there no matter what, and if you keep cutting wood off the sides, you'll end up with a big gap. If the barrel is tight, make sure you exhaust all other possible areas before even thinking about looking at the sides. Now, the inlet on the sides, contrary to popular belief, does not have to be perfect, as even I, who can see discrepancies of a thousandths of an inch, don't notice small gaps, but big ones are ugly.

On a good day, I can inlet a rifle barrel in sugar maple within about 4 1/2 hours. Done, set, and with decent contact the whole length. Sometimes, though, I can spend a ridiculous number of hours getting things just right. One thing that really torques me is when the stock blank flexes. Changing humidity, I guess. I want the barrel to simply sit in the channel, without having to squeeze the stock up anywhere. Not important, I know, but it drives me nuts. Sometimes I get everything done, and the next day, I pick it up and squeeze it together at the middle, and there's a bit of flex. AAAGH!

But that's just me.

 

[Hawken12]

Thanx again,lots of hints to digest,this will be my first swamped barrel and the lines of the tapers were throwin me for a loop,only done 2 guns ,so far,one a 40 cal,tennesee,style and a trade gun,octagon to round ,what was I thinkin!!.but it worked out alrite.
My wood is a real tight curly maple(was gonna be skid wood!!!)this will be my third stock outta that board
The rifle ,I gonna build is called a factors rifle..28 inch ,54 cal.flinter,with a single set trigger,thanx again...Peter