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My first build inleting question

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Joined
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So for my first build I decided to jump in both feet. I thought about doing a cheap kit first but I figured why not just do this. So today I fitted the breach to the barrel. Tomorrow I'm thinking of roughing out for the barrel on the stock. It has a large chunk of wood on top. Im still kind of confused about the best was inlet the barrel. My bp shop said use a router then chisel. All the videos i have watched are hand tools or milling machines. I dont have a milling machine. So what is the best way to do it being a new builder? If you say router please explain how it's done. I have trouble with understanding how to remove the angle portion. Thanks for any help you can give me.
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I am struggling in trying to tell what you have.
If you have a channel then use hand tools all the way.
If there is no bartel channel then use router if you are confident in doing so.
If you need instruction on how to use a router dont use one.
I tackled it diffetently.
I fogured out the width and depth of the channel required. After calculating the minimum then i used a drill to drill shallow hes along the centreline then roughed out the channel and hand tools from there. Just make sure they are sharp.
The exercise is good practice and experience in using hand tools, if nothing else.20200627_095748.jpg20200627_095728.jpg
Obviously slower but worked well.
 
Thanks. I am confident in using the router just don't understand the how to route out the angle section. \ _/ not how to explain what I mean by angles. On the picture I attached whats in red can be cut off. From that point I can start inleting the barrel. So no barrel channel. I hope I explained it better. I dont know all the names/terminologies yet so I'm sure my explanation are frustrating.
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Thanks. I am confident in using the router just don't understand the how to route out the angle section. \ _/ not how to explain what I mean by angles. On the picture I attached whats in red can be cut off. From that point I can start inleting the barrel. So no barrel channel. I hope I explained it better. I dont know all the names/terminologies yet so I'm sure my explanation are frustrating.
All good. I kinda got it but wanted to be sure.
Basically with the router you need a 45 degree bit to get the slopes or use hand tools as per @billraby youtubes.
Watch Bills builds before going any further.
They are a goldmine.

Anyway if thr barrel is tapered or swamped then you need to figure the minimum diameter to cut the channel.
Cut to underdepth and underwidth.
Make the channel to minimum depth for the bottom flat hen to minimum width for the sides and use the 45 to take the bulk off the sloped flats.
Then hand tools.
Watch Bill's builds!
Also watch Bill's builds.
Take it slow, dont hog material out. Make damn sure before using a router.
Also WATCH BILLS BUILDS!!!
@duelist1954 ldoes a couple of really good builds as well that show alternative methods (and fixes) and if nothing else the videos will help you plan and avoid issues.
I think most of what i just wrote you already jnow but JIC.
 
I seem to be popular tonight so I will jump in. First of all, I do NOT use a milling machine to inlet a barrel. I use chisels only for that. What I do with the milling machine is get most of that extra wood out of the place where the barrel will go. I do NOT use a milling machine to cut to full depth or width of the barrel. The barrel WILL NOT fit when I am done with the milling machine. That is for bulk wood removal only. After that it all chisels and inletting black.

For you first build if you do not really know what you are doing I would recommend using chisels only. Watch my Tennessee rifle build video series. I inlet that one entirely with chisels. I had a milling machine out in the garage the whole time and did not touch it. It takes some experience to make good use of it. At that time I did not think I had the experience needed to do a good job.

If you want to use a router cut a channel slightly narrower than the width of the bottom barrel flat and almost to full depth of the barrel channel right down the center. That will remove a good amount of wood. Do the rest with chisels. Do not try to cut the angles part with power tools. Chisels can take that out pretty quick. Routers can remove big amounts of wood very fast. That means they can make big mistakes very fast also. A dangerous way to go. It all depends on your skill with a router.

Another method is to use a drill press. Get a drill bit slightly smaller diameter than the width of the bottom barrel flat and drill a line of holes down the center almost to the depth of the barrel channel. That also takes out a lot of wood, but at a slower and more deliberate pace than the router. Use chisels after that.

Safest way is with all chisels. It will take a long time. No matter which way you go, you won't finish tomorrow. But you have a good chance of finishing before the end of January if you keep at it. This does not go fast. You need to have the mindset that a finished rifle in not the goal. The goal is to enjoy the time that you spend working on it and it does not matter how long it takes. Get some audiobooks and just let the world go away for a while.

You have all that extra wood on top. I would just take it off with a small hand saw. Then level off that surface with a rasp and a straight edge.

LawrenceA is right in saying not to use a power tool if you need instruction. Just remember that all of the originals were built without the use of electricity. Power tools are not required. My videos show every step of building with explanation of what I am doing. If you have questions, take some photos and post it here. Most likely you will get a number of answers.

This will be quite a project and it will be tough at times. You have a lot to learn. The good part is that by doing it this way instead of getting one of the easier kits, you will actually learn how to build guns. After this you be fully capable of building from a blank. Then you won't need kits anymore.
 
I seem to be popular tonight so I will jump in. First of all, I do NOT use a milling machine to inlet a barrel. I use chisels only for that. What I do with the milling machine is get most of that extra wood out of the place where the barrel will go. I do NOT use a milling machine to cut to full depth or width of the barrel. The barrel WILL NOT fit when I am done with the milling machine. That is for bulk wood removal only. After that it all chisels and inletting black.

For you first build if you do not really know what you are doing I would recommend using chisels only. Watch my Tennessee rifle build video series. I inlet that one entirely with chisels. I had a milling machine out in the garage the whole time and did not touch it. It takes some experience to make good use of it. At that time I did not think I had the experience needed to do a good job.

If you want to use a router cut a channel slightly narrower than the width of the bottom barrel flat and almost to full depth of the barrel channel right down the center. That will remove a good amount of wood. Do the rest with chisels. Do not try to cut the angles part with power tools. Chisels can take that out pretty quick. Routers can remove big amounts of wood very fast. That means they can make big mistakes very fast also. A dangerous way to go. It all depends on your skill with a router.

Another method is to use a drill press. Get a drill bit slightly smaller diameter than the width of the bottom barrel flat and drill a line of holes down the center almost to the depth of the barrel channel. That also takes out a lot of wood, but at a slower and more deliberate pace than the router. Use chisels after that.

Safest way is with all chisels. It will take a long time. No matter which way you go, you won't finish tomorrow. But you have a good chance of finishing before the end of January if you keep at it. This does not go fast. You need to have the mindset that a finished rifle in not the goal. The goal is to enjoy the time that you spend working on it and it does not matter how long it takes. Get some audiobooks and just let the world go away for a while.

You have all that extra wood on top. I would just take it off with a small hand saw. Then level off that surface with a rasp and a straight edge.

LawrenceA is right in saying not to use a power tool if you need instruction. Just remember that all of the originals were built without the use of electricity. Power tools are not required. My videos show every step of building with explanation of what I am doing. If you have questions, take some photos and post it here. Most likely you will get a number of answers.

This will be quite a project and it will be tough at times. You have a lot to learn. The good part is that by doing it this way instead of getting one of the easier kits, you will actually learn how to build guns. After this you be fully capable of building from a blank. Then you won't need kits anymore.
Thanks for all the info, I will continue with your videos. I'm at the 3rd video of your Lancaster build so I will switch over. I do have pretty good skills with the router but the more I learn the more I believe my first one should be with chisels. I think the slower way will give me more knowledge and wait until I am more comfortable with building. So I will use chisels. I'm in no hurry to get the build done. Just doing the breach yesterday was was a great time. I followed your video and in went flawlessly. Thanks again.
 
All good. I kinda got it but wanted to be sure.
Basically with the router you need a 45 degree bit to get the slopes or use hand tools as per @billraby youtubes.
Watch Bills builds before going any further.
They are a goldmine.

Anyway if thr barrel is tapered or swamped then you need to figure the minimum diameter to cut the channel.
Cut to underdepth and underwidth.
Make the channel to minimum depth for the bottom flat hen to minimum width for the sides and use the 45 to take the bulk off the sloped flats.
Then hand tools.
Watch Bill's builds!
Also watch Bill's builds.
Take it slow, dont hog material out. Make damn sure before using a router.
Also WATCH BILLS BUILDS!!!
@duelist1954 ldoes a couple of really good builds as well that show alternative methods (and fixes) and if nothing else the videos will help you plan and avoid issues.
I think most of what i just wrote you already jnow but JIC.
I am going to use hand tools and watch Bills videos. I appreciate you taking the time to straighten me out.
 
Trying to learn how to build a rifle by inquiries on a forum is a very poor and inefficient way of learning. It’s free but wasteful. Buy books. Take classes.
I agree, I'm using this as a sounding board for my questions. I have a few books and some videos from TOW. I also have my local shop I can visit. I really dont know of any classes in my area. The next time I go to the shop I will ask if they know of any.
 
I agree, I'm using this as a sounding board for my questions. I have a few books and some videos from TOW. I also have my local shop I can visit. I really dont know of any classes in my area. The next time I go to the shop I will ask if they know of any.
You are lucky to have such resources.
I have books, watch videos and then trial and error.
Please keep us posted with your progress.
I would love to see how it progresses.

I may even be able to learn from your mistakes.😀
Beats learning from my own.
 
If this is your first build I highly recommend hand tools for everything. I inlet a swamped barrel into a blank stock using only hand tools for my first build, and I am glad I did. It will take 10 times longer but you will learn 10 times as much, achieve better results, and gain an appreciation for what it took to build these guns two centuries ago.

There is a saying I read somewhere in one of the gun building books about "creeping up on perfection". That is a great mindset to keep, and hard to do with power tools.
 
Tank..........Too bad you can't borrow another gun to look at. Not to copy one to one , but just to get the feel of what to do. Electric hand drill w/larger bits can remove wood so barrel channel is quicker. Very important , draw a copious amount of lines to delineate boundaries along edges of barrel channel so you don't get sloppy when you get tired. Chisels larger than 3/8" not necessary , and 1/4 " might be perfect to use most of the time. The wood type/hardness , can dictate chisel size. Make or buy a medium wt. wood mallet to drive your chisels. Barrel channels don't have to be perfect. If evidence is required to convince you of this ,look at some originals. Old time pre 1840 gun shops lived and died on the same principles any business does today.....Time is money. Perfection was when the trigger was pulled the shot was accurate. Hope this helps... last time I completely inlet a barrel by hand was in the early 1970's ,but if you build enough guns every now and again at least part of a barrel inlet is necessary. ...........oldwood
 
Deeply curved gouges work good for getting the wood out of there quickly. When it comes to getting a good fit, the perfect chisel is one just slightly narrower than the width of a barrel flat.
 
If you are worried about inletting, get a maple board from Home Depot and inlet the barrel into that. Then do it again until you can do a good job. Then you can inlet the lock into the board a few times. Flip it over and practice carving on the other side. You can get a lot of practice from a $20 board.
 
If you are worried about inletting, get a maple board from Home Depot and inlet the barrel into that. Then do it again until you can do a good job. Then you can inlet the lock into the board a few times. Flip it over and practice carving on the other side. You can get a lot of practice from a $20 board.
Its funny you said that. I was at Lowes today and I got a board to do that. I figured the same. I would rather make my mistakes there then on my future stock. Thanks.
 
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