Newbie's first build - pictorial build-along

[joehenz]

I finally finished the Chamber's fowler I've been working on for a while. I like the way it turned out, and it's fun to shoot! Many thanks to this forum for all the advice - most of which I got through the Search function, but some of which I asked for directly.

I would encourage anyone contemplating their first build to download the PDF file I uploaded to Google Docs. It will show you a lot of what can go wrong and how it turns out in the end. I learned so much from this first build!

This link should get you there (warning 12MB):
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id...g4YjgtMzc1YmNmMjU3YTMw&hl=en&authkey=CJb6j5UP

 

[skywarp]

Thanks for taking the time! That will be very helpful to me, for one. I try to document stuff in photos too but you have it very well laid-out and easy to read. Nice work! Gun looks great too! How does it shoot? :thumbsup:

 

[oldarmy]

What a great job.. :thumbsup:
Both on the weapon and the build presentation.
Your google link should be a sticky.
Nicely done and very honest.. Not. everything is going to go right. How you can adapt and cover up mistakes is a part of building :hatsoff:
I enjoyed it.
Hope you signed it with your name, dated and numbered it.

 

[bowkill]

very nice, learned some things... thanks :hatsoff:

 

[agill]

Thanks for sharing! :hatsoff:

 

[Old40Rod]

Outstanding... the color of the wood is perfect :thumbsup:

 

[Capt. Fred]

Nice job on the gun and the build along. :thumbsup:

 

[Supercracker]

Very nice. well done build along. Looked at the first part quickly but I'm gonna save the rest for when I have time and can digest it. Gonna be kicking off my first build next week.

Quick question though. On the back barrel lug in the octagon, why did you peen the barrel and not the lug? Not saying it was wrong just curious. To me it seems, given a choice, it would always be better to modify/peen/file/work the cheapest most easily sacrificial part.

 

[joehenz]

The lug dovetails into the barrel. You have to peen the "flaps" (for lack of a better word) of the female dovetail in the barrel to hold the male dovetail of the lug in place.

 

[Birddog6]

Actually, properly fitted, no peening is required other than to keep them from falling out while putting the rifle in & out of the stock during the build. The shape of the dovetail has adequate strength to obtain what is required of it. Peening or staking at the edge of the dovetail slot just snugs the underlug up & does no damage to the barrel at all, as it is a superficial place there is no stress on.

You can actually leave them loose in the slot, but every time you take the barrel out they could fall out, then you have to figure out which one was where & what direction (unless marked) as the holes drilled in them would not all be the same.... :hmm:

Keith Lisle

 

[Birddog6]

Joe: You did good. :thumbsup: A few obvious errors, and nothing unusual for a newbie. Fact is you did better than most do on their 2nd or 3rd rifles. :thumbsup:

On the underlugs, free-handing them I never do.... :shake: You can't cover up the misdrills unless ya stain the stock black. Use a drillpoint for those. Centerpunch the holes Before ya start drilling on a round stock, or the drill bit will walk.

On the triggerguard, you should have moved the guard back just about 1/8" and you would have had clearance on the trigger. You notch out the triggerplate or the guard to allow for that movement, then it all fits down nice & snug & fits right.

On the tang bolt, the head should have been more
towards the rear to make it lay flat.

As for the inletting, those things happen..... Ya make overcuts & try not to do it again. Oh, and every Precarved stock I have ever bought was overcut. That is because of wear on the stock Pattern & the stock carver not building them back up. That is why if I order one now, I just want the butt rough shaped, barrel inlet & RR hole drilled. I don't want them cutting the rest & me having to clue in wood for their screwups.

Ye did real good, it is a nice looking rifle & you should be proud of it. :thumbsup:

Keith Lisle

PS: On the tang bending, using the barrel as a lever will not open the plug/barrel fit, or it has not on the ? well over 100 I have done. I don't notch them or thin them, I just stick the tang in the vice, bend them, shape them, & go on. Works every time. :thumbsup:

 

[der mike]

xlnt post........just about covered all the mistakes I make. One thing is, to not be afraid to make mistakes. der mike

 

[ebiggs1]

You certainly deserve an “A” for your build and wonderful article describing it.
I ran into the same “flaws” that you did, perhaps we all do on our first attempts.
But 35 years of cabinet making has taught me not to point them out as most people won’t see them if you don’t tell them!
I hope your gun shoots as well as it looks. Give yourself a ”˜high 5’.

 

[Vaino]

Excellent "work along" pics and the work is also pretty good. A couple of things I do differently which doesn't make them the preferred way, but seem to be easier, are...The radius at the juncture of the tang and bolster is reduced to 1/32" for easier bending and also to eliminate a flat coming off the bbl into the wrist. I like to start the wrist fall off actually 3/8" into the bbl. The hole in the trigger bar is drilled first, positioned for proper location asre the trigger plate and then the hole is spotted in the lock inlet w/ the trigger laying on the lock mortice, trigger is removed and the hole drilled. Can't miss this way. I use an upsetting chisel to raise metal on both sides of the dovetail and after a decent fit is achieved, this metal is pounded down onto the lug, filed smooth and a very tight fit is achieved. Also prefer to drill the bbl lug and RR pipe pinholes all at once in the drill press...saves a lot of time and the hole locations on both sides are very close.....good job....Fred

 

[mikemeteor]

The radius at the juncture of the tang and bolster is reduced to 1/32" for easier bending

whoa... ya lost me there, Fred. I understand the final desire for easier tang bending and starting the wrist bend early - this is an area I need work on - could you give some more explanation of what you are making 1/32" ? the radius from the vertical back of bolster to horizontal underside of tang ?
thanks ! :thumbsup:

cool journal Joe ! I'm a big fan of beginners sharing pics and stories with others - especially other beginners, like myself. Lots of "small things" are uncovered that sometimes you don't see coming.
MM

 

[AZ Muzzle]

WOW! :bow:

If this is your first build, you are well on your way. You added excellent detail in your Step-By-Step tutorial.

Thank you for sharing.

Mark B

 

[Vaino]

Yes...you described the radius exactly. There's 2 things I do for what to me makes for better wrist architecture. As was said, start the wrist fall off so there isn't a flat on the tang behind the breech and I always violate the breech plug face w/ the TH liner. This moves the lock and trigger/TG back which again to me, improves the looks of the wrist and therefore the looks of the entire LR. Not saying to do this, it's just how I do it....many ways to do things....Fred

 

[4deer]

You did a great job writing up the buildalong and showing all the mistakes you made. Its not always easy to admit your own mistakes. Also from a technical standpoint Google Docs was a great way of sharing the document.

Thank you for all the time you spent on this. I enjoyed it. :hatsoff:

Nice gun!

 

[jeep44]

Thank You for posting this-I'm putting together a NSW trade gun, and I was just at the point where I had installed that angled tang bolt, and I was wondering exactly how I would find the center of the barrel for the lugs that I was going to do next. This build-along has really eased my mind on the whole process ahead of me :thumbsup:

 

[bigbuckdn]

awsome nice job
nice step by step