Parts Kit Build By A Beginner(Running Thread)

[Vtsmoker]

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? Here is my problem. My wood to metal fit is really bad. When I do an inlet I put a draft on the part and set it in place. With a sharp pencil I trace around it with the pencil at an angle so I'm tracing the contact surface only. Then I go around the inlet with the chisel just inside the line and remove the wood in the center of the inlet but not full depth. This is where the problems start. I insert the chisel, corner first, on the line and roll the chisel on the line. When I do sometimes the wood will start to splinter ahead of the cut. SO I go ahead of the splinter and roll back to prevent the splinter from comming out. But I'm still getting poor fit. I promise I'm going slow and making sure the chisel is on the line.

 

[rabjr]

Sounds like the chisel needs sharpening to me.

 

[Vtsmoker]

I was wondering when you were going to jump in here :haha: . Swampy, what ta he!! was I thinking :slap:

 

[rabjr]

:haha: It's a bit overwhelming the first time ain't it? I remember wishing someone was around to show me the steps while I stumbled through them myself.

I actually like inletting and if the whole build was just that, I'd be doing more! Unfortunately theres more to builds than that. :haha: Anyways, it is important to have super sharp tools and watch the grain when cutting into it.

 

[Birddog6]

Lots of dif ways of doing inletting. I never inlet a lock with a chisel. I know allot of guys do & that is fine, but I don't.

I cut the line I want with a Exacto knife with a heavy blade, then go inside the inlet & cut half a V to that first cut & lift out the sliver. I go all the way around the lock inlet like this.
Then I go back over all the initial cuts & do it all again. Then I take a chisel or carving tool & remove the inside area, trying to keep the inlet area flat.
Then I blacken the edges of the lockplate with Inletting Black (just a little will do it) and I lay it on the inlet & lightly tap it & remove the lockplate.
Then I make the cuts to adjust to where I am off.
DO this til the lockplate will start in by tapping it lightly with a plastic mallet.
Then remove the lockplate & do it all over again, til I get the lockplate down to where I want it to be.

It is important to make your cuts straight down, be it with a knife or a chisel. You will have a tendency to go IN & this as you get the lock panel worked down & the excess wood removed from the top, you end up with gaps in the lock inlet, thus it looks poorly inlet.

When I get the lockplate down in the inlet ? 1/8" or so, I look at how much more I have to go to make it fit up to the barrel at the bolster. If it is allot, then I take a wood rasp & take off about 1/16" of the top of the lock panel & I inlet down again. Repeat.

One the last inlet to where I have it flush to the barrel, I don't take that top wood off the lock panel now. I leave it there while I do other parts of the build. I can take that last bit off any time.

The reason I leave it is if I bump the lockpanel on the vice or whatever & ding it, I have protection there, as I have left this wood. If I take it all the way down, I have an issue to deal with & much easier to take wood off later, than to try to swell a ding out.

Keith Lisle

PS: I suggest a 5/16" vent liner. This way if you screw up, you can go to a larger size. If you screw up the 3/8" one, you really have a problem......

 

[Vtsmoker]

Since I don't have drillpress I am going to centerpunch the vent location and take the barrel to the local machine shop to have it drilled and tapped :thumbsup: . Sublet is a wonderful thing sometimes.

 

[Birddog6]

I take it you have the barrel & tang in, barrel pinned & tang screw down into the lockplate, and the lock in & bolted to the rifle.

THEN you are ready to mark & drill the vent liner hole.

Keith Lisle

 

[Vtsmoker]

Not even close to being ready for the vent liner yet. Thats weeks if not a couple or few months away. Discovered my kit came without any pins.

 

[Keb]

The wood around the breech area could be made to look a little better by cutting a cupped shaped (kinda purple) area. I tried to show this using photoshop. Not sure if you get the idea from my feeble attempt at manipulating a digital image. :/

 

[Vtsmoker]

Honestly, I've messed up the inletting on this stock so bad I'm not going to be happy with the finished product. I think I'm going to get another stock and find someone who knows what their doing to put this together in the white for me. Those that build these things are true artists and craftsman. I'm so deep into this financially I can't just put the parts in a closet and forget about them. Got to save up some $$$ to get this done right. Those of you who know how to build these things please PT me with a price to put my kit together. THANKS, Mark

 

[Keb]

Vtsmoker, I wouldn't quit. Keep at it and learn from the mistakes. I'm sure it's gonna shoot fine when it's done.

 

[Vtsmoker]

But it will look like crap!

 

[hoochiepapa]

You've been trying to go too fast. Be slow like me, and finish what you started. We are always more critical of our own work. You can't expect to build like Fred or Mike or Keith on your first one. If you finish, you will see the mistakes, yes, but you will learn so much. :v

 

[Mike Brooks]

I'd suggest you finish it to as a learning exercise. Next time you do this get a good hard piece of wood, you'll be far more pleased with your inletting.
I hate to point this out, but this is what happens when you buy "reasonably priced" kits. Corners are cut by supplying low quality parts.

 

[ol vern]

But it will look like crap!

No it will not. Just keep plugging away doing the best you can.
It will turn out fine. :thumbsup:
Relax and enjoy the learning experience.

 

[mikemeteor]

I cut the line I want with a Exacto knife with a heavy blade, then go inside the inlet & cut half a V to that first cut & lift out the sliver. I go all the way around the lock inlet like this.

As always, Keith speaks wisely. I also use a LOT of X-acto knife work on inlets - find what works for you - if chisels (properly sharpened) aren't gettin it - try the knife.
I modify the tip of the standard pointy blade by cutting it back at an angle. do this with a dremel cut off blade and keep it cool to keep the cutting tip hard and sharp.

I like the advice of these guys - keep working on this one for the learning experience, including how to close up inletting gaps.

If, at the end, it looks like something you just CAN'T live with (you might be surprised how attached you'll become to it!), THEN you can always take off all the metal and start with a new stock.
Slow down and enjoy the building process.

Haste = mistakes = no fun.

/mike

 

[Vtsmoker]

I knew this kit was not of the highest quality but it was an upgrade from my other option(an India gun)and I chose a kit to be able to get a decent gun, put it together myself, and save a little money. I didn't realize the kit would need so much work. I explained to the supplier I was a beginner and wasn't comfotable with a lot of inletting. He assured me I could handle what little would need to be done. Iv'e learned it takes a steady hand, keen eye, and artistic talant to build a gun. I'm artisicly challanged, far sighted and too clumsey to do this :haha: . Thank you for the encouragement, but this is a forever gun and will be my last ML for my collection. I want it nice. You pro-builders amaze me. I know what you all are trying to tell me. "If I consider the stock ruined what have I got to lose by continuing as a learning experience" but the truth is I had no intention of continuing to build my own guns. I was just trying to save money.

 

[Mike Brooks]

Well, as a word of encouragement, I have never found anything that couldn't be fixed, especially wood.

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

But it will look like crap!

Well, maybe, but you will have learned something valuable. Then go on to the next one, it will get better. Don't get so discouraged, you have made some mistakes but they can be fixed, this isn't an exercise in instant gratification. Honestly you are making progress. Keep it up. You can always buy a blank of good hard maple (or walnut) and redo this one using the lessons you have learned.

 

[Keb]

Mark, Keep at it. The only one you gotta please is YOU! Even if you're not pleased with the results, it'll still be worth the effort. Just don't quit.