stock plank starting thickness??

[Brad Foust]

I am considering taking a big step forward, at least for me, in my novice gun building adventure.
I have built a few long guns beginning at various stages. From total precarved stocks, to ones with just the barrel and RR done.
But I now might try from a plank. I have a couple nice walnut planks but am concerned they are not thick enough, at only 2" max.
I want to build an early style fowler and have a nice barrel that is only 7/8" at the oct part. So it will be a slim gun.
But I want as wide a butt plate as possible and know from looking at other well made guns that the "good ones" are pretty wide, at the lock area also.
I guess my question is, is my wood wide enough??
What would you experienced builders consider a minimum to start with??
I dont want to waste money and time and energy on a piece thats just not wide enough to statrt with.
Thanks in advance

 

[kaintuck]

I like to use 3" ..... But if your carefule 2" will get you a straight thin stock......butt plate being the biggest part, the IF you put a cheek piece on it, it will be slim.....but that's the name of the game isn't it?.....slim

Marc n tomtom

 

[Dane]

No, 2" is not thick enough for a fowler of any kind I know of. Most fowler butts are at least 2" wide. Add any cast off, and your way off. 2 ½" to 2 ¾" min.

 

[Brad Foust]

Pretty much what I thought. Thanks for confirming my thinking.
I am thinking I should have at a minimum, 2 3/8" at the least and wider if the butt plate is any more??
Sound ok to you?
Thanks

 

[Dane]

You could possibly get by with that, but it would be TIGHT!

Min. 2 ½" to 2 ¾" is a better place to be.

 

[Stophel]

2 inches is perfectly fine for an average fowling gun, depending, of course, on what exactly you are calling a "fowling gun". Usually people mean a mid to late 18th century English type gun, in which case, a 2" buttplate is perfectly acceptable. That will be the absolute max width of the buttplate, of course. You will be hard pressed to find a wider buttplate anyway. Cast off can be handled simply by offsetting the barrel in the blank. :wink:

Your biggest architectural problem ain't gonna be the buttplate, it'll be that REALLY scrawny barrel.

 

[Stophel]

I generally build pre-Revolutionary rifles, and while I LIKE my blanks to be about 2 1/2" thick, they don't really have to be. I'm making a 1770-ish rifle right now, and the stock blank was 2 5/16" thick at the butt. That's it. And yet I can still get a full 2" wide buttplate, at least a quarter inch of cast off, AND a full cheekpiece out of it. :wink:

 

[galamb]

Golden age and later rifles can be "squeaked" out of a 2" thick plank even if you are putting 1/4" of cast-off on the stock.

I can get it to work with that cast and a 15" length of pull - but you have "zero" room to mess with.

I work from planks and will go "looking" for 10/4 (2 1/2"), but if it's fancy walnut or super curly maple (read major bucks per board foot) 8/4 (2") boards, if they can be used, cuts the price significantly.

Most of your blank ends up on the floor as sawdust and wood chips. If you don't need more than 2" thickness at any given point along the rifle, there is no "need" to work with a thicker plank (unless you are burning someone else's money)

 

[Dane]

Stophel,
I know you're right. I could do it as well. My understanding is that this is his first build.
I don't think I could have done it my first time. Just trying to give him a small margin for error.

 

[kaintuck]

Yup....between the. Wood plane, spokeshave, and scrapers.....almost ALL of the wood is on the shop floor! :idunno:
I know 2" is fine for a SMR in 7/8" barrels...... :thumbsup:
Marc n tomtom

 

[F.G. Ford]

Working with walnut, I have glued wood ( walnut ) to the side of the butt to accommodate the cheek piece.
When it was done, you could not see the addition.
I have also done it with curly maple, but I had to be careful and align the wood so the grain would match.
Some of these stocks are in excess of thirty years old now, and you still can't see the joint. And today the wood glues are even better.
You MUST plain the wood perfectly prior to gluing.
Fred

 

[MSW]

disclaimer: the opinion of just one guy, and a crabby old one at that... free advice, and worth every nickel!

I would go with 10 quarter (2 1/2 inch) blank if at all possible ... spend the extra money ... especially if this is your first go at it, you will expand your comfort zone a great deal, and you will develop the confidence to go with a skinnier piece on your next go.

Good luck with your build ... and remember - we love pictures.

 

[MSW]

Working with walnut, I have glued wood ( walnut ) to the side of the butt to accommodate the cheek piece.
When it was done, you could not see the addition.
I have also done it with curly maple, but I had to be careful and align the wood so the grain would match.
Some of these stocks are in excess of thirty years old now, and you still can't see the joint. And today the wood glues are even better.
You MUST plain the wood perfectly prior to gluing.
Fred

(emphasis added)

this is another way to go, but I'd avoid it with figured wood - too easy to 'get caught cheating'

TiteBond III has served me well in a wide variety of applications - wouldn't hesitate to use it in this one. The point about the fit of the joint is spot - on ... if your joint isn't tight, it's just hanging around waiting to fail.

 

[B.Habermehl]

2 inch thick wood is just fine for a fowler. If you send the barrel and stock blank to Dave keck to inlet the barrel tell him you want to allow a bit for cast off. Or have it inlet down the middle and offset the heel of the stock to yield the cast off, and leave the toe on centerline. With no cheek piece shaping will be pretty straight foreword, and as simple as gun building gets.BJH

 

[Stophel]

Yeah, there's really no need for "extra wood", which will just end up on the shop floor. It should not be difficult at all to simply angle the barrel in the blank ever-so-slightly to account for cast off (a long straight edge and a ruler is all you need, you just need to force yourself to disregard the sides of the blank and don't try to align the barrel with them! :haha: ). Or, the barrel can be put in straight, but offset to the left side, and cast off handled normally. Just pretend that it's thicker on the left side! You may like the grain running one way more than the other, take your pick.

The stock I'm working on wasn't even straight, but the front end curved to the right! The cast off worked it to my advantage... :grin:

 

[Brad Foust]

Actually just went out and remeasured those planks. Just to be sure.
They are both just a hair over 1-1/4", more like 1-5/16".
So maybe I can make them work after all??
Thanks as always

 

[Stophel]

Ok, that is way too small!! :grin:

 

[MSW]

if you get out your copy of The Gunsmith of Grenville County by Peter Alexander, you can see how to 'walk through' the measurements of the barrel, lock panels, and so forth and see the finished width of the piece. I'm pretty sure that you're too thin.

Don't give up in the entire, but you should look for a thicker stock blank. Good luck with your build!

 

[Stophel]

While you're waiting for a new stock blank, take the time to study original guns of the type you wish to emulate. See how everything interrelates. Learn what styles are right, what styles are wrong. Don't jump into it blind, study and take your time and you will end up with a much more harmonious outcome. :wink:

 

[Birddog6]

Actually just went out and remeasured those planks. Just to be sure.
They are both just a hair over 1-1/4", more like 1-5/16".
So maybe I can make them work after all??
Thanks as always

That is Furniture wood. Not even close to thick enough to build a rifle with.

When looking at blanks, I don't even consider anything under 2", and the 2" one would only work out if it is a SMR. I prefer to have the blanks
2 1/4 to 2 1/2" thick. When I cut my own, I cut them all 3" thick. Leaves me room to work around any cracks, imperfections, knots, etc.

Keith Lisle