True Craftsman, Scratch Builders and Extreme Tinkerers.....Check Out My Wood.

[64Springer]

Cherry wood that is.

I would like input from the True Craftsman, Scratch Builders and Extreme Tinkerers on this forum. I need solid guidance only from people who have actually undertaken the daunting task of successfully creating a full length stock from a solid block of wood.

A zillion questions are running through my mind. Where Do I Begin? With so much taper from breech 1.200 to muzzle .760, how do I compensate for the barrel taper when laying out the stock? With a straight octagon barrel it's easy.

How do I layout the web between the bottom of the barrel channel and top of the ramrod channel? Again, the taper is kicking my butt.

Regarding lock panel to panel width. Am I correct in assuming it's breech thickness + lock plate bolster thickness x 2. I don't have the lock yet. Would 5/16ths to 3/8ths on either side be enough to rough out the blank width? Should I plane a straight leading top edge on the bank and use that line a reference line for all dimensions?

Look at my highly technical drawing. I ordered a stock layout book from TOTW. Should be here soon. But books are generally written by people who have so much knowledge that they never hold a novice's hand. They say DO THIS. Without ever explaining why to DO THIS. I really enjoy technical reference books. If there is a Full Length Stocks for Dummies book floating around, where do I go to buy it?

Many thanks in advance. Now I need to go chisel shopping.

 

[64Springer]

No one wants to talk about building a muzzleloader on a muzzleloading forum.

What up widat?

 

[Eric Krewson]

Answers to your multiple questions could be very long and involved, perhaps no one is up to typing that much info.

Have you watched Bil Raby's gun building videos on Rumble? He covers all your questions and shows how to do it with his videos.

 

[64Springer]

Mr. Raby was kind enough to show me one of his videos. Never heard of Rumble. Will investigate that. Thank you.

 

[deerstalkert]

start by drawing a center line full length of the top edge of the plank.
determine where the barrel with tang is going to be. center the barrel on the line. scribe a line following both sides of the barrel. you can use a gouge to make a furrow full length for the barrel to cradle in. staying inside your scribed lines use a chisel to plunge cut the entire outline. remove materiel until the barrel is cradled then start using transfer. remove all material with transfer markings. repeat until your barrel is inletted to the center line of the bore.
let us know in a couple weeks when this is done. part two will be matching the RR channel.
this probably doesn't help but it is the way i start. the barrel dictates where everything else goes. vent hole dictates where the pan is. pan dictates where the lock is located. sear arm dictates where the trigger is located. and so on.
i think.
i just sorta finished this fowler. i always see something to play with so they are never done. this was a plank build.


oh yeah! nice wood! i have yet to do a cherry build. walnut, maple, birch, and one oak plank years ago. never a cherry. that will have to be next. i really need another fowler!

 

[The Crisco Kid]

I learned from William Buchele's book. The best advise I can give is to lay out the parts that you have on a full length piece of meat wrapping paper and draw a full scale drawing using those parts to make sure that they will all fit together. Do the same with the plan and profile views. If you can draw it out odds are you can build it. The other best advise I can give is to spend a lot of time just looking at it. I call it pondering time. Usually in my case it's with an adult beverage after the tools have been put away. It's a matter of spending the time to figure it all out.

I don't call myself a true craftsman but I have put a few together from scratch.

 

[bptactical]

Just take away everything that doesn’t look like a rifle…….

 

[64Springer]

Just take away everything that doesn’t look like a rifle…….

So easy, a caveman could do it...

 

[64Springer]

start by drawing a center line full length of the top edge of the plank.
determine where the barrel with tang is going to be. center the barrel on the line. scribe a line following both sides of the barrel. you can use a gouge to make a furrow full length for the barrel to cradle in. staying inside your scribed lines use a chisel to plunge cut the entire outline. remove materiel until the barrel is cradled then start using transfer. remove all material with transfer markings. repeat until your barrel is inletted to the center line of the bore.
let us know in a couple weeks when this is done. part two will be matching the RR channel.
this probably doesn't help but it is the way i start. the barrel dictates where everything else goes. vent hole dictates where the pan is. pan dictates where the lock is located. sear arm dictates where the trigger is located. and so on.
i think.
i just sorta finished this fowler. i always see something to play with so they are never done. this was a plank build.


oh yeah! nice wood! i have yet to do a cherry build. walnut, maple, birch, and one oak plank years ago. never a cherry. that will have to be next. i really need another fowler!

Thank you, Sir. And beautiful rifle. Can you recommend a good curved chisel to stab in the curved outline of the lock plate? I'm building up the straight chisel collection. But I've never purchased a small curved chisel.

Laid everything out this evening. Queen Anne flintlock and all the other goodies were ordered this evening as well.

I think the dimensions are correct. Final dimension tweaking on the ramrod channel won't start until I get the ramrod pipes. The pipe OD will determine drill sizes.

 

[Eterry]

My mentor told me the same thing, but me being left handed he said " take away everything that doesn't look like a gun, but do it upside down and backwards. Lol.
It took me 4 years to finish my left hand early Lancaster.
Good luck

 

[64Springer]

I learned from William Buchele's book. The best advise I can give is to lay out the parts that you have on a full length piece of meat wrapping paper and draw a full scale drawing using those parts to make sure that they will all fit together. Do the same with the plan and profile views. If you can draw it out odds are you can build it. The other best advise I can give is to spend a lot of time just looking at it. I call it pondering time. Usually in my case it's with an adult beverage after the tools have been put away. It's a matter of spending the time to figure it all out.

I don't call myself a true craftsman but I have put a few together from scratch.

Thank you for the book idea.

I am the ponderer of all ponderers. Pondered for several hours before I took and single measurement. Pulled down a few of my other muzzleloaders and stared at them for a while. That really helped me to understand the interplay between barrel channel, web, ramrod, etc. Can't thin the lock panel width down until the lock arrives. The winter project will sit until then.

 

[billraby]

This should answer some of your questions

https://rumble.com/user/BillRaby

 

[deerstalkert]

Thank you, Sir. And beautiful rifle. Can you recommend a good curved chisel to stab in the curved outline of the lock plate? I'm building up the straight chisel collection. But I've never purchased a small curved chisel.

Laid everything out this evening. Queen Anne flintlock and all the other goodies were ordered this evening as well.

I think the dimensions are correct. Final dimension tweaking on the ramrod channel won't start until I get the ramrod pipes. The pipe OD will determine drill sizes.

that layout looks good though the 1/4 inch web between the barrel channel and the ram rod channel will give the forearm a heavy look. i try for 1/8 inch web. this slims the forearm noticeably. some times the best i can do is 3/16's.
if at all possible farm out the RR channel boring. that is the hardest thing for me to do, and it can be the difference between a quality build and a wreck. and i have had some wrecks.
a good curved chisel/gouge is a Pfeil. i would recommend a 1/4, a 3/8, and 1/2. But! if you aren't going to become addicted to this thing called building muzzleloaders, (i am afraid you show all the symptoms) start with a 1/4. they are costly but worth it.
and now the most important advise i can give.
Keep your cutting edges scary sharp! that is the best thing you can learn, how to sharpen and keep the tools sharp.
a dull chisel or gouge can cause you to say things you will not get a smile from humanity for saying. i am still doing penance from 20 years ago!
a sharp tool is surgical. a dull tool is a modified beaver.
this is one of my most used tools. it is a cheap harbor freight tool but surprisingly good steel.
it is a scraper and bottoms inlets wonderfully.
just about anybody else on this forum is more qualified to give advise so i am going to shut up for the night.
your self description as a ponderer is just what is required. that and patience. took me 60+ years to develop the patience.

 

[Sean E Bug]

for reference read building the Pennsylvania long rifle and gunsmith of Greenville county. I would scribe a line down the center of the barrel on the side. you inlet till the line is flush the whole length of the for stock. I would then measure the depth at several places and mark it on the side of the stock. connect the dots to have a line fort the bottom of the barrel channel that you can use to place the ramrod groove and drilling depth of underlugs. the biggest piece of advise I can give you is to slow down and not rush any step.

 

[Rich44]

Taking one step at a time, but yet having a complete plan in your mind is a good trick to pull off. This is going to be a lot of fun and a lot of learning, you're so lucky.

 

[64Springer]

for reference read building the Pennsylvania long rifle and gunsmith of Greenville county. I would scribe a line down the center of the barrel on the side. you inlet till the line is flush the whole length of the for stock. I would then measure the depth at several places and mark it on the side of the stock. connect the dots to have a line fort the bottom of the barrel channel that you can use to place the ramrod groove and drilling depth of underlugs. the biggest piece of advise I can give you is to slow down and not rush any step.

I was looking at these books on Amazon last night. You're second person to recommend them. Thank you.

 

[mikesto44]

One thing I will recommend is Josh Wrightsman U tube videos. He shows step by step in letting the barrel channel with gouges.
Bill Raby does a good job...but he uses a milling machine. Not everyone has one.
Last but not least on the old originals. They were only octagon inlet the first four inches or so at the muzzle and breech. The rest of the channel was rounded out.
It's not hard to do it's time consuming...

 

[flconch53]

I learned from William Buchele's book. The best advise I can give is to lay out the parts that you have on a full length piece of meat wrapping paper and draw a full scale drawing using those parts to make sure that they will all fit together. Do the same with the plan and profile views. If you can draw it out odds are you can build it. The other best advise I can give is to spend a lot of time just looking at it. I call it pondering time. Usually in my case it's with an adult beverage after the tools have been put away. It's a matter of spending the time to figure it all out.

I don't call myself a true craftsman but I have put a few together from scratch.

I have done 1 from scratch. I cut the tree down. I do alot of things once for the experience.

 

[mikesto44]

64springer if you get the Gun Smith's of Greenville book. Order the videos to because it will clear up anything that might seem confusing. JMHO

 

[user 48679]

Keep a camera handy...........

It will not only make a record of your progress, but WE WANT PICS ! !

Also, respectfully, it would help your work to develop more patience - a disparaging comment only 30mins after your original post indicates such, as many posters have other things to do most days than lurk here to give instant answers..