oh, this is a good one...
some more or less random bits of advice, some of which is well considered and highly expert, and some of which is total S$%^ and i will leave you to differentiate between the two.
first, know in your heart that you don't always get what you pay for- that is, the tool with the highest price tag isn't necessarily the best tool, or the best tool for your particular use... so, is a Lie-Nielson bronze #4 1/2 really worth three hundred dollars? you betcha! do you need one to make a stock? probably not. look for good steel, not bells and whistles.
as regards files and rasps, if you don't have a proper handle for each and every one of your files, and all of your rasps, i will sent a large nasty fellow with no neck and no conscience to your house to beat you up.
he'll be with you right after he finds my place
you'd be amazed how many really good and really expensive rasps and files are routinely grabbed by their respective tangs and their owner just wails away, and can't figure out why there's no control over the tool. handles are cheap, blood on the stock is embarrassing- don't ask me how i know :redface: be especially careful around hoofrasps which are quick but dirty.
have your tetanus shot up- to- date.
don't use power tools- they're there to get you into a whole lot more trouble than they can get you out of, and making it fast isn't really the point.
next- don't be shy about cruising the yard sales and flea markets- you can find some real jems at some outrageously low prices. and don't be too put off if there's some pitting or rust on a tool you think will really do what needs done... there's a neat method to remove rust involving a trickle charger, a plastic bucket full of water & baking soda solution, a steel or iron plate and some electrodes send me a p.m. and i'll get it dug out for you.
leading to another bit of forehead slapper advice... i've been given several very good and obviously very expensive tools because the owner told me "i just can't make it work..." step one- take it to the bench, take it all apart and clean the gunk out of it. then sharpen it, to the point where you're the fellow with sharp tools and no hair on the forearms. (as a matter of ethics, i always off to return the tool after it's been sharpened and cleaned, and the owners almost always decline. pride is my very favourite sin). there are a boatload of different methods for getting stuff very sharp. i got a Tormec sharpener, which is expensive but does a tremendous job. you should also look into the method of wetting the back of wet/dry sandpaper (available in a stunning variety of grits at the autobody supply place, CAP or Bond are the two biggies here in southeastern VT) then put this on the top of a piece of float glass or a bit of flat stone or even a very flat piece of melamine. you can also go with Arkansas stones, water stones, or other abrasives such as diamond impregnated flats with whatever works for you, but you'll need to get good at sharpening your chisels if you want decent looking results... sharper is cleaner, more accurate, better looking. having sharp tools will make you thinner, richer, more attractive to the opposite sex, and more successful: if your tools are sharp, you will be respected among your peers and feared by your enemies. did Alexander the Great expand all that empire with a dull sword?
i rest my case.
then, and this will sound like a big downer 'cause i'm sure you want to get to work right away, but get some scrap (i assume maple) and practise the sort of carving you want to do. work on shaping, cutting, carving, the neat little whorls and burbles which will make your rifle the envy of the range. make all the mistakes on firewood (ayup- i routinely raid my own woodpile for stuff to work out some detail, and i don't regret putting the end product in the woodstove: it's the knowledge you seek, after all).
OK= now on to the 'what do i need' question: short answer: I HAVE NO IDEA. wish i could help you on this one, but each of us goes through a "the guy who dies with the most tools wins" stage, and i can't bring myself to be a facilitator for some other fellow who will buy a bunch of stuff he almost never uses, or bought it because the whole set looked cool. Track of the Wolf has some basic 'kit' and that's probably a good place to start, but don't go "hog wild." remember i told you to raid the woodpile? this will do a number of things, all of which are very good things and all of which i wish like H$#@ someone had done for me: it will make you slow down- no rushing to take a chisel to the expensive stock blank before you really know what you're doing. it will make you slow down and only buy the tools you really need. it will make you slow down and get to realize that your tools aren't as sharp as you thought they were. it will make you slow down and realize that the el- cheapo tool which looked like a good bargain is really not up to the task at hand. just flat slow down- really it's not some kind of race.
next, get some books. I like Recreating the American Longrifle by Shumway. I would quote The Gunsmith of Grenville County by Peter Alexander, but it's in my shop and i'm too lazy to go fetch it. both are expensive and i believe can be had through Track of the Wolf. these volumes are money very well spent: you will more than save their purchase price in the cost of parts you didn't ruin, let alone the frustration and the lost time. On a similar note, check into American Pioneer Video for a good collection of "how to" videos on a wide array of gunbuilding techniques. often seeing it done is much more instructive than reading about it.
finally, don't hesitate to check out the local lumber mill and see if he had "twelve quarter" maple. roughcut is OK- this will provide you with a three inch thich slab and it will cost a good bit less than buying a stockblank. there are several ways to get this 'squared up-' again, if this is a problem, send me a pm and i'll dig out the jig i use.
hope this helps, or at least makes things clearer. you will embark on a project which will result in a lifelong addiction from which there is no recovery (no should there be) and which will bring you to a greater understanding of what is important in the world. sitting in a forest with a rifle which you built with your own hands will 'get it' for you; if you're even interested in giving it a try, you're well on the way.
the best toys are the ones which go bang, and the ones you make yourself are even better.
make good smoke!
