AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Shop Made Tools => Topic started by: Nordnecker on March 03, 2014, 06:37:35 PM
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I have never liked making router/tool jigs, especially ones that require complex/precision set-ups. I don't like to spend hours making something that I use for 10 minutes and then it takes up space and sits around until I can't even remember how or why I made it but it's too "valuable" to throw away.
At any rate, I (inspired by the thread on Barrel channel cutters) came up with a dead simple, practically foolproof router jig for inletting (my first gun) an oct/round tapered barrel.
It really just took minutes to assemble out of plywood scraps and drywall screws. The barrel fit was virtually flawless and it worked equally well for routing the ramrod grove.
I took photos on my smart phone and have no idea how to post them. I have tried to set up flicker/photobucket accounts before- It seems that my home computer connection is too slow/ or the photo hosting service isn't compatible with my Mac. I was hoping to learn how to do it through my smart phone.
Can anybody help?
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The simplest jig for inletting straight octagon barrels, is made from 2 strips of 1/2 in. angle iron, four "C" clamps, one Shopmate clamping workbench, a good, at least 1HP. router, and a stop block with a screw to secure it. Of course you need a router bit that will cut the prescribed channel size.
This rig will allow you to add cast off to the stock, by slightly angling the barrel rather than centering it, in the stock.
Hungry Horse
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I'm afraid I can't help you with the smart phone, so in the meantime until someone can help, how about just explaining how you set up the jig.
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Here is a link to instructions for uploading photo's to photobucket from a smart phone. Seems fairly easy. You first must have an account set up with photobucket.
http://pic.photobucket.com/newsletter/Oct-2005/mobileuploads.html
Good luck. I know many on this forum would love to see the pictures and get your detailed explanation. Me included.
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I'd love to see my photos/explanation here, too.
It's basically just a box, longer than your barrel, that the stock can pivot inside of. The top of the box is covered with a piece of 1/4" ply about 12" wide. There is a slot in the center of the top so you can see what your doing and allow the bits to pass through. The wide top allows you to position fences on both sides of the base of the router- no slip-ups. I used a straight morticing bit to clear a small channel in the center, a round bit to cut the round portion and a Vee bit to cut the oblique and side flats. I took many light passes to sneak up on the "line" measured either directly off the barrel or from a centerline/refference line on the blank. The RR grove was done in the same box with the stock turned upside down. No fiddling with clamps, no precise cuts, just drywall screws and plywood.
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Does anybody have pictures????
Fred
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woke up with a newer-better-faster idea....I will make one and post pictures...using your existing router and your barrel as the guide....... ;D
IF it works...i have a plain piece of maple....i will try it 1st..........then post pictures~ 8)
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I had no one to teach me when I did mine so I chose a Radial Arm Saw.
Me 'n Routers have a ,,,,,one night stand history, long story.
But to you who aren't Router Handicapped ,,my hats off.
I did how ever make a terrible mistake, I failed to get the breach area as straight as I should, it looked good but when I shot the gun my stock cracked.
re fitting the barrel to the breach area fixed the problem.
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Every production furniture or cabinet shop I worked in through the years limited the infamous Radial Arm Saw to cutoff duty only, and even then it was a high accident machine. I sold my last one about 35 years ago. Shouldn't have. The guy who bought it used it to remove three fingers. Makes me shudder to visualize the kind of setup required to cut a barrel channel with a RAS, but I'm a coward who still has all his digits after a lifetime of milling wood.
:-[
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I rout barrel channels with a router in a router table, with a fence on the table, and a feather board pushing the stock to the fence. Leave the stock blank full hight and rout to full depth of barrel thickness one flat wide. I do this in several passes, don't gag your router trying to do it in one cut. I then cut the channel full width of barrel to the full depth of the side flats, again taking several passes to reach full depth. Most important is a mark on the table showing the forward edge of the bit, and a corresponding mark on the stock at the breach end. Don't be shy about stopping a little short of that mark. You also want to feed the stock in where the rotation of the bit pushes the stock toward the fence, don't ask me how I know this. When you're widening the side channel on one side, you need to turn and feed the stock from the other direction to get the rotation right. Don't forget to remark the forward edge of the bit on your table, the old mark is now on the back side of the bit when you feed from the other end
To remove the meat left in the bottom angles between the full depth and full width, I made a bit for my old Stanley router plane that is 45 degrees from vertical. I just pull it along till the angled flats are cut.
I also use this setup to cut the ramrod groove, after I've cut the stock to full depth at the forend, but prior to cutting it down to half the thickness of the ramrod.
At this point I'm ready to cut the sides of the channel down to half the barrel hight. You can even do that on the router table with a staggered fence. Ditto for cutting the forend to half the depth of the ramrod groove.
I've also cut barrel channels on a table saw, with a full hight stock blank, making multiple passes, and a piece of tape with a pencil mark on it where to stop feeding into the blade. This method is tedious, and leaves a lot of wood left to remove at the breach end of the channel, but it is accurate. With either method I suggest using a scrap piece to verify settings.
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Sorry for posting to the old thread. I am using the search function to find threads on barrel inletting with routers, and this one popped up. I am wondering if you can post pictures of this set up? I think I get the idea but a picture would really help. I would like to know how you secure the blank in the fixture. Do you screw the blank to the top of the box?
Thanks for your patience.
Mike
I'd love to see my photos/explanation here, too.
It's basically just a box, longer than your barrel, that the stock can pivot inside of. The top of the box is covered with a piece of 1/4" ply about 12" wide. There is a slot in the center of the top so you can see what your doing and allow the bits to pass through. The wide top allows you to position fences on both sides of the base of the router- no slip-ups. I used a straight morticing bit to clear a small channel in the center, a round bit to cut the round portion and a Vee bit to cut the oblique and side flats. I took many light passes to sneak up on the "line" measured either directly off the barrel or from a centerline/refference line on the blank. The RR grove was done in the same box with the stock turned upside down. No fiddling with clamps, no precise cuts, just drywall screws and plywood.
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I have never liked making router/tool jigs, especially ones that require complex/precision set-ups. I don't like to spend hours making something that I use for 10 minutes and then it takes up space and sits around until I can't even remember how or why I made it but it's too "valuable" to throw away.
At any rate, I (inspired by the thread on Barrel channel cutters) came up with a dead simple, practically foolproof router jig for inletting (my first gun) an oct/round tapered barrel.
It really just took minutes to assemble out of plywood scraps and drywall screws. The barrel fit was virtually flawless and it worked equally well for routing the ramrod grove.
I took photos on my smart phone and have no idea how to post them. I have tried to set up flicker/photobucket accounts before- It seems that my home computer connection is too slow/ or the photo hosting service isn't compatible with my Mac. I was hoping to learn how to do it through my smart phone.
Can anybody help?
Hi Nord; From my phone I send an e-mail to myself with up to three photographs attached. I then download the pix to my computer. From there you can directly upload images to ALR via their image embedder with all the proper coding.
dave
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Surprised I am to see this old thread. I don't have any photos of this anymore. Posting pics is much easier now.
mmcalc- Yes, I used screws, shims, wedges to secure the stock. I haven't inlett an Oct/round Bbl since then. I'll be doing one this fall. Maybe I'll take some pics at that time.
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Surprised I am to see this old thread. I don't have any photos of this anymore. Posting pics is much easier now.
mmcalc- Yes, I used screws, shims, wedges to secure the stock. I haven't inlett an Oct/round Bbl since then. I'll be doing one this fall. Maybe I'll take some pics at that time.
Thanks for answering. I think I get the gist of it. If you do post in the fall, that would be great.
Mike