Lower buttstock moulding help

[Tom Currie]

Getting ready to do a double incised lower buttstock moulding on my Lehigh build and need some help. I am trying to do something finer than I have in the past and in looking at KRA photos closely it's pretty apparent they were done by a scratch stock of some sort. Thing is they all have some level of taper from the bottom flat to the moulding. Closer at the rear trigger guard  and farther from the flat near the toe. So either the flat wasnt used as a guide or the flat was trimmed down afterward near the TG end. I'm a bit apprehensive about the scratch stock method but feel I couldnt get a consistant fine moulding otherwise. Thoughts and encouragement welcome.

[fm tim]

Decide on how much taper you want.  Lets assume 1/4 inch as an example.

Cut a piece of wood as wide as the botton width of the stock, and about 1/8 inch thicker than the taper.  3/8 inch in the example.  It should reach from the butt plate to wherever the moulding should stop.

Taper the piece of wood to 1/8 inch at 1 end and 3/8 inch at the other giving a 1/4 inch taper.

Place the piece of wood on the bottom of the stock with the THICK end near the triggerguard and attach with clamps along the length.

Run scratch stock along the attached wood.  It will produce a line that is 1/4 inch closer to the bottom of the butt stock at the trigger guard end because the attached wood is thicker at that point.

[rich pierce]

That's the plan for a complex molding.  On some originals the complex moldings not only taper closer to the toeline as they approach the guard but also become less wide there.  I have not figured out how to do those using a scratch stock.

[Jim Kibler]

For me, a scratch stock wouldn't work well since the angle of the stock at the toe line changes dramatically from the wrist to the butplate.  I suppose with some stock forms it might be possible.  I think the best solution is to just treat it as carving. 

[Ed Wenger]

Hi Tom, I agree with Jim.  By the time you do all the nutsing around with a scratch stock, you could have it carved.  How about a checkering tool, or bead tool?  I'm not sure what the molding looks like, but they might work for you.


            Ed

[davec2]

I use a small scratch stock to put in tapered butt stock molding. It is just a  formed scraper with a different contour on each end (for different moulding styles).   Since I usually do not want the molding to run parallel to the underside of the stock, I run the tool against a straight edge held onto the surface of the stock with commercially available double sided mounting tape (1/2 wide by ~1/16 thick).  It holds very well but peals back off cleanly and easily.  Once the scraper is run along the edge once or twice, there is enough form scraped into the stock so that the tool will easily follow the groove and really not need the support against the straight edge.  The tape / straight edge can be placed at any angle desired and, since the tool does not run along the underside of the stock, it can easily follow the change in stock contour from butt plate to wrist.  I find this much easier than carving and it produces a much more consistent molding shape.  The molding in the photo was produced by less than a dozzen strokes with the scraper and takes less time to do than it takes to write about.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

David, One more picture of the straight edge in place would be very helpful for us mechanically challenged...please.

[keweenaw]

Dave's scratch stock is a neat piece IF one wants to cut a molding per se.  On many guns the second line is simple an incised line and not molded into the first. Those are easy to put on with a flexible straight edge to draw a fine line and then cut it with a checkering tool.  (Truth is I usually don't use a straight edge, I just hold the pencil and gage the distance with my finger tips running along the bottom of the stock.) This also allows you to slightly change the angle between the lines.  On many guns the molding gets narrower toward the front and if the accent line parallels the first line it looks kinda weird.

Tom

[Stophel]

Actually, when I look at most Lehigh guns, it appears that their lower butt moulding lines don't taper towards the front anyway.  They usually appear even with the bottom line to me.   

[mark esterly]

mr. pierce
 a single tooth scratch stock and 2 separate wood tapers would be the answer.  run your top line then switch to another wood taper with a slightly different taper for the bottom line.

[kutter]

I use checkering tools,cause I already have and use them alot in other work.

Most of the ckr'g tool makers sell a 'jointer'. A single line tool with a very long cutting edge.
It's used to correct mistakes or near mistakes in checkering where a line spacing is off.
The long cutting edge makes it easy to straighten out the offending area of the line (if you don't go too far).

Use a jointer for cutting a long straight single line.

Then you could use any number of border style checkering tools  which are available for different styles of mullered, spaced, doubleline, etc borders. Use the jointer line as the guide for these.

All you need is a straight line to follow to begin with.

.....but I have to admit that stock scratch moulding tool is neat!

[davec2]

Dr. Tim,

I'm on the east coast right now.  I will post a picture for you when I get back to the shop.

Dave C

[Tom Currie]

THANKS guys for the advise and ideas, all of them have substanial merit. I'll likely try a few differnet ideas on scrap first.  A single incised line I would cut/carve  myself but the double line is what is really new territory for me.

[fm tim]

Plan B

Do not use a scratch stock to start.  Start with incised lines then widen them with a checkering tool or v gouge and either carve desired moulding or run shaped scraper (from a scratch stock) to follow the incised lines.

A measuring gauge type tool will mark the lines a fixed distance from the bottom of the stock or from the tapered piece of wood.  Mine is a block of maple with a hex wrench sharpened and held by a bolt in a tapped hole.

[Stophel]

I just draw mine on with a pencil and cut them out!