chopping out stocks?

[TMerkley]

Has anyone chopped their stock blank out of the log with an ax before and worked it down with draw knife and planes? Just curious how many have gone that route. 

[Lucky R A]

   I am very sure it was done when that was the technology that was available.  I would guess that someone has done it just to prove to themselves and a few others that it still can be done.   So, it is been established it can and has been done, but why would you want to?    There are many challenges in longrifle building, that it seems counter productive to start with a green log to build a gun.   You will waste much of the log in chips just getting the thing squared up, it will then have to sit for years to dry before you can even consider using it.   There are so many challenges n life that this seems to be one that you can skip....but then perhaps you have a need to smite things with an axe...:>)

Ron

[Acer Saccharum]

I split a 5' diam log into quarters just to get it on my truck, one quarter at a time to the mill. There was quite a bit of loss. Figured maple, does not split clean and straight.

That said, to make your job as easy as possible,  you'd want to work this wood green. Whittle it down somewhat oversized, then cure it.

As a side note, being a dopey kid, my first gun was made with a sopping wet plank of maple. By the time I was done, the stock was dry. Not recommended, but I am sure this happened more than once in history.

[Long John]

I have used a chain saw to rip planks from which I then resawed out a blank.  Its a lot of work and, as Acer said, wasteful.  I doubt that too many stocks were cut with an axe.  Saw mills were common.  Even at the edge of civilization logs were cut with gang saws by hand.  The  two man team was comprised of a sawyer and a pitman, sawyer on the top and pitman on the bottom.

Best Regards,

John Cholin

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

I remember seeing (years ago) a video of a craftsman hacking out a rough stock from a blank or plank? It was a long time ago. It may have been something from Williamsburg.

[rich pierce]

At some point it's necessary to have a flat surface for inletting the barrel and 2 surfaces at right angles for inletting the lock and sideplate.  And it's necessary to start with seasoned wood.  Assuming chopping means no sawing, that would be a lot of elbow grease, starting with a seaoned log of hard maple, and chopping at it, then snapping a line and going to the broadaxe, following that up with the foot adze, then the  scrub plane, then a long block plane, on 3 sides, before starting any inletting.

[Eric Smith]

I have used a chain saw to rip planks from which I then resawed out a blank.  Its a lot of work and, as Acer said, wasteful.  I doubt that too many stocks were cut with an axe.  Saw mills were common.  Even at the edge of civilization logs were cut with gang saws by hand.  The  two man team was comprised of a sawyer and a pitman, sawyer on the top and pitman on the bottom.

Best Regards,

John Cholin

I watch PBS too. Love that pit saw operation! 

[Pete G.]

Anyone read Dr. Fred's story about shaping with a chainsaw and side grinder ?

[TMerkley]

Well,
Here is # 2.  I started on the blank last fall.  The wood was from the same tree as my first rifle.  It was a less than desirable piece of wood, but was able to work around the knots to get it to work.  At first, I chopped on teh log to get it manageble to handle, then I split the log in half due to a "Check" down the center. Next, I spent about 5 hours taking off the excess with the draw kife, hand saw, hammer and chisel.  the hand saw was used to "cut" across the grain where I could either take off large chunks with a draw knife or the chisel in a controlled fashion.  Once I had a "ROUGH" blank, I brought it in the house placing it in front of the fireplace for several months and then in a closet with the cold air return for the furnace for a couple of months.  "consistent air flow with a consistent temp".   After getting the barrel from Bob Roller at Friendship, and an old CVA Lock, I spent about 12 hours inletting the barrel and about 4-6 hours with the lock.  The rest of the time was shaping and making parts.  The trigger guard was piece of an old lawnmower blade with heavy Patina.  (I would prefer one in brass).  (Later).  The butt plate is Wrought Iron from a wagon wheel hub that I found in the ravine below my house.  (this place used to be a farm).
The trigger and trigger plate were scrap metal. the ramrod pipe was soldered to the Hopkins and Allen Barrel.  I removed it and put 12 flats on to it in about 15 minutes.  I bought the brass nose cap at the Tip Curtis building on commercial row. Once I got the barrel lock and nose cap, It took between 50-60 hours to complete.  I have not yet finished the barrel.    

LOP 10 1/2"
Drop at heel @1"
Cal .45
Barrel length 26"
Total length 38"
Nickel front sight
Iron rear sight
ramrod of hickory from the property as well.
Trigger weight 3-5lbs

From a 200 lb log, it takes about 197 lbs of sawdust and woodchips to equal a 3lb stock. And a lot of sweat!

<a href="http://s1148.photobucket.com/albums/o564/Tmerkley/?action=view&amp;current=rifle2front.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o564/Tmerkley/th_rifle2front.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" >[/url]

<a href="http://s1148.photobucket.com/albums/o564/Tmerkley/?action=view&amp;current=rifle2back.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o564/Tmerkley/th_rifle2back.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" >[/url]

There are some other comparison photos with a CVA frontier carbine in the photo bucket album.  

[rich pierce]

[Herb]

There was a gunbuilder in the 1940's who roughed out his (centerfire) rifle blanks with a hatchet, "Old Scratch", Al Linden.

[rich pierce]

TMerkly, it's clear you know how to work wood the hard way!  Very impressive.  Now if you turn your hand to building longrifles I am sure those skills will serve you well.  Hoever there is a lot to unlearn, coming from experience with mass produced halfstock caplocks and their shaping, to the longrifle, and that can be challenging.

[TMerkley]

Thanks,

That is my goal.  To build the long rifle.  Wanted some practice first without wasting too much money. 

Thanks for putting the pictures in Rich. 

[Clowdis]

Not exactly a hatchet job but a modern stock done by Les Brooks using only hand tools. He shapes the stock with saws and chisels. I apologize that it's a modern rifle but the process may be interesting to some of you and some of them are applicable to muzzleloaders too. I have seen stocks cut with hatchets too, but can't remember where, maybe Williamsburg?
http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9411043/m/4711078031

[volatpluvia]

I once sawed four planks out of an elevin inch wild cherry trunk with a hand rip saw.  I had to slab it (I thought) so this involved 7 cuts length wise.  I know I made three gonnes, not sure what happened to the fourth plank.
volatpluvia

[Artificer]

There was a gunbuilder in the 1940's who roughed out his (centerfire) rifle blanks with a hatchet, "Old Scratch", Al Linden.

I've seen about a half dozen of his stocks on rifles.  Really impressive work and made to fit the shooter well.   Don't want to go much further off topic, but I've often wondered what Longrifle style could best incorparate stock fitting to the shooter like he did. 

[rich pierce]

Many think the Beck style is best for shooters in a traditional longrifle, because in addition to good architecture the guard curves up to the wrist.

[Artificer]

Many think the Beck style is best for shooters in a traditional longrifle, because in addition to good architecture the guard curves up to the wrist.

Thanks Rich.

Gus

[t.caster]

Didn't use an axe, but some of my first rifle were shaped from blanks with a draw knife, draw(spoke shave) planes and other flat planes and 4 in 1 files. I got away from them when I started using curly maple.