How to secure stock for carving

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

I realize this is a pretty basic question, but how do you guys secure your stock while carving (relief carving)?

I don't recall seeing much discussion on this with the tutorials.   I see some pictures clamped in vises, but I just know that if I approached this in my usual ham-fisted way I would either crush and break the stock, or I would strike the gouge with a mallet and the stock would come flying out of the vise and hit the ground and break.

[T*O*F]

Sandbags work.

[Mike Brooks]

No need to squash the stock, snug is fine. You won't be striking a gouge hard enough when you're doing relief carving to knock it out of the vise. Easy does it.
 Don't think I could use sand bags though.

[kaintuck]

one vise, swiveled to let buttstock rested on a sandbag......

or get Paris and Lindsey to hold the barrel, whislt resting the buttstock on a sandbag.....that works for me a lot...........

marc n tomtom

[Mark Elliott]

One versa type vise (swivels on two axis if necessary) in the center of my bench with swing arm rests on either end of the bench.   I frequently support part of the work with my body.   

[jerrywh]

This is the best way for a fat old man with a bad back.

[Ky-Flinter]

My vise swivels 360 degrees and tilts about 270.  The curved-back blocks have leather faces and allow clamping on non-parallel surfaces. 



-Ron

[frogwalking]

I am not much of a carver (yet) but have developed an inexpensive (free) system.  I have soft wood blocks with thick leather glued to them.  Using these between the vice jaws, (and another underneath to hold the correct elevation of the stock in the vice).  I clamp the stock, with barrel installed, as someone said, snug.  The forend rests on a 4 x 4 with a wood block screwed to it parallel to the barrel. for it to snug against.  on the other side, is a wood block attached to the 4 X 4 with one large screw so it will pivot to self align to the forend.  I use a softwood block (with leather glued to the face that touches the forend ) and a thin oak wedge to push between the block against the fore end and the block screwed to the 4 X 4s to safely hold the forend.  This way each end of the stock is held securely with no damage.  To work on the other side, I turn the rifle over and slide the wedge in, this time on the barrel side.  It is slow, but as I said, it is cheap.  If I need a different height, I just shim the whole works up a little.  I am still unpacking and assembling my new shop, so you folks will not have to endure a photo of this Rube Goldberg set up.   If so, it still wouldn't be as much of a shock as the photo of Keb in the clown suit holding a Hudson River fowler with a 6 ft. bbl.