cast off on precarve

[ken]

If one wants a little cast off on a stock I know to move it to the side a little at the comb, But what about the toe area where there is little or no play. Do not want the hole butt plate looking crooked        Thanks in advance    ken

[Okefinokee Outlaw]

With a precarve I think you're stuck with what you get, unless there is some extra wood to play with.  I believe the cast-off would follow from the center line of the comb to the centerline of the but, offset a set amount from the actual centerline of the barrel.

[Scott Bumpus]

You might file down the side of the buttplate making it less wide, thus having room to move it over for cast off.

[David Rase]

You can always steam bend the stock at the wrist.
David

[jerrywh]

Like Dave says  Bend it.

[pushboater]

Steaming was my first thought also.

[Boompa]

  Shotgun 'smiths commonly bend stocks. Not real hard to do, especially on an unfinished stock.  Look it up on you-tube.

[Turtle]

 I have a precarve I'm thinking of doing that to. Do they stay bent?
                                  Thanks,Rich

[Pete G.]

All the pre-carves I've ever seen already have some cast. Check yours closely.
Steam bending is used often in boat building and yes, once bent it stays that way. You generally must bend more than you really want to allow for a certain amount of spring back. It varies a little with each piece of wood.
Just make sure to install your butt plate in line with the center of the butt and not in line with the center of the barrel.

[jerrywh]

My friends and I have bend at least a dozen stocks both finished and unfinished. You do not need to steam it. It only needs to be heated but the water or oil will help prevent the wood from burning. I heated mine with rags soaked in Canola oil and wrapped around the wrist. I used two heat guns and kept track of the temperature with an infra-red pyrometer. You really don't need the pyrometer just don't heat the rags to the point where they start to smoke.  Remember if you bend the stock the trigger guard and the tang will probably need bending also unless you keep the bend back behind the tang.  I put about 2" of extra drop and 3/8" of cast off on one gun. The bend will be permanent.

[jerrywh]

In the photos above the stock is clamped in the fixture with the barrel in place. The heal of the butt is resting on a movable base that can be raised with a couple of thumb screws. That is how the drop is achieved.  You must use pure cotton rags for this because the poly rags will melt and also cotton string to tie them on. In the background I have a teapot full of granola oil on a hot plate.
The oil is heated to 350° and then poured over the wrist occasionally because the hot oil will drain off and the rags will dry out if the oil is not replenished from time to time. The stock should be held at a temp of about 350° for at least 20 minutes before bending.  Caution some wood bends easier than others.  Do a little research.  The maple and walnut I bent worked out very well.  The man helping me in the phot is John Crockett and is a direct descendant or Davy Crockett
 No charge.

[Okefinokee Outlaw]

I continue to be amazed and extremely appreciative at what I learn in this forum. 

[Top Jaw]

I bent a couple of pre carves with the same method using some wool socks, boiling water, and a heat gun.  You don't need the elaborate fixture for a pre carve.  (Didn't want to use oil on the bare wood, as I thought it might give me sketchy results later when staining or finishing if any residue was still in the wood).  I simply used a vice and a ratchet strap tied off to my car bumper.  You do have to over bend some.  Left mine to cool and dry until morning.

[jerrywh]

I bent a couple of pre carves with the same method using some wool socks, boiling water, and a heat gun.  You don't need the elaborate fixture for a pre carve.  (Didn't want to use oil on the bare wood, as I thought it might give me sketchy results later when staining or finishing if any residue was still in the wood).  I simply used a vice and a ratchet strap tied off to my car bumper.  You do have to over bend some.  Left mine to cool and dry until morning.

 There you go. Just send your gun to Top Jaw. He can just tie it off to his car bumper with a strap or rope and it will be perfect. Good Luck.
 

[Turtle]

 Just don't forget to unhook it before driving off to get a quart of milk!!
                                                  Turtle

[Jerry V Lape]

I bent one sugar maple stock with heat guns and canola oil.  It was an unfinished stock. I was able to move it quite a bit and to twist it as well so that the toe was cast off a little more than the comb.  However, I would not use oil on a raw wood stock again as it does penetrate quite a bit.  Solvents, diatomaceous earth, heating in the sun with frequent wipe downs and finally additional scraping of the surface were all required to get as much oil out as I could.  Now two years later there is still some oil present.  I did not finish the wood because I discarded that stock  for other reasons.  Therefore I cannot say what would happen with finish applied to that area.  But it looks like it should take an oil finish okay.  Perhaps the use of canola oil was a mistake - linseed would probably have been a better choice as the residual in the wood would be more compatible with the common finish products. This is my only stock bending experience.

[jerrywh]

I agree with Jerry V Lape.  Water on bare wood especially maple. Walnut not so bad.