Furniture

[Mauser06]

I am in the works of planning my next build...


I have no set style...I know might make some of you cringe but I'm building to learn and for function and a hunting rifle...and what catches my eye...


I have a turkey Fowler that has designs in the castings...

I have no idea where to find furniture with designs cast in them like that. 


I like how the turkey Fowler looks...was thinking maybe similar castings could be used on my long rifle build..

I have not attempted engraving or carving yet...I'd like to learn and practice...and might do so before I build...


I know no carving/engraving is better than poorly done work...

The cast's designs maybe fill that gap for me..yes it's "fake" but still IMO looks good..


Any idea of sources for such furniture??   


Like I said... kicking around thoughts and ideas and seeing what's out there...

[Pete G.]

Not to sound flippant, but it is no more difficult to build an historically correct piece than it is just to throw together various mis-matched parts, otherwise you might as well just buy a modern production piece and be done with it. It might not matter to you right now, but if you stay with this hobby it will matter sometime in the future. Study and design can be almost as enjoyable as the actual build.

I see muzzle loaders as sort of a time machine that can transport us back to a specific era and prefer them to be as historically accurate as anything with investment cast locks and CNC machined barrels can be.

[Bob Roller]

Not to sound flippant, but it is no more difficult to build an historically correct piece than it is just to throw together various mis-matched parts, otherwise you might as well just buy a modern production piece and be done with it. It might not matter to you right now, but if you stay with this hobby it will matter sometime in the future. Study and design can be almost as enjoyable as the actual build.

I see muzzle loaders as sort of a time machine that can transport us back to a specific era and prefer them to be as historically accurate as anything with investment cast locks and CNC machined barrels can be.

They are a kind of time machine. Investment cast locks have been improved and I may be one of the last to bench craft these parts.
The CNC barrels make it possible for many to purchase one without filing for bankruptcy later on.
In the late 50's and early 60's nobody gave a hoot about historical accuracy but did concentrate on shooting match accuracy and
we had a ball with it.I am glad for the HC guns even though I know little about them before the fine match rifles of the American
Northeast and long range match rifles from the Foggy Kingdom which brought the muzzle loader to a pinnacle of perfection never
before seen.

Bob Roller

[Mauser06]

Guess I should have clarified a bit...


I DO love the history of it all....I've even started to locate guns local to where I grew up, hunted, have family roots etc...

I just mean for the next build I Haven't picked out what I am after yet...I don't care so much if it's a Isaac Haines or a Edward Marshall etc etc..looking at my options...and furniture is one of the options...


I think for the first couple builds it'd be more important for myself to focus on the build and not 100% historically correct down to the the finest details...



My last "build" yes..it was a Frankenstein of a rifle...but wasn't meant to be a build...it was an accident...I bought the stuff expecting to be able to put the parts together and finish the stock and be done...once I realized that wasn't the case I decided to go with it and try to turn out a functional rifle....I I'd that...and I think it turned out pretty cool.. historically accurate of a known rifle?  No... But, it's a functional flintlock rifle and taught me the basics of getting everything to work together and inletting etc...

[54ball]

 Concerning originals, the more I study the less I know.

 American Longrifles have been built for three centuries. In that time a multitude of  styles and combinations or similarities of parts and styles has been done. It's all been done before. Some were successful, some not so successful.

 So if you are looking for a historical example for "whatever?" chances are you will find it.

 For you or any aspiring builder you need to decide now what kind of builder you want to be. Do you want to build kind of, sort of stuff or educate yourself, take the steps, gain the skill and build the real thing?

  I'm not talking about Rococo carving, exquisite engraving, silver moons and hunting stars, I'm taking about architecture. All the fluff can come later. Architecture is what makes a rifle greater than the sum of it's parts.

 How do you want your rifle to be judged, Wow! nice investment cast  sideplate or Wow!! now that's a rifle?

 Now you can use parts like that for your build. They should accent a great rifle not be the accent.

 Here's a neat old rifle. This rifle was built with musket parts that dictated the heavy wrist but the overall architecture is great. This rifle looks robust but if you read the specs it's quite dainty.
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=4165.0

 Here is a Penn rifle plain as a piece of bread but wow!
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=2636.0

 This rifle is a lesson on architecture. You won't find much better. IMHO Mathew was the best of The Gillespies and one of the best longrifle makers period.
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=8015.0

 Here is a pleasant rifle note the profound architecture.
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=9317.0

 Another architecture lesson
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=24728.0

 Then there's this guy.
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=24724.0
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=13729.0

 I hope I have shown that decoration is just that, decoration and it's the real rifle underneath that counts. A mix of parts can be used to build a great rifle, but it's the rifle...not the parts.
 It must work and function very well. It needs to have good architecture, anything else is gravy.

[Dennis Glazener]

Here's a neat old rifle. This rifle was built with musket parts that dictated the heavy wrist but the overall architecture is great. This rifle looks robust but if you read the specs it's quite dainty.
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=4165.0

Shameless plug here, I made a bench copy of this rifle and while at it I also made a pattern for it. Anyone interested in building one like it let me know. The original has a tapered barrel which I used on the bench copy. I will be building another one but decided to use a swamped barrel on it.
Dennis

[Tim Crosby]

 Where can I find more info on this one? Just the barrel length or length of pull would help.

 
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=24728.0


 Thanks, Tim C.

 PS: That is a Great selection of guns 54ball, Thanks for your time. TC
 

[Mauser06]

Thanx 54ball!   


I see what you mean....and do see the beauty...


No need to take a back door approach to fix a problem that doesn't exist...

Carving and engraving is great and has its place...and I'm sure will come with time...




I don't know what kind of builder I aspire to be... building a gun happened on accident lol...now I'm hooked! 


I don't know how to properly start and continue to learn....I've heard Chamber's guns are pretty refined and have a great architecture to them...maybe a good way to go about the next build so I can see and feel the difference...


I think focusing on the architecture would be the appropriate start...

[SingleMalt]

I love the Beck pictured last.

[flehto]

When I started building, did some research first asre styles and decided to build a Beck style and although it didn't turn out to be a good emulation of a Beck, it was still vaguely reminiscent of his style.

Next one was a Lehigh which although again I tried to emulate,  wasn't a good copy.....all due to a serious lack of info on my part. Later on all the HC hardware for a second " Lehigh" was purchased and although many of the  Lehigh features were gained from research,  I never had "hands on" inspection of any originals. So....sold the hardware and "my next Lehigh" was never built.


Finally decided to build a Lancaster and by now did have more knowledge of the chosen style and it turned out pretty good as far as being HC.

Next came a Bucks County LR and again I lacked info on all the features of this style......but due to the generosity of 2 members of this Forum, finally was able to build a BC w/ all of the features.

All of the above examples of trying to build HC LRs were caused by "discipline".....w/o it, nondescipt or "hodgepodge" LRs would have been the result. Sure it was an evolution,  but the results were worthwhile VS a "Frankenstein" creation as you stated.

It's just as easy to build w/ HC components, even when starting out, than using helter-skelter" parts due to a lack of info caused by little or no research on the builder's part.......Fred