Matching up the wood grain and stripe on a sliding wood patch box.

[Ed Wenger]

David..., I typically like a box, but that wood is about the most unique piece I’ve ever seen.  I think I would lean towards not installing a box.  Maybe some wire accents in the toe and heel area?  Your wire work is awesome, and I think something like that might frame, and accent the wood?  Best,

        Ed

[Keith Zimmerman]

Here is my Jaeger Bill Slusser just finished up for me.  I picked it up at Kemptons recently.

[bob in the woods]

Perhaps think about fitting a box that opens from the bottom of the stock ?  I've seen a couple that were fairly unobtrusive , yet functional.

[HighUintas]

I like Bob's idea. Maybe a longer toe plate with a hinge that would be the patchbox door.

I would not hide that figure

[foresterdj]

Beautiful wood needs to stand on its own, another vote for no patchbox.

[TommyG]

That is one beautiful Jaeger there Keith.  Mr. Slusser does some really fine work. I always enjoy viewing his work at the Gunmakers Fair.
While I somewhat agree with the highly figured wood standing on it's own both with patchboxes and carving, I also strongly believe that a real artisan will take it to the next level incorporating those items onto a highly figured piece.  IMO Bill Slusser did just that with your Jaeger.

[acorn20]

Sometimes you have to match the grain of the wood as well as the curl as Ed Wenger did on this piece.

[Keith Zimmerman]

Thanks TommyG.  Bill copied my original...mostly.  I wanted curly maple since Bill is allergic to Walnut, like my original.  And I wanted to have a patchbox added.  All the carvings are the same.

[t.caster]

Here's one I cut & fit yesterday for a JP Beck rifle. I couldn't find any scraps from this stock that were suitable, so I foraged from my scrap pile of about 70 gun projects and found a piece from a project about 20 years ago that was a pretty good match. The tricky part might be getting them stain the same.



The moral is: never throw away nice scraps/drops!