Building from a blank

[eagle24]

Do any of you build a rifle from a blank without the use of a bandsaw?  If so, how do you saw your stock blank to get ready for inletting the barrel?

[brokenflint]

Greg    A ripsaw to cut down the forearm (top view) from muzzle to just before the approximate location of the front of the lock moulding. small right angle cut to remove forearm slab piece, then continue from lock moulding to wrist, twisting the saw so that you form enough flare for lock tail / wrist transition. Your offset dimensions should be your usual same as if you band sawed it.  Mark Silver's DVD shows this very well.

Broke

[Mike Brooks]

I used to do it with a rip saw in the olden times. My band saw has to be the best investment of my life.

[brokenflint]

Small tip i discovered, save all the scraps for finish trials.  But the great perk was the butt stock cheek piece scrap piece.  I waited to cut this out later so that I could have the scrap close to the finished dimension.  The benefit here was that I had a carving layout and practice piece.  This is especially handy if there is nasty grain work in the area, you can screw up the test piece before you touch your work.

One of these days I'll set up a phot account to show stuff LOL

Broke

[flintriflesmith]

The period correct tool for the job of sawing a blank from a board would be a "frame saw." Picture a big square wooden frame with a saw blade stretched across it. Depending on the width of the blade, frame saws were used for all sorts of cutting tasks from veneer to cutting the curved lines of chair legs.

However, there is a lot of evidence that in the 18th century the blanks were hewn rather than or in addition to being sawn. (See Volume 2 of JHAT pages 2 & 3.) A skilled man with a side axe can do amazing work with both speed and precision. We don't use this method much today because few of us have the skill required.

[rich pierce]

Hewing must take real courage or experience or both.  I do it "to the line" with a broadaxe when making bows, but there the blanks are splits of straight-grained wood.  Chopping away at a $200 blank of curly maple would give me the heebie-jeebies.

[eagle24]

Great!  Now I have to forge a broad axe head.

The cut I am talking about making is the one that will be the approximate top of the forestock (where the stock ends in the middle of the side barrel flats).  I have access to a bandsaw, but can't seem to find time to get to the guys shop to cut it.  I was thinking about making a cut with a circular saw deep enough to get across where the barrel will be, then finishing it with a handsaw and cleaning it up with a rasp.  Bad idea?

[rich pierce]

That will work if you have a new blade.  On hard maple and an old circular saw  blade, expect some smoke and charring!  I have done this with the frame saw as Gary explained, but my arm got kinda tired out.

[keweenaw]

Sounds like a bad idea to me.  Better have a good saw, a new carbide blade, and make sure it's cutting  absolutely square.

Tom

[Roger Fisher]

The Jap cabinet saw that has the wide blade and cuts on the pull does a good job cutting with the length of the stock and can cut narrow slivers off her pretty slick!

[eagle24]

That will work if you have a new blade.  On hard maple and an old circular saw  blade, expect some smoke and charring!  I have done this with the frame saw as Gary explained, but my arm got kinda tired out.

My blank is around 3-1/2" thick.  I was thinking about setting the blade depth to about 2-3/8 which should cut to a depth beyond where the barrel inlet will be, then finish with a handsaw.  I have a good professional grade circular saw with plenty of power (15A) and was going to use a new thin kerf carbide blade that should not bind and build much heat.  I do have some room to recut it deeper on this blank if it doesn't work out.  The lock side of the blank is well planed, so if I take pains to set the saw up really square I don't see why it shouldn't work.  I think the biggest challenge will be the narrow surface of the forestock that the saw will ride on and keeping it sitting flat. 

Roger, I have a Jap Pull Stroke saw.  It is unbelieveably sharp, but I don't know if I can keep it 90 degrees to the lock side of the stock for 42".  The blade on mine is around 2-1/2" wide.

[flehto]

If'n it were me I'd find time to use the available bandsaw....sooooo much easier. Used to do them w/ a circular, carbide bladed saw and my wife's only remark..." I'm not going to watch this" and quickly went upstairs. The  leftover scraps that I treasure are the ones from the underside that extend forward of the lock area to the toe of the butt. these are made into large wooden spoons and forks and display an amazing array of curl....Fred

[C Wallingford]

Greg--Take time to go and use the bandsaw. Things will work out much better.

[eagle24]

OK.....bandsaw it is.  I guess my subconscious was telling me this was a bad idea or I would have done it without asking.  If nothing else, the bandsaw will be safer.

[brokenflint]

The  leftover scraps that I treasure are the ones from the underside that extend forward of the lock area to the toe of the butt. these are made into large wooden spoons and forks and display an amazing array of curl...

Good idea Fred, I'll have to use the scraps, I can then say, hey my spoon is made from my rifle LOL  good idea!

GHall  The handsaw is slow going but also forgiving in that you can many times stop an error from expanding :-) I don't think you should be afraid of using it. 

Broke