what's the thinnest for a build

[recurve]

What's the thinnest plank you can build a small beck or late lancaster from ? I found a nice plank with some nice grain (maple ,not sure red or sugar) but it's a 1/16 under 2 inches wide x 10inches and 58 long 

[Hungry Horse]

You’re good to go, just don’t make any mistakes.

Hungry Horse

[bowkill]

ID say it depends allot on what you are building..

[Top Jaw]

Use a narrower buttplate (1.5 to 1.6 inches wide or so) and hug the right edge with it.  If your cheekpiece thickness still becomes iffy, you can glue and pin a piece of bone, micarta, ebony, antler, etc to a flat tapered face at the cheek piece leading edge and blend it in to give it slightly more width.  Good mating glue surfaces are the key.  Metal pins can go into an incised line(s) on the cheek piece molding  after it is blended in.  Not much thickness should be needed.  A  3/8” thick strip glued on should be more than enough for a later gun.  If you’re still in doubt, I would go with a thicker blank.

[rich pierce]

It’s a lot of work building from a blank. The gun can sometimes be laid out with the barrel angled a bit rather than dead center down the center if the blank. This can give a fraction more wood for a cheekpiece.

[Pukka Bundook]

What Rich says above. ^^^

[Daniel Coats]

Most blanks are way too wide. You can make it work with careful planning and proper layout using the selected parts for your build.

[mikeyfirelock]

You are getting good advice. ( as usual here).   You did not mention any caliber that you might have in mind.  I’d suggest that the dimensions you’ve mentioned would ideal for a nice light rifle……… the piece of wood you mentioned would be really excellent for a smaller caliber, smaller  dimensioned barrel.   
I can envision a really exceptional rifle built in that manner.
Plan carefully and thoroughly.   Please post pics……I am really interested in this type of rifle.
mikeyfirelock

[JasonR]

Rice's A weight squirrel rifle might nicely suit your needs and limitations with a plank that size. I made a slender late Sheets gun for my sister using that barrel which was swamped measuring 13/16 x 5/8 x 3/4 in .36cal.  Best wishes.

[Herb]

It’s a lot of work building from a blank. The gun can sometimes be laid out with the barrel angled a bit rather than dead center down the center if the blank. This can give a fraction more wood for a cheekpiece.

Here is a barrel laid out that way.  I think I did this to get cast-off.


website to upload photos

[davec2]

Recurve,

I've had the same question twice now.  Both times I added an ebony piece to the cheek.  Here are two links that show how they turned out......

https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=37186.0

https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=61759.0

The cheek piece stuff is on the first page of the first link and on page 4 of the second link.  Of course you can do this same thing with other materials that are not such a stark contrast to the maple stock....and if you used a piece of maple I think you would need to look hard to notice it was an add on.
Best,

David

[recurve]

  A AorB weight barrel .40 and a small siler lock another schimmel  or simple beck