Author Topic: Barrel inlet  (Read 707 times)

Offline Tenmile

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Barrel inlet
« on: June 26, 2024, 01:05:21 AM »
I think I posted these pictures in ‘07, haven’t been active in a while. This is nothing more than a shoot board for a router. Routers are the pit bulls of woodworking, but if you keep them on a leash, so to speak, they are no more dangerous than hunting butterflies. When I was in the shop I made shaper knives for barrel inletting. They worked great if you had a straight side on the stock, but were not much help with swamped or tapered barrels. This works good with either one.
1. Take a couple of pieces of something stiff, mdf works really well. For swamped barrels just sand one piece to fit the barrel contour and flush cut the other piece to it.
2. Clamp them on both sides of the barrel and fasten them together.
3. Clamp them on top of the stock at the barrel layout.
4. Use a top bearing flush cutting router bit and work in light increments till you are to the bottom of the side flat.
5. Using side guides or some arrangement and a bit the diameter of the flats, rout to the bottom of the barrel dimension.
6. Finish with chisels or something at the bottom.
This is not nearly as much work as it may seem. It should at least be less work than plowing it by hand. I thought of this when I read JM190’s post about a crooked stock blank. If you hear someone snickering, it’s probably somebody with a cnc machine.
Lynn






Offline Craig Wilcox

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Re: Barrel inlet
« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2024, 09:18:29 PM »
Nice. Worked up similar for a straight tapered barrel years ago.  Yours is easier.
Craig Wilcox
We are all elated when Dame Fortune smiles at us, but remember that she is always closely followed by her daughter, Miss Fortune.

Offline Hungry Horse

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Re: Barrel inlet
« Reply #2 on: June 27, 2024, 09:47:37 PM »
 I’ve used a Workmate to clamp the stock blank, and guide tracks for the router made from 1/2” angle iron. The guide track can be adjusted to give some cast off in either direction. I also found it to be easier if you just buy some cheap C clamps and weld and grind the fixed jaw to the angle irons.  A spade bit can be ground, and sharpened,into a router bit to complete the inletting for a straight octagon barrel. A round barrel can be 90 % done with a production router bit from the parts house.

Hungry Horse

Offline Tenmile

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Re: Barrel inlet
« Reply #3 on: June 28, 2024, 04:44:27 PM »
I’ve used shoot boards for all kinds of things. I used this for swamped barrels also. I always make a test cut on a piece of 2x4 or something.
Lynn