How thin is too thin?

[frogwalking]

Gentlemen;

I know from experience that you just love to show photos of guns you have made, and or own.  My question is this:  How thin can the forearm sides of a 20 gauge fowler be before they are too thin?   The stock is American Walnut.  I wanted about 1/8 inch but am told this is waaaay to thick. 

What say you?  Send photos please.

[Acer Saccharum]

Depends on the time period and school, eh.

Give us a little more info on what you're building. Full round bbl, flint, 1/2 stock, PA , MA ?

Tom

[Dave B]

This was one of my struggles early on in my building. I would show my early work to experience builders and they would say it looks pretty good but you need to take off more wood. It wasn't till I was able to hold some originals for my self that I could clearly see what they were talking about. Not all guns are slim though. It really depends on the school and the type of rifle. I held a Nicolas Beyer rifle and it was generous in its proportions and yet another example I held years before was more trim than this last one was. The Befords I held were like holding a pencil by comparison. 

I had some one tell me that the rifle fore arm needs be no thicker than 1/16 at its widest from the barrel. Well thats good for some but not all are like that. Be careful of "all ways and Never". 

[California Kid]

Frog, you should contact James Rodgers that posts here on the forum. He lives in Appomattox as well and is well versed in Fowlers especially English. As Dave says there are no hard and fast rules to follow as some would lead you to believe. You need to look at some real guns (originals)!

[keweenaw]

How thin you should make them (no right answer) and how thin you could make them are two different questions.  There is a lot of black walnut out there for which 1/16" would be way too thin unless you were looking for that chipped or split out look.

tom

[Captchee]

IMO Snyder is correct . not only should you take into account the  type of rifle . but also the wood .
 not just the type of wood , but also quality of wood

[KentSmith]

If we were talking about a rifle I'd say, aside from concerns about copying a specific original, as thin as you can.  The wood serves no purpose than to act as a handle.  I would approach a fowler from that point of view but I am not well versed in fowlers.  Still those I really like have been thin, thin, thin in the forearm and with the feel of a beautiful woman's wrist behind and before the lock panel.  As thin as the wood and barrel size allows. IMHO

[Stophel]

Round barrels are different than octagon barrels.  You don't really have wood "beside" the barrel...it curves around underneath.  You can make a fore end VERY "thin" looking if you want, with the barrel and fore end making a sort of "figure 8" in cross section. 

[frogwalking]

Thanks folks.  James Rogers was kind enough to show me some originals and beautiful contemporary fouling pieces.  The sides of the forestock are thinner than I had imagined.  It seems to me as if this would make for a very fragile fire arm, but apparently not as much as I thouight.
Thanks to all, especially to James.

Frog