Streightening stock blank

[whitebear]

I have a fairly nice piece of walnut 6' long 10" wide and 2" thick that has a 3/8" bow across it about midway the length.  What is the best way to remove this bow?  I had considered laying it flat on the floor bow up with maybe a pencil under both ends and a weight like an anvil pressing down on the bow.  Is there a better way to do this?  What steps in preparation should I do first?  If the bow was smaller I could draw it out to use the bow as cast off.  As always all help will be appreciated.

[Dphariss]

Build a jig, force it straight with clamps or other pressure, heat it pretty hot with several heat lamps and see if it stays when the pressure is removed.

Dan

[necchi]

Build a jig, force it straight with clamps or other pressure, heat it pretty hot with several heat lamps and see if it stays when the pressure is removed.

We used to do that with a bad piece of structural lumber and just used Mr. Hot Summer Sun shine instead of heat lamps.
But the moisture content is or at least should be different with well seasoned lumber.

The bowed side has more moisture than the cupped side.

[Jim Kibler]

Cut your stock blanks out and then deal with the warp if necessary.  You may be able to lay out as usual in the but stock region and then let the forestock wander.  If you should find there's not enough room then you can work to take the bow out.  The cut-out stock will be easier to bend anyway.

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

Since it's a blank, I would just ignore the bend and build the rifle. I think that if you try to straighten the blank it might want to remember the warp after you make it into a stock and cause real trouble.

[Mike Brooks]

Since it's a blank, I would just ignore the bend and build the rifle. I think that if you try to straighten the blank it might want to remember the warp after you make it into a stock and cause real trouble.

Ditto

[Dphariss]

Build a jig, force it straight with clamps or other pressure, heat it pretty hot with several heat lamps and see if it stays when the pressure is removed.

We used to do that with a bad piece of structural lumber and just used Mr. Hot Summer Sun shine instead of heat lamps.
But the moisture content is or at least should be different with well seasoned lumber.

The bowed side has more moisture than the cupped side.

Its how stocks on finished guns are changed for cast and drop so it should work on a plank.

Dan

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I see others have already answered the question.  It doesn't matter that the blank is warped...just lay out your centre line for the butt and position your barrel as if the wood was straight.  Where the sides of the blank are now is only temporary, since you're going to cut them  away soon anyway.  

[davebozell]

Neat picture.  Do you use the guides for a router, or do you hand cut the barrel channel?  It looks like they would be helpful even when hand cutting.  Are the guides aluminum or steel?  Looks like more pictures for the tutorial section.... 

[ken]

Can guides like this be used to inlet swamped barrels

[Mark Elliott]

The guides are used to cut in the barrel sidewall by hand with a special saw.   I use a cut off dovetail saw that has set only on the right side.   Both straight and swamped barrels are inlet using the guides.   I use 3/8" square steel for my guides and they flex sufficiently over the length of a barrel.   I use a lot of machinist's parallel clamps to hold the guides in place while I screw them to the stock blank.   I use a drill/driver to install and remove them.   There are a LOT of screws.   This is the most critical part of the barrel inlet because it is what is seen.   For many, if not most, of the original builders, once they got the sidewalls cut, they just hacked out the rest of the inlet.   Many original guns have a round bottom inlet in all but the breech and muzzle of the barrel channel.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Mark has answered your question very well.  I got this method of inletting barrels - parallel, tapered and swamped - fro articles in Rifle Magazine by the late John Bivens.  I used sheet rock screws because they are hardened, have a very thin section, and an aggressive thread.  I drilled the holes in the 3/8" square key stock as close to the  outside edge as possible and a tight clearance for the screws.  I made a centre punch which just fits the holes, and after the rails are clamp0ed to the barrel which in turn is clamped to the wood, I centre punch each hole.  then I use a hand drill to drill pilot holes for the scrws, wax 'em up and run 'em in with an impact driver - gently.  Now I remove the clamps, lift out the barrel, and using a piece of rip saw blade with set removed from one side, and handle attached to cut on the pull, I cut down along the inside faces of the rails to the bottom of the side flat.  I have two marks scratched on the saw to indicate maximum and minimum depth for a swamped barrel.

From here on, chisels do the work, as well as a Vernier's calipers to measure depth as I go.  To get a perfect fit, I use up an eight hour day.  So recently, I've been using the services of Mark Wheland and David Rase to inlet my barrels and drill the rod holes.  Their work is super crisp and sharp, which is a great departure from the interesting charm of my own inletting.

[davebozell]

Thanks, that helps a lot.  I'm not ready to take on a rifle inlet like that, but I have some pistol parts waiting that I think I'll give this a try.

[ken]

Thank you , I did not even know such a saw existed. I will have to give this a try on one of my projects. It is winter and I know I have the time    ken

[Mike Brooks]

Mark has answered your question very well.  I got this method of inletting barrels - parallel, tapered and swamped - fro articles in Rifle Magazine by the late John Bivens.  I used sheet rock screws because they are hardened, have a very thin section, and an aggressive thread.  I drilled the holes in the 3/8" square key stock as close to the  outside edge as possible and a tight clearance for the screws.  I made a centre punch which just fits the holes, and after the rails are clamp0ed to the barrel which in turn is clamped to the wood, I centre punch each hole.  then I use a hand drill to drill pilot holes for the scrws, wax 'em up and run 'em in with an impact driver - gently.  Now I remove the clamps, lift out the barrel, and using a piece of rip saw blade with set removed from one side, and handle attached to cut on the pull, I cut down along the inside faces of the rails to the bottom of the side flat.  I have two marks scratched on the saw to indicate maximum and minimum depth for a swamped barrel.

From here on, chisels do the work, as well as a Vernier's calipers to measure depth as I go.  To get a perfect fit, I use up an eight hour day.  So recently, I've been using the services of Mark Wheland and David Rase to inlet my barrels and drill the rod holes.  Their work is super crisp and sharp, which is a great departure from the interesting charm of my own inletting.

That's how I did my first 14 guns, then I found Fred Miller.......

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

You're a lot smarter than I am Mike.  I did 96 the hard way until David Rase started doing my barrel inletting, rod groove and rod hole.

[Mark Elliott]

the interesting charm of my own inletting.

But,  that is the historically correct look. 

[Dave B]

Ken, The saw I use for this is a small back saw. The one Harbor Freight sells from Sheffield England, I just ground the set  off flush on one side. I used it on several of my projects but have also succumbed to the use of the master skills of Dave Rase at barrel inletting. They had two versions of the same size blade. One had a particular feature that allowed the handle to be flipped from one end to the other so you could work from the same side with out having to reverse the saw cut direction.