Techniques for squaring up stock blank

[KShatwell]

What are some the approaches you fellows use to to square up a blank.  It is an area I have always managed to work out, but spend too much time doing it.  Thanks

[Scota4570]

I use a milling machine with a large fly cutter.  But, only because I do not own a planer.  If your plank is true it should come off the bandsaw square.   I would guess most use hand tools and a square.

[David Rase]

You kind of answered your own question when you stated you spend too much time squaring up your stock.  If you learn to lay out your rifle on the existing blank you will not waste a lot of time squaring up a stock blank that will eventually consist of mostly rounded surfaces when done.  You really only need a flat top surface to work off of.
David

[FALout]

When I first start thinning down a blank, I use a table saw where keeping square is easy.  But, after that I use a larger spoke shave and keep checking square keeping the bottom of my stock as the reference point, usually thinning up the bottom of the stock after getting side panels thickness done (a lot of times after getting lock inletted but before doing the trigger).  For me it works no matter what kind of wood.
Bob

[Daniel Coats]

Got any pictures? 

I think it depends on what you're starting from and what kind of tools you have. I blanked 4 out of a chainsaw slab once and rented a power planer for the heavy work. The big mistake I made was doing it in my shop and found myself picking up saw chips out of every corner of the room for several years afterwards. My most recent build the guy I got it from had equipment and took the warp out and lightened it up for shipping considerably since he knew what kind of gun I was making. All I really need is one side flat and one edge squared to the flat side predetermining a top and bottom of course.

[P.W.Berkuta]

When I first started making rifles from a plank (3"X22"X68") I used a scrub plane then a Jack plane after band sawing out the profile. Now I use a 12" bench top power plane and a 6" stationery floor jointer.

[rich pierce]

If a piece of wood is irregular or twisted I get one side and the top pretty squared up using a hand scrub plane.

[bluenoser]

When I had a cabinetmaking business, I would occasionally be faced with a twisted piece of stock that exceeded the capacity of my 8" jointer. My solution was to mount the stock to a sled and pass it through the thickness planer to establish a flat reference surface.  The sled is nothing more than a piece of 3/4" plywood slightly larger than the stock, and the stock is mounted with shims at appropriate spots to ensure the stock will not rock.  The shims should be fastened to the sled so they don't shift position.  Stop blocks are attached to the sled at both ends of the stock and, occasionally, along the edges of the stock if I thought it might have a tendency to shift position.  Nothing was attached directly to the stock to be flattened.  I find it to be a very efficient and controllable method of flattening large pieces of stock - including stock blanks.

[James Rogers]

If I need to square up a piece,  I do it on my duplicator with my stylus running on the flat of the table and the cutter set just below the lowest area of the side surface im working after mounting the blank. I then drop off to the adjoining side to get a 90.
I have a twisted sister piece of English needing that now.

[sz]

I am the old fashioned guy here I guess.
I use a 4 foot long piece of strap steel as a straight edge and I plane the top flat and straight first.
  Then I use an ordinary Tri-square and a block plane to make the lock side of the blank flat and square to the top flat.  That's it!

Once you have 2 flats that are square one to another you are ready to inlet the barrel, and it can off-set a bit for the prescribed amount of cast-off is ordered.

[flehto]

I send the blank as rec'd to Dave Rase and he inlets the bbl and does  the RR work. When I receive the blank from him I saw  out the stock to my layout lines ....the top of what will become the forestock has been dome by Dave  when inletting the bbl and I tell him to cut it 1/32" below the bbl centerline { on certain styles I later cut this surface 1/16" below bbl centerline}  and the bottom of the upper forestock is also cut but needs further wood removal and later on is cut  so the RR groove is 1/32" shallower.

The two areas that  I do square up w/ the  forestock top surface  are for  the lockplate and sideplate.   Otherwise I don't square up other surfaces because shortly they'll become shaped. I do lay a long straight edge on the top of the forestock at the breech when inletting the Bplate but the Bplate toe is kicked in so the 3/16"  cast off is non existent on the toeline.

The shaping is done by "eyeball"  so in effect, I don't square up much of the blank/stock. All the holes for the pins for the  bbl lugs,  RR pipes, trigger pivot and lock bolts  are done in the drill press. The bbl/stock ass'y is clamped in a very accurate vise w/ the top bbl flat against the permanent jaw. My drill press table  has a re-inforced 3'X5' sheet of 3/4" thick plywood bolted on to accommodate a LR ass'y.

Squaring up surfaces takes time so if one can eliminate this, a lot of time is saved. But, there are many ways to do things and mine is only one way.....Fred

 

[alacran]

Ditto what David Rase said.

[Mark Elliott]

I find it helpful to square up the top and lock side with a plane for layout, but other than that,  I work with what I have.   The gun never turns out perfectly square anywhere anyway.    Just get close and don't worry about the rest.   It is more important that everything look right relative to the surrounding features.  Being perfectly square and symetrical if not a requirement. 

[Dan Fruth]

I used to plane the top and lock side square and flat, but now I simply use a #3 Auriou rasp after the barrel is inlet, and square things up, and that removes stock fast. Then I lay out the pattern, cut just outside the line, THEN square things up with the big rasp. That is a days work, and makes the rest of the build much easier.

[paulitus]

I use no power tools except an electric drill, and have never squared up a blank. I lay out the blank, inlet the barrel, and once the barrel is in, use the top flat for reference, redraw the layout lines, as needed.

[Nhgrants]

I have run the top edge over the jointer to get straight though a jointer plane would work.
Then using a hand plane make the lock side straight and square but allowing for cast in the butt