Inletting "Draft filed" parts

[Jim Filipski]

I have been building custom flintlock long guns since 1983, so i have done my share of inletting parts into wood & I have my methods of  inletting "draft filled" hardware and locks into a stock blank.
I have read many articles on inletting , but none have ever addressed the situation when the "draft of the part" starts to ride the inlet sides! I for one use precision sharpened scrapers, and i tend to inlet very tight to the point of once the stock is finally finished I have to re-work the inlets to get the parts to fit again! So after, just shy of 30 years gun building, ...would like to hear other's stories and methods if anyone cares to share!
Jim

[paulitus]

Too tight can be fixed. Too loose, not so much. I also have been doing this for many years, and find that I am keeping the draft to the bare minimum.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I used to inlet much more tightly than I do now.  I am re-building a rifle I made in 1983 currently, reducing the lop from 16" to 14", installing a new lock, and completely refinishing it.  Taking the gun apart this afternoon, I had to use the retaining bolts to tap the parts (lock and trigger assembly) out of the wood.  I appreciate that the rifle has never been apart these past 39 years, but the inletting is still too tight.
I file draft on all parts that will be inlet, but it is only a few degrees off square.  I also use my inletting knives and chisels to scrape the final bit and keep them as sharp as I can during the process.  Over the years, as my experience increased, I was able to make my first stabs much closer to the Finish line than at first, so my inletting doesn't take nearly as long as it used to, and the result is also much more pleasing to me.  The lock, for example:  once I have removed the lock retaining bolts, usually 8 x 32, I can seize the lock by the cock and frizzen, and wiggle it a little to remove it.  The difference is profound, although there is no difference to the human eye, ie:  no gaps.  Likewise barrels.  The barrel on this particular rifle requires bumping on the bench top to jar it loose...I'll remedy that shortly.

[elkhorne]

Taylor,
Curious how you remedy having to bump on the barrel to get I loose. Do you do more draw filing on the bottom of the barrel or scraping the barrel channel? Thanks.
elkhorne

[flehto]

All my later guns have square sided inlets w/ the inletted items having a couple degrees of  draft......result is a neat inlet w/o gaps  and doesn't take much to remove the inletted item. I rarely  use a scraper when inletting. The inlets are sealed once and when the stock is being finished, some finish sticks to the inlet walls  and is wiped off. When the finish is dry, the inletted  item's fit is nearly the same as before the finish was applied. Tight inlets can be trouble and are unnecessary for a gapless fit......Fred   

[BJH]

Jim you and I are in the same boat. I usually wind up doing some scrapeing and refitting after the finish is on the gun. I think the finish itself may “ plump” the wood a bit where the wood was compressed during the inletting process. Either way I seldom have any gapitosis around my inlet parts. BJH
 PS I’ve been told my tools need to be sharper to avoid wood compression. May be they are right?

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I rarely remove metal to make a part fit.  So I scrape the inside of inlets to remove enough wood to allow the part to settle better.  Being constantly aware of grain direction is key to successful scraping...and sharp tools.

[Jim Filipski]

Some great ideas here!
I have always use the #11 Exacto type blades that I buy from Pincover Industrial Supply, NewYork, NY. They are "surgical blades" made in the #11 style to trace around the parts!
That gives a very tight inlet. And after all these years and inlets I think too tight!
Recently I found a Mike Brooks tutorial on one of his builds, in my archives. He used a not too sharp pencil to trace around a lock once the bolster was inlet ad the plate was flush with the stock! He then cut in the inlet with chisels straight down just inside the pencil line! That's when I got thinking wow, that starting inlet is way looser than my #11 blade starting inlet. Then I went back in my archives and retrieved some old 18th & 19th century building accounts and those gunsmiths were tracing around the parts with a bench knife... now I have 2 old and one new ( Brownells )  Bench Knives . Those blades were rather thick & Similar to Brook's Pencil Lines! If this is the case it would speed up inletting and reduce the finally fitting to the mortices after the gun is finished!
Your Thoughts?

[PAFlinter]

I use a .005 mechanical pencil to trace my drafted parts. Then I stab in with straight, curved, whatever is necessary chisels just like Mike Brooks.   I do use the #11 exacto for very small details, inlays.  I find on very hard Maple using chisels is much better. Scrapers and gorbet rifflers to get the glove fit if necessary

[Not English]

I file a draft in my parts and then use an exacto knife to scribe around it. Unfortunately I've no idea of style or size. It's just the standard exacto blade available at hardware stores. I have always had to sharpen the blades before use. The point of the blade never seems sharp for my desired uses. Once I've scribed the line I start stabbing in the inlet by hooking the chisel into the cut in line. I do very little scraping.

[bama]

I file a draft on all of the metal parts that get inlet into the stock. I do this for a couple of reasons. The first reason naturally is to get a nice fit around all the parts, so that you don't see any gaps between the wood and the metal, The second reason is to make part removal easier during the build so you do not chip any wood out during the building process. I pay close attention to the lock and the side plate and file a little extra draft on these parts. I do not like fighting with the lock or the side plate when I get down to the finishing stage of the build. If a lock or the side plate don't come out with a gentle nudge then I smoke them up and scrape a little more. Another benefit  of not making a lock and side plate mortice to tight is it helps relieve stress in the wood at the nose of the lock and the rear lock bolt. I have seen many originals that the wood has split at the nose of the lock. This is caused by wood shrinkage and a tight lock mortice. Same for the side plate, if you have a good draft on these parts as the wood shrinks the parts should be pushed upward by the draft and hopefully not split the wood at these locations.

[rich pierce]

Another benefit  of not making a lock and side plate mortice to tight is it helps relieve stress in the wood at the nose of the lock and the rear lock bolt. I have seen many originals that the wood has split at the nose of the lock. This is caused by wood shrinkage and a tight lock mortice. Same for the side plate, if you have a good draft on these parts as the wood shrinks the parts should be pushed upward by the draft and hopefully not split the wood at these locations.

I have a split on a rifle I made in 1977 from shrinkage around the lockplate. Too tight!

[Jim Filipski]

OK Guys ,
 What I'm starting to see is there in no "magic concept" that has been developed in the past 40 years that is much different then what I have been doing all these years!
So I will just keep doing what I do...since it is pretty much what I'm reading here.
Maybe, not file as much draft on the parts as I tend to do!
This has been eye opening....there is no new magic; and it all comes down to hard & quality work!
Something I'm used to
Thank you all
Jim

[Frozen Run]

He used a not too sharp pencil to trace around a lock once the bolster was inlet ad the plate was flush with the stock!

He probably could have done the same thing if you handed him a crayon.   

[kutter]

I've always filed some draft on the metal parts for inletting.
More onto some than others, depends on the shape of the edge and the contour of the wood it is going into. Not everything is straight and flat.

I'm careful when filing the draft itself in that I take time to make the surface reletively free of file cut lines. especially if they run lengthwise with the part.
Those cut lines can act like little teeth to grip the edges of the inlet when the fit is extremely tight and you have wacked the metal down for another impression.
Pulling it back out can grip the edges and tear out wood at times or in the least make it very difficult to pull a part from the inlet.

I probably file more draft onto parts than most. I feel it gets away from a wedge effect the more draft you have.
The part will free itself easier that way instead of dragging itself out of the inlet.
But there is a limit to what you can do as well.. each part is different.

I often put some draft on the side flats of oct bbls as well. Here a very small amt of draft so as not to be noticed when looking at the bbl on the finished rifle.

I end that draft just before the forend tip so it doesn't show outside the wood.
It does make the bbl inlet process easier in the same way it does for inletting any part. A closer , tight fit of wood to metal edges.

Most people use a pre-inlet bbl form now so it's a mute point. But it can still be used if you are inletting a bbl from scratch.

I use clamps to push the part(s) into the wood to get a good impression when using marking black.
Starting off I often use a mallet, but once the part is starting to set down, I use the squeeze grip clamps with the rubber jaw protectors. They can place a tremendous amt of force straight down onto the part and into the wood and inletting .  No bouncing around w/mallet strikes.
It makes a perfect impression of high spots for you as well as pushes the metal part into the wood for that 'compressed inlet' look.

I usually lightly tap the metal part as well with a mallet when the part is solidly clamped into position. But you have to be carfeful you are not springing the edges of the  part in anyway imprinting a false marker indicating a high spot that actually isn't there.
You will be digging away wood forever if you don't pay attention and the metal & wood will never join together.

[Jim Filipski]

Well, What I'm getting from this thread we are all pretty much doing it the same way! (Really not sure about that Crayon response )
Nothing new and Inspiring ....Looks like all of us guys are from the same school!
Jim

[Frozen Run]

Really not sure about that Crayon response

I've seen him work in person and his abilities are out of this world, I wouldn't be surprised if he could eyeball a perfect inlet.

[Ric Carter]

You can have well fit parts, without them being tight. I like to have the lock or barrel fall out into my hand when I tip the stock. Take apart an old high quality English gun, that's how they generally disassemble. As has been said, having them too tight can cause cracking of the wood around the lock mortise or fore end.

[Craig Wilcox]

In many cases, too loose can be remedied fairly easily.  I try to always generate some shavings via a plane, and toss a few in an old tuna can I use for such (also used to store the little bits, like screws, etc.).  These can then be glued into the too-wide areas.  Titebond II or III will hold them in and still take the stain.

Too loose can also be remedied by a method unknown to the builders "back in the day".  We now have access to all sorts of epoxies, and with a bit of practice, these can quickly fix a "too lose" situation.  Many of the current breed can be colored with alcohol-based stains.  Powdered pigments are also available.

I imagine sometime in the future the gap can be spanned by magic laser.  Or at least it's fun to think about...

[bluenoser]

The wood around an inlet tends to get compressed in the inletting process.  Small gaps and loose inlets can often be tightened up by pressing with a wet cotton cloth and a hot iron. 

[Long John]

When I am prepping parts for a build I dig-out a little block of wood with an 85 degree angle cut on one end.  I hold it against the parts as I am filing the let-in side to give me a handy reference for a nice vent draft.  When I let in an octagon barrel I take a magic marker a paint the side flats of the barrel.  I then draw file the side flats just enough to strike-off the marker color on the bottom half of each side flat.

I guess that is why I have to fix so many inletting mistakes.  I think I'm supposed to teach that at the Fair this summer!

Best Regards,

JMC