3/8 ramrod to a 5/16

[bowkill]

What is the best way to reduce ramrod sizes? Is there something i could make? Takes a while with sandpaper, but guess i could use a small plane.. Ideas?

[foresterdj]

I am a rank amateur, but I might try chucking it up in a drill, putting on a good glove, hold a piece of 150 grit in hand and spin it while moving hand up and down the length, check progress often. Should at least come out cylindrical yet.

[Lucky R A]

Yes,  Most all my ram rods start at 7/16 and taper to 5/16.  This is achieved in 10 minutes with a my disc/belt sander.  the machine uses a 6X48" belt.  I find that an 80 grit belt makes short work of the process.  Just place the ram rod on the belt and apply downward pressure with your off hand while you rotate the rod with your strong hand.  I have a piece of angle iron that I drilled a series of holes from 5/16 up to a 1/2 in through I then pull the tapered rod through the appropriate hole where it needs a little rounding.  Pick a hole bigger than your rod and push your rod on an angle through the hole, just like using a scraper, but faster and makes the rod nice and round. It is not a hard thing..

Ron

[Stoner creek]

I’ve mounted an electric drill in my vise, chucked the rod in the drill, started the drill and push the lock button and turned it down with a rasp (just like a lathe). Use calipers to determine proper rod diameter. It’s exciting work. Watch your fingers.

[Daryl]

Acer Sackerum - Tom, makes/made a tool for tapering rods. Works very well.

[smylee grouch]

I have one of Tpm,s tools and it really does work great, mounted in a vice or used by hand it will work down and tapper a rod in short order.

[Jim Filipski]

Second here! I use a 3 stage scraping tool I configured
Start with a 1/2" rod and work my way down....Good amount of work but worth it

[LynnC]

I made and use a scraper tool very similar the the one Acer made and sells. Makes quick work of a tapered ram rod. Well you have to work at while 😉

My ram rods are split/cut from hickory splits or old tool handles and with patience, the scraper rounds them out beautifully.

[Birddog6]

If just doing one once in a rare moon, a sharpened flat washer will suffice or a belt sander.

Tom's tool does a nice job as well.  It is quick & easy to use.

Mike Lea sells a RR cutting tool that works well, but a lil pricey.  I bought the tool he sells & bought
a lifetime supply of good ramrod blanks years ago & still working them down.

Steve Bailey is the Ramrod Guy. He used to advertise in the back of Muzzleblast but don't know
if he still does. Best straight grained hickory RR's you will ever buy, I can say that.  I have bought
well over  a hundred from him & every single one was great & no grain runout at all.  You buy from
him & you can see a difference. Years ago I would order a bundle from him & meet him at Friendship.
I'd buy in bundles of 10.

[Tom Currie]

Tom's tool is the best . I made a tapered pistol RR last week from a 3/8 square piece of hickory in about 20 minutes.

[alacran]

very simple way of doing this. Midway shows this set up on an ebony ramrod. Two straight hardwood 2x2s the length of the ramrod with sandpaper glued to one of the sides of each. Screw the 2x2s with the sandpaper sides facing each other. At one end the space between the 2x2s is 3/8th" at the other end it is 5/16th". Run your 3/8th" blank starting at the 3/8th end turning it with a drill all the way to the 5/16th end. If you make the ramrod longer than needed, you can keep changing the grit of the sandpaper. The video is not on the Midway Website. Just search for making an ebony ramrod.
I do not go through all that trouble. I have a 10-inch sanding disc that I mount on my table saw. I place the fence a little wider than I need and run it through in steps. This way takes practice and feel. If i was making one out of any expensive exotic wood such as ebony, I would use Midways method.