Little by little or the wholeupper forearm

[Roger Fisher]

Ok, so you have the lower forearm 95 % shaped nice and slim and tapered a tad from lock mortice to the rear pipe  so, now what?  Do you rasp then file then sand on a flat block the entire one side from r pipe to muzzle cap then roll her over in the clover and do the other side same way from r pipe to muzzle cap???  Or, do you do such from rear pipe to center pipe then other side same area??  Or, alot of ors here.
do you scratch at the whole shebang here and there and try to even her up all over thata way?  Am I clear enough?  The taking it off to a hair line at barrel flat and the rod groove is a given.   Then line her up and remove those shallow dings and humps with a flat 14" block and paper....?  I would add here that I have a length of oak shaped as per a barrel split in half lengthwise that I set in the channel to protect the stock edges.  Said oak section can be built up or reduced to 'fit' the barrel sizes from job to job (13/16, 7/8,15/16th etc)  it stands proud of the channel for more protection while filing etc..

I'm trying to save some labor on my part...  I'm running slower every year and the Fair is coming up before we know it.....

[Mike Brooks]

I shape the buttstock first and then move onto the forestock. I rough the forestock all at once, both sides, then smooth it out. I never use anything to remove the waves. Evey original I have ever saw was wavy.

[Ed Wenger]

I also do as Mike is describing....  Take off some wood from the forearm and start that final shape, inlet the rear pipe, then finish shaping the forearm.  I'll also go about 2" or so up the fore end, past the rear pipe, when the rear pipe is inlet.  That starts the process up the fore end.  After that it's a spoke shave, cabinet makers rasp, and scraper to finish the profile.  I also work both sides as I make my way up towards the muzzle end.  I've found it's helpful to draw a line along the length of the stock, about a 1/4" or so down from the top which helps establish the curve uniformally along the length of the fore end, if that makes sense...  I also typically use a longer sanding block to help smooth things out a bit, although like Mike said, a lot of originals are "wavy".

Ed

[The other DWS]

Do you ever use a really really fine and sharp big plane set real shallow? or does it just not work well with the fancy maple.?  my trade gun/rifle has a real plain straight grain maple stock and the plane, holding it at an angle, worked quite well.

 I also use a rasp, a lot like a Stanley Sure-Form but with MUCH finer "teeth". It really takes wood away well if you hold it like you were draw filing a barrel, without tearing out wood like a sure-form or a regular rasp.

[Ed Wenger]

Planes work very well, I think...  If the wood is highly figured you have to watch the chipping, same thing with a spoke shave.  Nicholson cabinet makers rasps, #49 & #50, are generally what I use for rasps.  I've also used a sure-form and they work well also, but I've used them more through the butt and cheek area of the stock....

Ed

[bob in the woods]

I use planes all the time.  Get Mark Silver's DVD: it's an absolute  treasure. Using his instructions, I cut my stock rough shaping time in half. All with planes,spokeshaves, and hand saws.

[Don Getz]

A few tips on how to shape that forend and eliminate those waves......I talking about that area from the rear entry pipe
to the muzzle.     I first bandsaw the stock down to within about 1/8" of the barrel on both sides.   The next thing I do is
to draw some straight lines lengthwise.....about 1/4" down from the top of the stock, another about 3/16" below that
and another about 1/16" from the ramrod groove.   I then use a #49 rasp and rasp the wood on the top down to the
first line on an angle, with the barrel in the stock....take it off until you just about touch the barrel.   Next remove all the
wood between the second line and the line along the ramrod groove..   Then, to straighten things out, I use a sanding'
block about 3" wide by 8" long, wrap some 80 grit paper around it and run it lengthwise to smooth things out and eliminate all those waves.   I will also round off the upper portion of the stock, wiping out all those lines.   You can then
remove the barrel and sand that top edge down to a sharp point where it meets the barrel.   When you are finished the
stock should only be about 1/16" thick on either side of the barrel.    The foregrip area can be shaped the same way by
using straight lines and removing the wood down to them.   The foregrip area can have a little more wood on it than the
area out along the barrel.    Maybe I can explain this better when I explain the "other stuff" at Dixon's...........Don

[Captchee]

 the others have pretty much defined the same order i do .
 if there are waves or not . depend on what im using to shape .
  If the stock is scraped , then there is usually some minor waves…
 I also am of the opinion , this is why we see waves in many originals .


 With a sanded stock ,  I still take it down with rasps and files .
 Then block sand  with 80 grit .
 Then I take a strait edge  and blacken  the edge .  Running that lightly across the stock , will leave black on the higher areas . Showing where  the stock needs more block sanding. When the strait edge leaves continues parks , then you good to go
 
 Another thing that can be done is speckling.. For this I dip a  stiff bristled brush in some old  used paint that I thin down . Then  thumb the paint off the brush onto the stock . Doing this leaves little paint drops  all over the stock . When you come back an block sand , the paint will be left in the low spot  . Obviously you want to take care in doing this and not get to much paint onto the wood

[keweenaw]

I do almost all my forestock shaping with a low angle, adjustable throat block plane - very sharp with the throat set to minimal width.  You have to watch which way the grain is running but I haven't found this to be a problem.  The key to keep from getting too much chipping is to have the plane shaving sharp and to use it at about a 45 degree angle to the work.  Because even if you're running along the forestock with the plane at a 45 degree angle you are bearing on about 4" you get very little in the way of waves or ripples.  The only place I use a rasp is at the transition at the lower pipe where you can't plane.

Tom

[Swampwalker]

For me, it saves a lot of aggravation to get an even thickness, smooth pannel on either side of the barrel using the bandsaw, and then a sharp low-angle block plane.   Then draw your guidelines.  I then use, in succession, a sharp spokeshave, medium cut rasp, and sandpaper on a block to get the final rounded contour.

[ehoff]

Roger, I too find using a low angle block plane w/ adjustable throat a geat tool for shaping the fore stock. Like everyone esle has said the key is its got to be sharp. The other thing that I have used allot on this build are scrapers, the can remove wood very agressvively or take off whisper thin curls. The same thing applies, they have to be sharpened properly.

[rich pierce]

Using a piece of cove molding for a sanding block can help too.

[Nate McKenzie]

The most used tool I have for this is a humongous big horse hoof rasp left over from my horse shoeing days. It has a rough side and a less rough side. Its about two inches wide and 18 inches long and I call her Big Bertha. It really takes it off in a hurry and gets it ready for the #49 rasp. Final shaping is by scraping or my trusty B&D Mouse.