Smallpatch...it really is amazing, isn't it? Hopefully some of the others, too, will have a similar opportunity; then they will understand...maybe.
OK, the Oracle is about to speak from the temple mount. Stand back, because this revelation may be accompanied by thunder and lightning. Regarding patch box mortise depth, here's the scoop. A patch box must be deep enough to hold a Snickers bar.
Yes, the judges at Dixons continually critique patch box depths as "not deep enough." Yet, there again...depending on school and individual maker, many originals were quite shallow compared to the Dixons standard for evaluation. So there, newbes, is part of the evaluation paradigm at the fair. If you wish to enter that arena, save a point or two being shaved off your score and excavate down at least 3/4 of an inch; you shouldn't come out the other side. Want more tips? Get that front end wood down to a sleek graceful shape and get the waves out by finishing up with a block and aluminum oxide paper. They will hold it to the light, looking down the barrel, and try to detect waviness in the forestock. Also take time inletting. Woodworkers who, to the best of my knowledge, have never built a gun, will be looking for gaps. Little gaps cost points; big gaps relegate your entry to the "also ran" category. Better for potential entrants to know these things before the build is over. It's all about education, right?
