Sliding wood patchbox lid.

[LehighBrad]

I really want to put a sliding wood patchbox lid on my Lehigh rifle I'm building, but having NEVER done this before I was wondering if anybody has any tips to help me avoid the many diasters that may occur?? I've done brass and steel patchboxes before with decent results, but this wooden slider will be my first. I've read up on a few articles with pictures, but still feel a little weary of trying it. Is there any specific dimensions that the lid should be? Lengthwise or widthwise? Seeing the wood patchbox lid Allen Martin made for Smallpatch's "Busty Brunette" has convinced me that a sliding wood patchbox lid is the ticket for me!!

[draken]

I've done but one sliding patch box lid, but  felt it was actually easier than installing a metal one.    Buchele's RECREATING THE AMERICAN LONGRIFLE has excellent, easy to follow instructions on the procedure.

[B.Habermehl]

The big thing to rememeber is you need to shape the butt stock with the flat area you need  for the patch box lid area to begin with. I have a rifle, I built a number of years ago  that was intended to have a sliding wood box that does not have a box at all because I did not allow for it in the origionl shapeing. I find sliding wood boxes are definately easier to do than metal patch boxes.

[cmac]

Done a couple of them and I agree with all of the above but if you don't have the book you have two choices, one piece or two piece lid. I like the two piece.  (1) Experiment with shapes, sizes and positioning(2)Make a flat where your lid will be on the butt stock. (3)Lay out the female mortice. Note: they taper. Front being 1/16" narrower than the rear. (4) Chisel out female mortice: 1/4" deep, sides at 60 degrees. I eye ball the chisel angle and keep checking with a 60 degree 3 sided file, and smooth with the file.(5)Cut the male base piece. I use a band saw, router and file, but just about any kind of saw chisel and file work would get the job done. Fit the male base into the female mortice. Allow some room for expansion. File and sand the top of the male base down even with the stock. (6) the lid is selected for grain and figure(about 1/4"-3/8"thick). Normally out of the same wood as the gun stock if you can. Cut this out and glue the base and lid together.(Before gluing make guidelines where the lid will be centered) (7) Some had a cap at the rear of the lid and some didn't. Cap should be made out of same material as butt plate and keep with the contour of the buttplate(not 90 degrees to lid). Lid and base is filed to desired angle even with the inside edge of the butt plate.Attach metal cap with countersunk screws( I use epoxy as well), and do final shaping. (8)Install spring catch (these are not too hard to make) allowing room in mortice for movement, and positioning where it will catch on the inside edge of the butt plate. (9) Shape and decorate the lid.      After rifle is finished I grease these up on the inside of the dovetail.             Hope that helps and makes sense. Hard to explain without giving you pictures or drawings, but I'm still learning on the computer.

[Jim Kibler]

Although a two piece box lid is favored by some, I prefer a one piece lid.  This seems to be overwhelmingly the method used on original pieces.   It's really no more trouble than two piece construction.  Perhaps even less.  A couple general suggestions to make about shape are to have plenty of taper and make it thin.  Nothing looks worse than a lid that has a fat, forward end and is thick.

[Dave Dolliver]

It's easy to file a catch spring from a #12 horse shoe nail.   Doesn't need to be heat treated.

Dave Dolliver

[jeager58]

just remembered a tutorial by crawford you might think is helpful http://www.americanlongrifles.org/WorkShop_frame.htm     I thought it was very informative....phil

[Stophel]

When I first started making them, I made them in two pieces, thinking that it HAD to be easier, right?  Finally, I made one in one piece, and found it VASTLY simpler and easier.

I've made the spring clips out of big nails, cut out of sheet metal, and used the pre-made cast ones (which is easier, to be sure).  I've also used an old door hinge pin, which is just about perfect in size and shape.   

[fm tim]

Compliments of Jim Correll at Jacobsburg Pennsylvamnia Longrifle Museum apprentice gunsmith class.
File the front of a triangle file off back into the teeth so that it is about 1/4 inch high, and safe one side.  Be sure that the front edges are sharp.
This tool can be used to cut the dovetails by pushing it so that it acts as a scraper.  Then use as a file to smooth surface.  It works on both the stock and the lid.

[satwel]

I've done two following the two-piece method in the tutorial jaeger58 pointed you to. The first one is ok, the second ended up very nice. As mentioned, the most important thing to keep in mind is that the stock has to be perfectly flat around the outside of the mortise. The lid will be flat and if the stock isn't you'll end up with an uneven gap between the lid and the stock.  Don't sweat the edges of the mortise too much--they'll be covered by the lid. Just as fm tim said, I use the front edge of triangle file as a scraper to do most of the dovetail cutting. To make the initial mortise cut, I highly suggest a router plane. I was lucky enough to have access to one through a friend. It allows you to make the depth of the mortise very even.

Here's a watch-out. I cut and fit my first wooden patchbox lid in the middle of winter. I was proud of how precisely I got the lid to fit the dovetail mortise. I put the rifle aside for a while, came back to it in July. The lid was stuck solid in the stock because of the humidity. I couldn't budge it with a rubber mallet. It was October before I could get the lid to slide off without damaging it. If you cut and fit the lid in warm weather, make it tight. If you do it during the Winter, be sure to leave it a little loose.

[bama]

you can do can a practice run  on a 2x4 before cutting your stock, it can help work out the kinks.

I am with Jim I think a one piece lid is easier to do than a two piece.

Another thing that really looks bad besides a fat lid is a lid with the grain running the wrong way. Remember when you are working on the lid most of you first work on it will be on the bottom so be careful not to lay it out with the grain running backwards.

Ask me how I know this!!!!!!!!!!!!