Cutting Longitudinal Stock Incisions

[JCurtiss]

Looking at photos of long rifles from the York school I notice that most if not all have a long incision running the lower length of the stock and terminating near the trigger guard area.  

So what is the best way to make this incision?  The Gunsmith of Greenville County shows a piece of wood with a nail protruding from it as tool for marking the location for this incision. The wood block indexes off the bottom of the stock and a nail is positioned a 1/4” or so from where the wood contacts the stock.  To mark the incision you merely drag the wood-tool down the stock and the protruding nail scribes a mark along the entire length.

Presumably you use another tool to cut a V-shape incision where the line has been scribed by the nail?

Is there a better or more efficient way of cutting this longitudinal stock incision?

Thanks!

Jason  

[smallpatch]

First of all, most of these mouldings are are tapered, getting narrower as they approach the trigger guard.  So to me a scratch stock just doesn't work.  Mostly, I use a tapered, flexible piece of corner mold as a guide to lay it out.
As far as cutting, v tool, single or double line checkering tool, and a three corner file to straighten and deepen the lines.
Hope that helps.

[JCurtiss]

Mostly, I use a tapered, flexible piece of corner mold as a guide to lay it out.

Are you talking about the wood corner molding that you can get at Home Depot or Lowes?  And if so, do you push it against the stock and then use the protruding edge as a guide for marking and cutting the incision?

[smart dog]

Hi Jason,
Years ago, my father taught me a skill for marking border lines, including the incised line you are describing for the lower butt stock.  I hold a pencil normally with my thumb and index finger, then I place my middle finger on the same hand against the bottom of the stock and use it to guide my pencil line.  I can gradually adjust the width of the border by moving my middle finger.  I eyeball the whole thing without using any marking gauge.  It is a very old carpenter's and cabinet maker's trick.  Then I free hand cut along the pencil line with a checkering tool.  I can mark and cut parallel lines the same way.

dave

[Acer Saccharum]

I do similar technique to the smart dog.

The moulding, while looking like it should be parallel to something, really isn't. With a swamp barrel, the stock slims down, then swells again toward the muzzle. This is very subtle, but it is the difference between a vibrant, flowing form and a one that does not enthrall the eye. It's the live form the keeps the eye roving over it, trying to take it all in. When everything is parallel and mechanically perfect, there is little to entertain my eye. In my opinion.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I use a system similar to Smart Dog's dad, and Acer.  Holding the pencil so you can see the line being formed, dragging it along the length of the butt stock, and squeezing the thumb and middle finger together while you travel the length, you'll create a line that diminishes as you arrive at the place you plan to terminate...the trigger guard's spur or the end of the trigger plate, or whatever.  Give it a try on a practice piece.  Changing hands to do the other side is the challenge.

I cut the line first with a parting tool, then clean it up and deepen it with a piece of three sided file about 2" long.  This will take little wiggles out of the line, but is not so long as to ride out of the groove.  File is ground safe on one side.

[JCurtiss]

Thank you for the replies, guys.

I've practiced the freehand style a bit, but seem to need more practice before going at it for real.

[Thom]

I was a board drafter way back when. I have a set of railroad curves that help me a great deal in laying out different elements of the shoulder stock. I use a set of compound curves to layout the longer more subtle spirals (top, bottom, and wrist areas), and smooth them out while finishing.

[Mark Elliott]

I draw the line much as described above.   I then cut the line using a Sloyd knife with the edge ground off everywhere but the tip.   I rock the tip along the pencil line.   I was taught this method by Jim Chambers who learned it from John Bivins.   Once the stopping cut is made,  I cut down to the line using a 1/2" chisel.   Then I clean up with the ubiquitous three cornered file with the the tip broken off and ground flat.   If it is a complex moulding, I use a scratch stock for most of the length and fudge the line by twisting the scratch stock.   

[smallpatch]

Yes, I'm talking about wood corner mold.  You can cut one side tapering from say ¼" to ⅛" in a straight line.  On most butt stocks, it will flex enough to follow the contour of the lower edge, and give a nice, even taper.
Unfortunately, for extreme pieces like Lehighs, not so much.

I've find the freehand method to be a bit challenging.  Just can't seem to get an even taper.

[Mike Brooks]

I do them like the rest of the boys do. Try it a couple times and you'll get the hang of it right off. Throw that book away......

[JCurtiss]

I do them like the rest of the boys do. Try it a couple times and you'll get the hang of it right off. Throw that book away......

Sorry boss, I can't bring myself to "throw that book away".  Heck I just bought it! Besides there's some useful stuff in it for a first-timer like me.

Smallpatch: I'm tracking with you on the molding.  I can plane the edge such that the incision runs ever closer to the edge of the stock as it approaches the trigger guard.  And perhaps best of all, I can clamp the molding in place while I scribe my foundation line; what could go wrong?

[Karl Kunkel]

I'm pretty much a novice, so take my two cents for what it's worth.  I taped a narrow piece of cedar shake shingle along the bottom edge of the stock.  The wide end toward the front.  I then ran the scratch line jig (small block of maple with a counter sunk screw head as the cutter) along the lower edge of the shingle.  This gave me the tapered scratch line from butt plate to trigger guard.

[QuanLoi]

Take a wire clothes hanger, cut off the long straight bottom part, bend it to shape and tape it in place along the lower edge of the butt stock.  Use that as a guide for drawing your line... Works well especially if you want to cut parallel lines as exists on Northampton rifles.

[QuanLoi]

Example of using the thickness of a wire clothes hanger, cut and taped in position in order to plot parallel lines along the lower edge of the butt stock.

[frogwalking]

Once one line is in pretty well, a Dembart boarder tool will cut the second parallel and leave a nice round bead in between.  Not PC. but the end result is good, and it is not a power tool.

[Acer Saccharum]

Despite Dembart being a new contraption, I've run across antique tools made by hand that perform the same function. Who knows when the first parallel line cutter was made?

[kaintuck]

Despite Dembart being a new contraption, I've run across antique tools made by hand that perform the same function. Who knows when the first parallel line cutter was made?

when tomtom reached up on my leg with his claws wanting my attention.........

marc

[rich pierce]

It's at least theoretically possible to plane a tapered piece of wood thin enough to be flexible and stick that to the lower edge of the buttstock and then use a scratch tool to cut incised lines or more complex lower butt moldings. A thought I've not put into action yet. But if I built a lot of rifles is look for time saving tricks like that.

[flehto]

Seeing most of my builds are Bucks County w/ a curved toe line, the layout for the buttstock molding is done free hand and the first cut is made using an Exacto knife. ....Fred