Starting mid-18th century English rifle (Updated photos)

[thimble rig]

That's beautiful work.Ive been following youre builds for a awhile.Being a new comer to rifle building and trying to learn I have a question to ask.Are you going to carve a front moulding on youre lock plate and side plate? If not how to you terminate the carving under the side and lock plate panels to make them look right?

[Ed Wenger]

Nicely done, Dave.  I like that side plate more and more each time I see it.


         Ed

[Bill Paton]

Dave, 

Your “foster child” is very lucky. She will obviously end up at the upper end of the bell curve of existence, thanks to the exceptional (albeit leisurely) parenting she is receiving. She wears her silver broach stunningly. Didn’t you show us that jewelry in-the-making some time ago?

Admiringly, Bill Paton

[smart dog]

Thanks for commenting everyone,

Thimble Rig, the molding simply fades out as it approaches the front of the lock and sideplate panels. I am modeling that feature on an original English fowler that I own.  It actually looks good.  English makers often did not carve aprons completely around the lock panels. In addition the lock panels are not exactly the same on each side. One side is tailored to fit the lock shape and the other to fit the sideplate.  Again, that is how the originals often were.

Bill, for various reasons I've posted pictures of the sideplate multiple times, ad nauseum perhaps.  I made it several years ago and finally put it on a gun. I have to make a full sized and smaller scale copy of it for a fowler and horse pistol.

dave

[thimble rig]

Thanks for info.I appericate it.I do love that side plate,But I sure wouldn't to try to inlet that.I would be a nervous wreck before it was done.

[smart dog]

Thanks for info.I appericate it.I do love that side plate,But I sure wouldn't to try to inlet that.I would be a nervous wreck before it was done.

Magic helps.

dave

[Mike Brooks]

Can I have that gun when you're done?

[smart dog]

Mike, I am sensing a pattern here.  If I give it to you, then I won't have one.

dave

[bama]

Great looking work, I love the tang carving. 

[Mike Brooks]

Mike, I am sensing a pattern here.  If I give it to you, then I won't have one.

dave

Well, if you don't give it to me then I won't have one....Catch 22. Maybe you better build two......

[Boatman53]

Dave, that gun may be taking second place in the work schedule but there s nothing second rate about it. That carving looks wonderful. I know for me that often the the best work is done on the lower priority jobs because I don't have the deadline constraint, and I can really think about the details of how something is coming together. Well done.
Jim

[smart dog]

Thanks Jim,
That means a lot coming from you.  By the way, Jim, the chain vises are working great.  I find I use the leg vises twice as much as I did before and that is really good because for many tasks, they are the best vises on my bench.  Previously, after a stock was rounded and no longer squared up. the leg vises were not convenient because shaped stocks vary so much in thickness.  Now, that is not the case since the vises automatically adjust the parallel guides to the wood thickness. It is now very efficient to move my stocks to whatever vise is the best suited for the task. If someone did a time-lapse video of me, they would think I was doing laps around my bench as I move from vise to vise. As they say, "a man can't have too many vises".  I have 4 on my bench, add a shot of scotch, and I have 5.

dave