Wood Patchbox Question

[archer829]

I am working on a JP Beck styled rifle with a wood patchbox, and I have a question about the stock shaping around the flat where the lid sits.  I'm not sure how to clearly ask the question, but here goes:

If you were to take the lid off of an original wood patchbox Beck and focus on the flat where the lid normally sits--specifically at the transition where the flat ends and the normal stock shape begins--is there a sharp edge / demarcation or does it just gently round from flat to regular stock shape?  Hope that makes sense....

I can't find any pictures of originals with the lid off that clearly show what I'm trying to figure out, so if anyone has any advice about this, I would really appreciate it!

Thanks,
Jeff

[rich pierce]

A lot depends on buttstock shape which in turn is determined in part by the buttplate shape. It should just fade at the front for sure. Think of the sliding box as the lid of a side opening patchbox. There’s no real need for a sharp transition in that case, right?  I recognize a side opened may be slightly rounded but it’s not much.

[Stophel]

From what I have seen, there is generally a very distinct flat, but not really a raised platform sort of thing... usually... 

Someone here some time ago shared photos of the "George Washington" (yeah, sure) Beck rifle with a wood box lid, and you can see a distinct flat, with the stock contours running up to it.

[gusd]

Look at pictures of a Kibler kit.
Gus

[ron w]

obviously, the track that the cover slides in must be straight and the adjacent area flat. establishing that area early in the butt's shaping, will alow the butt's shape to sort of flow off the straight dovetail area. most literature about shaping the butt area in general suggests keeping the planes of the sides of the butt straight. I will use a straight edge and check from butt plate to wrist area as I shape to ensure those areas are straight and flat. the slide area (the dovetails for the cover) should be let into these flat straight areas once the sides of the butt are established

[t.caster]

Sometimes a picture is worth a lot of words. This one I did a year ago.

[Dave B]

When I went to my first KRA Show one of the first rifles handed to me was a wood patch boxed JP Beck the patch box area with the lid off was flat all around the perimeter of the area of the box lid but you couldn't see it once the lid was in place. I wouln't call it a hard line transition from the flat to the surrounding stock contour but it blended quickly. It looked Just like he took some worn out 220 knocked the corners off the edge. This is not the rifle but it is very close to the same with how the other looked.

[rich pierce]

Not a Beck






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[archer829]

Thanks, everyone, for the help.  I really appreciate it!  Jeff