Building from a plank

[Supermarine10]

Hello, I'm looking into building my next rifle from a plank, but I am kinda on a budget. (Like most husbands) I would like to invest in some tools that would be required to get it down to a rough shape. If some experienced people could kindly tell me the type of hardware they use to shape a rifle stock that would be greatly appreciated. I've never built from a plank before.

Thanks,

Daryl F.

[Hungry Horse]

I get mine trimmed to shape, and ready for final rounding up with a small bandsaw. I inlet straight octagon barrels with a one H.P. Router with a home made guide table. Round tapered fowler barrels are inlet with a round bottomed carbide router bit, to the size of the muzzle, and the opened up at the breech with hand tools. Octagon barrels are inletted with some carbide bits made for that purpose currently, but were done in the past with a bit made from an old spade bit. Ramrod channels are cut with a router bit that corresponds with the size of the ramrod. The rest of the ramrod channel is drilled with the proper sided bit welded to a corresponding sized rod. Good Luck.

  Hungry Horse

[Mauser06]

I have my barrels inlet and ramrod holes drilled.   Then cut the profile on my bandsaw and slab off excess. Forearm sides, bottom profile etc. 

Buttstock, I put the buttplate on and use a hand saw to cut the bottom of the cheek rest.  From there I use a big gouge and whack some chunks off.

I really like the Iwasaki rasps. I can remove a good bit of wood in short work and end up with a smooth enough finish to go right to scrapers. 


It's actually easier than you think.  I was intimidated as heck by my first plank build. It's in the final stages and so far, I'm happy with it.  I found it easier than a precarve. Inletting and drilling everything was easier for me since it was all flat and square. 

[bama]

The main tools I use for stock shaping from a blank are a band saw, number 49 & 50 rasps, gouges and chisels and scrapers, hand planes, The band saw can be replaced by a hand saw but the rest of the tools are pretty much what I use to shape a stock. I also use measuring tape, 36" & 48" straight edge, pencil, depth guage and ram rod drill, drill guide for pins, lock & Tang bolts, hand drill. The tools I have are not the most expensive out there but if you totalled the cost of my tools I use it would be several hundred dollars and probably between $1000 & $2000. If you include the band saw closer to 3 grand.

Now, I do several stocks a year so the cost of my tools are worth every penny I spent on them. If you are only going to do one or two builds there is no cheap way to get it done. I suggest you find a good buddy that has the tools and borrow them.

I know about bugets so I will tell you that I accumulated my tools over time. The first stock I did from a blank I did not have the tools I do now. Because I built a rifle from a blank is the reason I have the tools that I have today. Building from a blank is a hard job, the less tools you have the harder it is. If you turely want to build from a blank you will get it done.

Good luck

[Supermarine10]

Thank you very much!

[hortonstn]

Be sure your blank is straight and square , I know a thing or to because I've seen a thing or two !!

[Mauser06]

Forgot to mention...the others are right on.  You don't NEED a ton of expensive tools.  I just bought another gouge today.  The last few years I've been gathering as I need/want/see them. 

Heck, I inlet nearly everything with 1 chisel for the most part.  I'm comfortable with it and could likely get by with JUST that chisel. 


Same with rasps. I have a few...but if I had to, I could get by with 1. 


I bought my bandsaw from a guy on Craigslist.  It took a while but I found an older 14" Delta. It was very well cared for by a retired guy that took up wood working as a hobby. He was upgrading.  I got a nice deal on it and it's in great shape.  Just took me a little while to find a nice one at a good price. 

[little joe]

Buy the Wallace Gusler video from Pioneer Video and it will show you how few tools you need to build a basic rifle. I use a band saw, 4inch off set grinder to shape it and a small drill, I have did it with out the saw, just more elbow grease.

[mikeyfirelock]

I try to do as much as I can with hand tools.    Friends with bandsaws are nice, but I cut this one with a frame saw.   I’ve never been adept with a router and prefer to do barrel channels the “hard” way.....if you can find one of the old Stanley router planes at a yard sale , buy it. Attached find a pic of my solution to inletting the bottom flat in my current 1/2 stock project. Position and  determined by thickness and width of spacers ( tongue depressors) attached to dovetail saw.  Necessity is mother of invention.

[smart dog]

Hi Daryl,
The best thing you can do at your stage in this project is to get the book "Recreating the American Longrifle" by Buchele et al. and one of the good videos.  Better still would be attending one of the NMLRA sponsored classes, however, that may not be feasible for many. Alexander's book "Gunsmith of Grenville County" has a lot of information but is not the best "step by step how to" book. Then you can start to make some informed choices about tools.   

dave

[Supermarine10]

I've never attempted signing up for classes before, in anyone's experience is it actually a helpful classroom-type learning process + working or kinda just a chance to do hands-on and ask questions.
Also, what are the skill levels of people who do them? Do some "experts" still participate?

[Blacksmoke]

Hi Daryl.  Welcome to the ALR Forum!  I am teacher of gun making techniques and also a builder.  I teach what I 've taught my self through the years.   At my classes I teach by having the students do their own projects at the bench.  We do some academics and I use the black board to illustrate a certain technique or operation.  However hands on is the best way to teach.  You do not need to invest in thousands of dollars worth of machinery but the tools you do buy - make sure the are top of the line in quality.
  Hugh Toenjes

[flehto]

My first 4 LRs from blanks were done w/o a bandsaw {used a Skill Saw and hand saw} and the bbl and RR work was done by me...but then I thought..."the way I'm building these guns is very time consuming " so  the stock of the  very next LR was sent out for the bbl/RR work and then was bandsawed. Besides....one day my wife came into my shop and saw how I was using the Skill Saw on a blank and said.."I'm not watching this"  and went upstairs.

My bandsaw came w/ plastic  blade guides  and trying to saw  on the line was difficult, so ball bearing blade guides were installed and removing a lot of wood by hand was eliminated by  sawing on the line.

The only other  "machines" in my shop are a free standing drill press, a bench grinder and a 12"  disk sander. A hacksaw, various rasps and files, straight chisels, gouges, bent straight chisels and  a square are some of the req'd hand tools.

Buy  some  "how to" books that have been previously mentioned and then buy addt'l hand tools as needed.....Fred

[Mike Brooks]

Here you go, check out this tutorial I did years ago and you'll see all the tools I use to build a gun from a blank. You might even learn the sequence of steps I use as well.
http://americanlongrifles.org/PDF/tutorial.pdf

 Since others are blowing their horns I might mention I offer professional  one on one classes in my shop when ever you want and for as long as you like. $150 day. Drop me a PM if you're interested. Oh, I don't use black boards..... Other people have survived the experience, I'm sure you will too.

[bama]

Classes are money well spent in my opinion. I attended several of the NMLRA classes at WKU and highly recommend them. The biggest problem I had with the classes at WKU we're that you did not build a rifle. The classes are geared towards a specific part of the build like carving, wire inlay, making a patch box, engraving. A few of the classes did build rifles, Jack Brooks, Hersel House, Ron Scott classes.

There are other classes available that are geared more towards actually building a rifle. I teach a 5 day class at my shop 3 times a year. In my class the students usually start with a parts kit of their choice. The goal of the class is to get all of the major components assembled and functioning by the end of the fifth day. I have had many students have their projects ready to shoot by the end of the week. The finish and decorations can be done at home or you can bring the project back to another class to finish, carve, wire inlay, engrave or do what ever you want. I have also taught classes where you start from a blank, this class is a 9 day class. My shop is located in Warrior, AL. If you decide to go the class route I would be happy to have you in my class.

[Stickburner]

I survived Jim's nine day building from a blank class.  We were in the shop around seven a.m., had a leisurely half-hour lunch around noon, and knocked off between seven and eight p.m.

I had built a Track of the Wolf mountain rifle and a Chambers Lancaster before taking Jim's kit building class.  Jim taught us the correct order in which to assemble the parts and shared tips that helped us avoid mistakes inexperienced builders sometimes make.

I had been working on a Chambers York rifle for my wife off an on for about a year and had managed to destroy the stock before ordering a replacement and signing up for Jim's to learn how to avoid destroying another stock.  Then I went back and learned the basics of decorative carving from Jim before returning home and completing the rifle.

My wife sent photos of her rifle to Jim and he posted sme of them on his website in the students' projects section.

My only regret is not taking Jim's classes sooner.

Richard

[Mike Brooks]

I survived Jim's nine day building from a blank class.  We were in the shop around seven a.m., had a leisurely half-hour lunch around noon, and knocked off between seven and eight p.m.

Good Lord, you'd have to pay me ONE HUNDRD MILLION DOLLARS to take that class  let alone teach it. I don't have that kind of stamina anymore.  8 to 4 or 5 is plenty for me.

[rich pierce]

Dave Person gave a good class on wrist shaping at Dixon’s.  Next year we’ve got to get him to do buttstock/cheekpiece shaping.

[Stickburner]

 Good Lord, you'd have to pay me ONE HUNDRD MILLION DOLLARS to take that class  let alone teach it. I don't have that kind of stamina anymore.  8 to 4 or 5 is plenty for me.
[/quote]

I think Jim was probably a slave driver in a previous life cause he sure didn't take any pity on his students, not even us senior citizen students.  He was determined we were going to get our money's worth regardless of whether we survived to take advantage of it.  I swear kept hearing him cracking his whip for weeks after I got back home but Vicki said she was pretty sure it was only my back and joints popping and creaking.  I couldn't even git any pity at home.

I plan to spend another week with Jim as soon as I can catch up with my projects cause I feel so good after I git over a week with him.

[pjmcdonald]

Richard,

Jim's 9 day class wasn't that bad. We only had a few 14 hour days. We even knocked off at 10 hours one day!

Back to Supermarine's original questions: take classes. They are a bargain for the time you get to spend with professionals, not only in learning skills and techniques but also in handling original or first class new long rifles. As for tools, I started with a handful of chisels and rasps. Added as I learned. Your most important tool is the one between your ears - buy books, read, study this website, ask questions, read tutorials, watch videos (Bill Raby has a couple good series), then make sawdust.

You will make mistakes. Learning to correct them and avoid them in the future is part of the process. A big benefit of the classes I've been to with Jim is that he helped me prevent disasters and recover from the errors I did make. Good luck and enjoy!

Paul