Cheek side shaping

[ptk1126]

On my current project I am a little uncertain how to shape the cheek side of the stock as it relates to the
line coming off the front of the cheek piece toward the tail of the side panel and the line from the rear of
the cheek piece toward the butt plate. The rifles I have built so far did not have really such a distinct change
of level as this one.

Here is an example of a rifle with similar lines


What is the treatment of the stock below the rear line ?  It seems to me that the wood must angle inwards
to have the surface above the line higher than below the line, since both start at the butt plate.

This is probably not a clear explanation of what I want to say. Perhaps some of the gentlemen who
have been married for a long time (47 years for me) are used to figuring out what someone is trying
to say.

All the best
Paul

[George F.]

I'll do my best as it relates to what I do.  I guess the best assumption is that it greatly depends on the school, style, and smith.  Some guns have butt mouldings, some do not. This feature will generally raise the cheek piece, and the cheek moulding.  The amount that the cheek piece projects off the stock, depends on a few things. The width of the butt plate, how thick your stock blank is,  cast off also is a factor.  The taper of the cheek piece towards the front  is generally to the width dimension of the wrist and points to the center line through the wrist. There's more but it gets very complicated to explain it in words. I feel Bill Buchele's Book "Recreating the American Longrifle" really does an excellent job of explaining it in words and drawings. Check it out, you won't be sorry.  ...Geo.

[B Shipman]

Yes, the sweeping lines at either end of the cheekpiece depend on the maker. Sooo, if you're making a J.P. Beck look at pictures of a Beck. The area above the cheekpiece is concave. The greater the concavity the less distict the sweep. The greater the height of the cheekpice, the more distinct the sweep.

[Lucky R A]

    Another thing to consider is the height of the cheekpiece itself.   Most contemporary guns have a cheekpiece height greater than commonly found on originals.   If you measure the height of the cheekpiece on originals in the "Golden age" few exceed 3/8" in height.  This factor alone can influence how distinct the "sweep" is.   The front of the cheekpiece must be approached with caution to maintain a nice flow into the wrist.  This is an area that even  some of the old timers had a problem with.

[Ben I. Voss]

Paul, try to find photos of originals in the style your interested in - that should answer your questions best. Good luck!