Inletting a large butt plate tutorial?

[Bigmon]

Hello all,
I am about to begin what is the most difficult part of a build, the butt plate inlet.  I have done maybe a dozen  more or less of various styles and with various results.  But this one I want to be a real good job, as I do for all.  It is a tuff one for an Edward Marshall style that I just got from Jim Chambers.  It is a beautiful butt plate.
I am wondering if there are any tutorials on this web site that might give me some guidance?
I have my own methods but there has to be a better way and with better results.
Thanks in advance guys

[Mike Brooks]

Round the top of the stock and make sure the rear of the buttstock is cut with the correct angle. Inlet straight down, NEVER forward. Screw it down when it's where you want it then beat the $#*! out for it with a big mallet. It's always worked for me.

[Bigmon]

Thanks for the advice.  I need it.
I guess there are no visuals on here?  I'm scared!!

[alacran]

Never understood why people make butt plate inletting so complicated. It is not the most difficult inlet on a gun.
Mike is right about fitting the comb first. The hammer part well not so much.

Not sure if you call this a large but plate. But no hammer was used to make it fit.

[smart dog]

Hi,
Unfortunately, the EM butt plate is a bit more challenging than typical English-style fowler butt plates because you have to deal with a finial that has a narrow section and then flares out toward the point.  You cannot move it forward like most of the English plates without creating a gap.  Yours is more akin to some of the French and German guns like the example below.   





The saving grace is that your plate is essentially straight against the wood with no arc.  That allows you to cut the stock off straight and flatten it nicely.  Then you can inlet the plate straight down because you are fitting the face to a flat surface.  No need to move it forward.  The rounded shoulder may present some challenge but you should be able to fit it without too much trouble.  It is crucial that you have accurate lines drawn on the stock showing the profile of the stock.  You may be able to bend the forward part of the finial where it narrows up away from the wood allowing you to move the plate forward if you need too.  However, with wax castings that can be dangerous and you must make sure the brass is annealed.  It would be a no brainer if the casting was from soft sand cast yellow brass. The original butt plate was made from sheet brass and would have been easily bent upward for inletting. 

In a few days, I'll be inletting the exact same butt plate on the exact same rifle.  I'll post pictures.

dave

[Dave Marsh]

Thanks for the advice.  I need it.
I guess there are no visuals on here?  I'm scared!!

Here is Mike's tutorial.  https://www.americanlongrifles.org/PDF/tutorial.pdf

Good luck and don't be scared!!!! Dave

[Mike Brooks]

Never understood why people make butt plate inletting so complicated. It is not the most difficult inlet on a gun.
Mike is right about fitting the comb first. The hammer part well not so much.

Not sure if you call this a large but plate. But no hammer was used to make it fit.

No hammers needed on simple english buttplates. That is abut a 1/2 hour job.

[Bigmon]

Thanks to all.  I been looking at this thing for a couple days now.  Been doing all the other small chores on other things trying to postpone this.  But I am going to do it.
I may alter this BP somewhat first.  I really don't like the big sharp point on the finial.
Thanks again

[smart dog]

Hi,
I have the same plate.  My first job is to anneal it and remove the slight radius in the face plate.  I want the edges to go straight down the end of the stock like the original gun.  Second, the large triangular finial should have two large notches in it just up from the base of the triangle.  It is meant to simulate an acanthus leaf and it looks much better that way.  I noticed that several modern recreations failed to include that detail.  Perhaps, the makers were not aware of it.

dave 

[alacran]

I agree with both Mike and Smart Dog that English style butt plates are simple to instal. I don't time my work so I have no clue how long it took me to install the one I pictured in the previous post.
My second build from a plank I had done about 20 years ago. It is a Fusil Fin. That butt plate has the same situation that if you inlet the comb straight down and then go forward to fit the rest of the plate you will end up with significant gaps. I did a German butt plate about 2 years ago and had to revisit the fusil's BP to try and remember how I did it.
I did remember that I had made a good pattern of the inside of the plate before I cut it on my bandsaw.
I used Tracks catalog as a start for my pattern. Then I spent a lot of time figuring where the forward end of the comb would end at. I left the vertical part of the plate pattern on the wood fat. I figured I had to inlet the comb and the vertical part of the plate somewhat simultaneously. After I cut the plank I checked it to see how close everything would line up. By the way what I'm relating here pertains mostly of what I remember of the German BP I inlet a couple of years ago.
About the only thing that I remember of the fusil's inlet is that I made a pattern. Also that it took me about two profanity laced days to inlet and didn't hammer it in.
I don't have photos of the German BP because it is in the process of being engraved by an engraver friend in New Mexico. But this is the one I did 20 years ago. The bp is held by the pin on the comb and one screw in the lower third of the bp.