Wrist grain

[Bob Gerard]

I got a partial inlet stock from Pecatonica yesterday. (I am getting more disappointed with them). I’m looking at the wrist grain on this Maple. My thought is that it will need reinforcement. I would probably have to drill from the barrel tang into the wrist so the rod or dowel doesn’t intrude into the lock mortise.
I think there are several material options to use for the rod- wood, metal and someone even mentioned nylon like on a fishing pole.
This will be my first attempt at it.
Any suggestions would be welcomed.
Thank you!

[bama]

Bob, I feel your pain. I stop buying stocks through the mail that I had not laid eyes on years ago because of bad grain or discrepancies in the description of grade of curl. I have also not bought many precarved stocks either. Jim Kible's kits are the exception to this rule. Fortunately, I have acquired a number of good blanks and barrels over the years so I have no one to complain to but me about bad grain.

[foresterdj]

I am working right now with 2 Pecatonica jaeger stocks in walnut. One was cut from a flat sawn plank just a bit away from the pith (center) of the tree and the grain flows well through the wrist. The other was cut from a quarter sawn plank with the grain similar to yours but with a bit more angle so a couple of the quite wide growth rings at least flow down through the wrist. Hoping for the best, but does seem like a potential for breaking, time will tell.

Whether a gun stock or an axe handle it is always better if you can see the grain structure before buying, this not always an option though.

[David Rase]

Is your stock slab sawn or quarter sawn?  This makes a difference.  If quarter sawn, proper grain direction through the wrist if important, if a stock is slab sawn, the grain direction is not a big factor.
David

[J.M.Browning]

I think I would not go forward , a shame looks problematic - in my Subjective opinion.

[Bob Gerard]

It appears to be slab cut and nice clean Maple with a bit of figure on the buttstock.
This will be my last long gun and my second stock for this project (a .69 rifle using TRS parts for a British Carbine).
An antique gun collector/shooter/repaired friend of mine has resurrected guns with this issue. With his guidance, I am hopeful the preemptive correction will suffice.
But interested if others have done this and how they approached it.

[Herb]

You are correct, the wrist should be reinforced.  I drill a hole from the back of the barrel inlet, back to under the comb, about seven inches long.  Then I epoxy a reinforcement in.  I used a 3/8" steel gas line here, but a steel rod is cheaper.  1/4" inch all-rod works well, too. I don't use a dowel.  You have to have the rod high enough to allow the trigger and sear to clear it- or else grind a relief into the bottom of the rod to avoid the sear.  The plug has a four-inch long tang with two screws.  I drilled the screw holes into the top of the pipe and the tang screws go into it.  This is my copy of the Jim Beckwourth rifle.  The original had a cracked wrist with a rawhide wrist repair.  There are a lot of original rifles with cracked wrists due to the wrong grain flow.

[rich pierce]

I’d definitely get somebody I trust to sight the drill angle from the side. I find it hard to do. If yiu go with all-thread you’ll also have to drill down through the rod for the tang screw - am I right? And drilling through a slanted rounded steel rod is no fun. So if you go this steel rod route I recommend drilling the tang bolt through to the trigger plate first. Another option is a 5/8” hardwood dowel, drilled before inletting the tang. Then issues with tang bolt and sear are eliminated.

[Jim Kibler]

I speak of this often, but the cathedral grain lines you are looking at are not indicative of grain direction on a slab sawn piece of wood.  These lines result from the darker growth rings emerging from the stock.  You have to visualize this in 3d to understand your grain direction.   Your stock appears to be closer to slab sawn than quarter sawn.  With this the case and the cathedral pattern, I would infer that there is more of an issue with left to right cross grain than up and down.  But, I don’t think it is all too bad.  I think this stock is perfectly fine to use as is.  Remembered,l take advice carefully as most do not read stock grain correctly.

[Bob Gerard]

Thank you, Jim.

[bluenoser]

I agree with Jim.  The telltale sign is the way the grain lines fold back on themselves and reverse direction as they approach the bottom of the butt.  I would say the grain slants  from top left to bottom right.

[Bill Raby]

This is how I did it.

https://rumble.com/v41jlvy-4-bore-rifle-build-2-part-35.html
https://rumble.com/v42w9s2-4-bore-rifle-build-2-part-36.html

[Mike Brooks]

Shouldn't have to reinforce a new stick. ID send it back. I gave up on peckertonica decades ago.

[Bob Gerard]

I thought about returning it. But I am going to use it after reading Jim Kibler’s assessment of the piece.

[Scota4570]

I agree with Jim. 

Just to provide a visual, see below.  IF the stock is slab sawed you are OK.  IF it were quarter sawn the grain run-out is a problem.  These day you don't see much quarter sawn.  It is more fickle about grain flow.  The figure is often better though.  Nice quarter sawn is rare and thus more expensive.  Check the butplate end to visualize what you have.   

[davec2]

Bob,

First, I think Jim K and Scota are right and I personally wouldn't worry about it very much.  However, the following is a repeat from an old post of mine.  (Actually, I have done this three times now on different rifles).....If you feel the need to beef up the wrist, I think this is easier and just as effective as the steel or wood rods.
..........................
Back in May (when I last had time to work on this rifle), Cailber45 mentioned the grain direction through the wrist as a potential problem.  Every time I looked at the unfinished rifle as I passed by the bench, the grain run out started to bother me.  So rather than wait until the wrist broke one day and then try to fix it, I thought I would be pro-active and fix it before it broke.

I routed out a deep groove 3/8 inch wide and 1.25 inches tall through the entire wrist area excavating the existing inletting for the trigger, trigger plate, and rear of the trigger guard.



I then cut a straight grain splint out of a scrap of the same stock blank and cut some narrow grooves in it to allow me to squeeze the epoxy out around the splint and get it fully seated in its groove.



One last full check fit before the epoxy was mixed.



Splint epoxied in place....



After a day of curing, the trigger, trigger plate and rear of the trigger guard were re-inletted back where they came from.



If the stock breaks at the wrist after this, I'll make a new stock.

[flatsguide]

I speak of this often, but the cathedral grain lines you are looking at are not indicative of grain direction on a slab sawn piece of wood.  These lines result from the darker growth rings emerging from the stock.  You have to visualize this in 3d to understand your grain direction.   Your stock appears to be closer to slab sawn than quarter sawn.  With this the case and the cathedral pattern, I would infer that there is more of an issue with left to right cross grain than up and down.  But, I don’t think it is all too bad.  I think this stock is perfectly fine to use as is.  Remembered,l take advice carefully as most do not read stock grain correctly.

Jim, you mentioned “cathedral grain lines” in a previous post, I’ve never heard that term. Can you please explain it for me? Thank you. Richard

[Pukka Bundook]

Dave c2,

That's what I was figuring to do if it needed it.

That's a Very bonny trigger-guard!!!

[Bob Gerard]

Davex2, thats a fantastic way of doing the job! Your work is exemplary and shows very nicely how it could be done.
I am learning so much here  thanks

[Jim Kibler]

I speak of this often, but the cathedral grain lines you are looking at are not indicative of grain direction on a slab sawn piece of wood.  These lines result from the darker growth rings emerging from the stock.  You have to visualize this in 3d to understand your grain direction.   Your stock appears to be closer to slab sawn than quarter sawn.  With this the case and the cathedral pattern, I would infer that there is more of an issue with left to right cross grain than up and down.  But, I don’t think it is all too bad.  I think this stock is perfectly fine to use as is.  Remembered,l take advice carefully as most do not read stock grain correctly.

Jim, you mentioned “cathedral grain lines” in a previous post, I’ve never heard that term. Can you please explain it for me? Thank you. Richard

The arched "u" shaped grain patterns.  Follow the link:
https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrNYYvterZlKa4trRxXNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3BpdnM-?p=cathedral+wood+grain&fr2=piv-web&type=E210US105G0&fr=mcafee#id=24&iurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hobbithouseinc.com%2Fpersonal%2Fwoodpics%2Fimages2%2Fcathedral.jpg&action=click

[Goo]

I would start with a phone call, keep it pleasant I have found them to be responsive and dedicated to good customer service.  They will most likely exchange that precarve for something that meets your needs.