Gunbuilding

[hawkeye]

A question from a novice builder, is it a good idea to use a hand router to inlay lock mortise and barrel channel.
Or better by hand with chisels
Thanks ahead

[P.Bigham]

 I use both.  But a router can get get out of control quickly.

[sdilts]

I use a router for the barrel channel. Never used one for the lock mortise.

[Eric Kettenburg]

I did a few entirely with chisels early on before I figured out just how incredibly inefficient it is.  So I went to a combo of chisels and planes (had to find antiques to use or modify) and did that for a number of years before I realized it was STILL taking far too much time.  So I bought this little gizmo I saw advertised for a handheld router called a 'micro fence' which is basically a router fence that allows you to make extremely fine adjustments.  This worked well and as long as the blank was cut down along the top and sides accurately to the barrel profile (needs to be oversized, obviously) it did speed things up quite a bit.  then I just went over to paying the barrel channel/rammer groove guys like Fred Miller to do it for me because for what he charged - and what most of them still charge - it's just crazy to do it yourself.  Caveat there, though, I am close enough to a couple to drive and take a bunch at once.  Shipping is crazy now so that may affect perceived value vs doing it yourself.

Even if you don't have a router with a micro-adjustable fence, you can still use it to at least rough a lot of the barrel wood out of the way thus saving an awful lot of time.  Or you can use dado blades on a table saw, or like Herschel's old videos, a spindle shaper w/ modified bits.  Anything to just hog out the majority of the wood, then you can finish up with hand tools.
 
I've never inlet a lock with a machine tool and don't plan to ever start - too much 'oops' factor for such a small inlet.

[satwel]

I've always inlet my locks with hand tools -- chisels, scrapers and xacto knives. I'm afraid of using power tools for precise inletting. Things can go very bad very quickly with a router. The few barrel channels I've inlet were done with chisels, gouges and scrapers. I'm not a professional longrifle builder so saving time is not my top priority. Precision is.

[Bill Raby]

Router would work great if you have a lot of experience using them. They make everything go a lot faster. That means that your gun gets destroyed in an instant if you make a mistake.

[CooleyS]

I will use a dremel router with a base for removing material in both the lock mortise and barrel channel. However, I will cut my outline with a very sharp chisel and remove the wood along this line to minimize the chance of a splinter coming loose or going over a hard line. I’m sure there are a hundred more ways to do it
-Steve

[Scota4570]

Short answer, bad idea.

The chances of ruining you stock are excellent.  It seems like a regular router would be great.  IT is not the right tool for the job.  I have seen references to making fences and using a collar on barrel inlets.  I never tried it.  I suspect the time spent making the guides and setting it up right would be considerable.   

I did some nice work with a Dremil and  router guide.  I found that the router bits were to aggressive and used other file type bits.  The actual router bits were a disaster waiting to happen. 

Today I use a milling machine.  It is much more precise and controllable.  The mill is great for roughing and getting the depth of various parts.  For barrels it work well if you constantly monitor the dimensions of the inlet. 

To get to the final dimensions on lock inlets I do by hand.  Or, with less aggressive rotary tools run slow.  For barrels I make small hook scrapers.  I also use half octagon scrapers.   

[stubshaft]

I'm "old school" and use nothing but chisels and scrapers.  I'm in no great rush to finish a project quickly since, I'll probably have to find another one to take its place.

[Clowdis]

I also use the Dremel router attachment for doing the inletting of internal lock parts such as the tumbler, sear, sear spring, and bridle. You have to be careful and take your time and this shouldn't be your first job with the router.

[Steeltrap]

A slip of a chisel can usually be fixed and be unnoticeable by most. A slip of a Dremel...?

I feel I have to much time invested at the point where I'm starting to inlet to risk that on a machine making a hard left.

[Hungry Horse]

 I’ve used both hand tools and routers for inletting barrels. Engineering some sort of track to keep your router running straight is imperative. Mine is a Work-mate bench with a set of tracks the router can ride in made from angle iron clamped to the Work-mate with C-clamps. This works fine for a straight barrel, but gets crazy pretty quick doing a swamped barrel. A set of good grade router bits designed to cut barrel channels, that have carbide cutters are the bast. But that being said I have to admit I inletted an antique barrel of odd dimensions by using the round bottomed router bit to hog out most of the wood and the grinding a cheap spade bit to add the octagon flats. I would highly recommend not trying to cut the barrel channel in one pass of the router. Type of wood make a big difference in how aggressive a cut you can make, as well as how many horsepower your router is. All lock inletting is done with chisel and scrapers. Good luck

Hungry Horse

[Sudsy]

A slip with a hand tool is usually survivable. A slip with a power tool can be epic.
Not saying don't use the router, but set it up with some sort of guide system that lessens the chance of making that "now I need a new stock blank" blunder

[Craig Wilcox]

I work with wood for the fun and joy of working with wood, so I do all the inletting with chisels. I do use round and/or octagonal scrapers for the barrel channel, but am never going to do a swamped barrel again.  What a PITA!

It is kind of fun to remove inletting black or Prussia Blue just so neatly, then do it again. And again.

For me, the journey is the fun part of the voyage.

[mikeyfirelock]

I also work with chisels and scrapers, but will sometimes use a drill to remove wood in certain instances.  A series of holes followed by cleanup with chisels can be a time saver in some instances ( disclaimer……BE CAREFUL!     WORK SLOWLY …PLAN WELL)
Other than that, it’s all hand tools.  I find no satisfaction in power tools.   ( but I sure think about a band saw while I’m working that frame saw cutting a stock out of
Plank!

Addendum………some of my friends ( the less discerning ones ….think I have Luddite tendencies.    Hah!   I bin to  cowlidge !)

[Daryl]

A question from a novice builder, is it a good idea to use a hand router to inlay lock mortise and barrel channel.
Or better by hand with chisels
Thanks ahead

When set up with guides, a router with appropriate bit can be used quite nicely, for inletting barrels. For swamped barrels, MUCH more care and setup is needed.
As for locks, back in the 70's, I used a dremel took to help in lock inletting. No mistakes that I can remember, but then that was 50years ago. LOL
I built no more rifles as well, just saying.

[hawkeye]

Thanks for all the advice, dose scrapers do you make them yourself or are there somewhere for sale?

[P.Bigham]

These work well from brownells.  Bottom handmade.

[A.Merrill]

 When I'm inletting a lock, I first put some C clamps on to help keep the wood from splitting out as I chisel around the outline of the lock. Then I will bevel down to the outline I cut first. Then I use a router to hog out the center. Never use a router bit near the lock mortis. I have used dramel stone bits to smooth the inside of the lock mortis.

[hawkeye]

Dear mister bigham, can you show some detailed pics of the selfmade scraper.mister merril ,what kind of bits you use in your dremel tool,where to find good one.

[P.W.Berkuta]

For inletting locks, I have used a Dremel as others have shown here but it is far too easy to have it get away from you. Chisels and scrapers in my opinion are far safer and work the best. I also have used the Veritas Small Router Plane to good effect.

[TommyG]

I have used this little rig on my last 10 builds.  I'll use it on lock, sideplate, and even wood patchbox initial inlets, I've even used it on toe plates if I have a flat toe line.  Very tame, very predictable and very accurate.  I have a lot of experience with hand held routers over the years, so am very aware of what can happen.  The key here is to use the correct bit, right speed and shallow(no more than 1/16") cuts.  Also be sure your bit is completely stopped before removing from your work.  The base is from Stewart-McDonald, the bit is a 1/8" solid carbide "spiral downcut" bit, also available from StewMac.  I use it on a variable speed Dremel and take advantage of the air port on the base to blow compressed air so you can see what you are doing.  I usually stab in my outlines, then remove material to within 1/8" of the outline, take the rest out with chisels.  I'll take my depths to about .015" from final depth, then scrape the rest.

[Stoner creek]

Way to go Tommy G! I was beginning to think that I was the only poor soul out there using the router for inlet work.
 Routers can get you in trouble until you start getting some confidence in your own ability to use and control the router.
W

[TommyG]

Thanks Wayne.  One of the things I really like about this approach is when I am following the swamp on inletting a lock plate, I can make small adjustments to the surface the base rides on to assure that my lock plate is being inlet parallel and square to the barrel as I go.  I'll will check this after the first pass, then adjust with files/scrapers as needed.

[Bill in Md]

When recreating 18th and 19th century long rifles, a good rule of thumb is to use the tools that gunmakers back in 18th and 19th century used to create the originals. Never allow the destination to rob you of experiencing the journey.