rtaylor Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 (edited) Hopefully here are a few pictures of the stock I've had a go at making. I haven't used photo bucket before so I hope it works. I got a really nice piece of burr Elm. It's very different from the normal Walnut or laminate. I have a pretty good selection of woodworking tools, although by no means a comprehensive collection. It would be very possibly to make a stock with only a basic set of chisels, drill/bits, rasps and sandpaper. To begin with I planed the rhomboid 'square'. Then I cut the rough oversized shape out with a jigsaw (bandsaw would be better). After tracing the old stock and making a template with the thumbhole shape, I thought the best thing would be to start with the inletting and then do the stock shape. I used a drill press and forstner bits for the rough inletting and then finished with a chisel. I don't recommend this. My router is mounted in a router table I have made and to get it to fit I removed the plunge base. I couldn't be bothered to reassemble it to do the inletting but I should have done. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but a router is definitely the tool for the job. Instead of using soot to see the high spots robbed the kids lipstick, this did work pretty well but I haven't used soot so I can't compare. So inletting done I started shaping the stock. First I drilled the hole for the thumb, I put the drill press table at about 10 degrees and used a 26mm forstner bit, I could have gone bigger and ended up rasping quite a lot out but I wanted to play it safe. Then cut the stock down a bit more and then a combination of rasps, random orbital sander, belt sander and angle grinder with flap disc I got it down to more or less the right shape. MISTAKES: READ THIS IF NOTHING ELSE I cocked the bottom up and sanded too much off so I had to graft a bit more wood on to allow for the thickness of the trigger guard. I also took too much of the cut out behind the action, so the action is a couple of mm too high. I marked lines where I though I needed to sand to however these were wrong hence I sanded too much, my advice is keep checking more regularly than you think to see how close you are. I used a belt sander with 50 grit paper, this took away material very quickly, faster than I though it would. Keep checking the action fit, it's much harder to put wood back than it is to remove it! After the main shaping is done it's just a case of using the rasps and sander to take off wood until it feels right. I left the stock wide so I had enough for palm swell. I used the angle grinder to shape the cheek pad, if using one make sure you buy new flap discs for the project and get 36-60 grit, my part-used one ended up burning the wood (which does sand off) and not taking as much wood off as they could have done if new. I wasn't going to cut finger groves out as I don't really like the look of them, however they are really comfortable and well worth doing. It is pretty much finished apart from more sanding to get all the marks out and make it super smooth. I will give it an oil finish after sealing it and the burrs, so it will darken down very nicely (I've done a test). The fore end tip isn't finished as I might get a piece of ebony, or rob some exotic wood from my day to make an end cap. However I am not quite sure if it looks right. The stock is about 1" longer than the old one, which is fine as I'm tall and it fits me well. Does it look out of proportion somewhere? Or should something be changed. I don't have a thumbhole stock to compare it to so I can only use my imagination to hopefully get the lines right. I made it as a project/something to do. It was my first one and I've learnt a lot from it which in many ways is more important and the final product. I know my next one will be better and I will make another, although probably not from Elm again as it chips quite easily. Thank you for reading all of this hopefully it's not too longwinded. If anyone wants anymore detail please ask. And please leave some feedback on whether you think it looks right. A lot of info by people with more skills than me can be found online, especially the Midway USA videos. <iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://s1247.photobucket.com/user/roger_taylor/embed/slideshow/22%20Stock"></iframe> Edited May 6, 2014 by rtaylor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbo33 Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 Well done, its a pain staking process and certainly not easy!! Keep at it and post pics of progress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonwolf444 Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 I have to admit when i saw that piece of wood i thought "i hope that does not get wasted". Honestly i take my hat off to you the design is smooth and flowing and the piece of wood is certainly not wasted, the key is in the finish, you don't want ( or perhaps you do! its only my opinion ) to slather a tru oil finish on, as you say a real oil finish will work wonders in darkening where as a poly oil finish will just sit leaving the wood very light. Alkanet oil is often used for darkening wood, but also i have read of people darkening burl carvings with coffee, although i have no experience of this! I have never done a rifle stock, not having a rifle to make a stock for, but also i don't full understand where the cation of a rifle should or shouldn't touch to affect accuracy, don't know what your in letting finished out like but i know that acra glass is used a lot for accurizing when sporterising military rifle stocks. Honestly with the wood being a light shade for the contrast i don't think you have to use ebony, you could probably get away with a dark walnut, or you can always use horn, like black buffalo horn. Nice project, I'll look forward to seeing it finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwarrior Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 I agree good work a nice dark walnut or even rosewood would contrast nicely. I would suggest bedding the action and free floating the barrel (I remove the barrel fixing point) Personally I use Arcaglass gel but others like Devcon. That's a nice piece wood don't hide it behind varnish/tru oil and nice oil finish will enhance it no end and be easy to maintain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtaylor Posted May 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 Thank you for the replies and compliments they are much appreciated. Please keep them coming. Demonwolf I have followed both of your shotgun projects and you have provided a lot of inspiration and advice on how it should be done with excellent results. I have never used truoil and don't really see the need to try now. I have had excellent results with a traditional oil finish. I've made a few boxes out of offcuts of the same bit of wood and the oil really brings the character out. The inletting is a pretty hack and slash job, it's far from perfect but the small bits I cocked up I've managed to repair pretty well and as it's just a .22 with no real recoil I'm not too bothered about bedding it in. The barrel is floating and thats the main thing. I did think about bedding it but unless it needs it for accuracy I won't bother. I have to admit probably due to my impatience, I should have let it dry longer (the tree had been dead for about 20 years and the blank has dried in the house for about 6 months), the for end did start to curve down sightly, so I routed a channel out and epoxied a length of thread bar in to stabilise it. I free floated the barrel whilst I did this. I'm wondering whether the bottom of the stock is too deep, possibly a gentle curve from the back of the grip to the toe would look good? I'll do some more sanding tomorrow and rub in some white spirit to give an idea of the final colour. I have a chunk of plum which is a really nice purple/red which would be a nice contrast, only trouble is its still a bit green and I'm too impatient to not have the stock finished while it drys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malkiserow Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 Nice looking timber, have you stabilised it with a treatment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwarrior Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 Bedding the action will let it sit in the stock stress free if the forend has moved I would definitely bed it only takes 8 hours and will improve the accuracy of the rifle. I've never had much joy with plum every time I've had a play I've had shakes in it, but I'm convinced it would look excellent got some drying to make a knife with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtaylor Posted May 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 (edited) No, no treatment I wouldn't know what to use. I've bedding in my .243 I probably will end up doing this one to try and get a better fit. I made a round plate/stand for a fox bonnet ornament for a keeper friend. I told him it would probably move so I'll have to see how that piece turns out over time. You are right about the shake, even the small bit I have left has shake in it. I'll just leave it to dry properly and see if it's usable for something. Edited May 6, 2014 by rtaylor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtaylor Posted May 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 Looking at pictures of factory stocks I thinks it's missing the little cut out where the line of the stock meets the back of the grip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malkiserow Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 No, no treatment I wouldn't know what to use. I've bedding in my .243 I probably will end up doing this one to try and get a better fit. I made a round plate/stand for a fox bonnet ornament for a keeper friend. I told him it would probably move so I'll have to see how that piece turns out over time. You are right about the shake, even the small bit I have left has shake in it. I'll just leave it to dry properly and see if it's usable for something. Polyethylene Glycol or PEG wood stabiliser. Elm moves more than a herd of goats in a supermarket. I am a big Elm fan for all sorts of work, I hope yours stay stable so accuracy is maintained for the rifle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtaylor Posted May 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 Well here it is finally finished. A labor of love. <div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://pic2.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http://feed1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg631/roger_taylor/22%20Stock/feed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" /><a href="javascript:void(0);" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://s1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg631/roger_taylor/22%20Stock" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" alt="roger_taylor's22 Stock album on Photobucket" /></a></div> Is there a way of viewing the photos directly on PW via photo bucket or do you always have up click the link? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazooka Joe Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 Is there a way of viewing the photos directly on PW via photo bucket or do you always have up click the link? Copy the image url.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtaylor Posted May 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 (edited) Gotcha nice one thanks. Edited May 18, 2014 by rtaylor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtaylor Posted May 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtaylor Posted May 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonwolf444 Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 Neatly done mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtaylor Posted May 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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