Do it yourself Stock making thread

[butchlambert]

This is the beginning of my Redwood carbon fiber laminate LV stock. The laminates go both horizontally and vertical.



Bare stock weighs 24oz. Al Flores went to the Redwood place and hand picked the lightest boards.

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

This is the beginning of my Redwood carbon fiber laminate LV stock. The laminates go both horizontally and vertical.
View attachment 1349628
View attachment 1349629
View attachment 1349630
Bare stock weighs 24oz. Al Flores went to the Redwood place and hand picked the lightest boards.

Butch,

Thanks so much for posting this. I want to build a stock and have never done it before. I wasn't sure yet how I would cut the forearm to accommodate the barrel, but I see you have a section of barrel in the front to check fit. How did you route/cut/sand the section? Also, will the barrel be floating when it's complete? I wasn't sure if this requires bedding the entire action and barrel or not, but it seems some of the older hunting rifles may require that...as you know very well, I'm no gunsmith, I only play one on the Internet, so please excuse any dumb Qs I may ask.

I do have a piece of redwood I am planning to use which is shown somewhere above I believe. It's not to awfully light, but this is a piece my son used in an art piece, and I'm going to reuse it. A friend cut it from a tree he harvested, so the wood is special to me.

 

[butchlambert]

I used a carbide router bit.

This photo allows you to see the laminations. It was vacuum bagged.

It was bedded and glued in.

 

[butchlambert]

I did my heavy the same way with walnut. Finish is not on it yet for the photo. Al Flores work and technical advice was priceless.



I sure wish I hadn't sold the heavy.
I will not do another for myself or anybody. I just love wood, but leave it to the professionals. joshb would be on top of the list. cigarcop for inletting and bedding, and Kenny Youngblood for painting. I haven't had the opportunity to have Bc'z do anything for me but I like his work.

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

I was thinking I might be able to use a router bit, but my Deckel only does 2000 rpm, my handheld router is 10,000 rpms. However, you get a nice clean cut...the other problem I have is I think I'm limited to about 12" on the X, and not entirely sure yet if that will be enough...seems when I extend my arm out how I would shoot, I would need more like 18" to have enough to reach/grab.

You had better not show that pic of your Bridgey on PM with that sawdust on it...you might get told to throw your machine away, as you have just destroyed it.

 

[butchlambert]

I was thinking I might be able to use a router bit, but my Deckel only does 2000 rpm, my handheld router is 10,000 rpms. However, you get a nice clean cut...the other problem I have is I think I'm limited to about 12" on the X, and not entirely sure yet if that will be enough...seems when I extend my arm out how I would shoot, I would need more like 18" to have enough to reach/grab.

You had better not show that pic of your Bridgey on PM with that sawdust on it...you might get told to throw your machine away, as you have just destroyed it.

My Bridgeport turned it fast enough to get a good cut. You may see the vacuum hose. Folks on PM are not my instructors.

 

[joshb]

I was thinking I might be able to use a router bit, but my Deckel only does 2000 rpm, my handheld router is 10,000 rpms. However, you get a nice clean cut...the other problem I have is I think I'm limited to about 12" on the X, and not entirely sure yet if that will be enough...seems when I extend my arm out how I would shoot, I would need more like 18" to have enough to reach/grab.

You had better not show that pic of your Bridgey on PM with that sawdust on it...you might get told to throw your machine away, as you have just destroyed it.

If you start at the beginning of this thread, you’ll see a set of jigs you can use with your router and not gunk up your Bridgeport. I get chatter free cuts. Just watch your “feed rate”. Nibble, don’t plow.

 

[hoz53]

This is the beginning of my Redwood carbon fiber laminate LV stock. The laminates go both horizontally and vertical.
View attachment 1349628
View attachment 1349629
View attachment 1349630
Bare stock weighs 24oz. Al Flores went to the Redwood place and hand picked the lightest boards.

wow before i glanced over at the screen name butch I thought JoshB bought a bridgeport!!!!

 

[joshb]

wow before i glanced over at the screen name butch I thought JoshB bought a bridgeport!!!!

Nah....I almost bought a small Mathews but dithered too long into the Apocalypse. Maybe I’m too old to learn how to use one? I do OK with my jigs and guides. Call me a minimalist? Redneck engineer? Cheap?

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

If you start at the beginning of this thread, you’ll see a set of jigs you can use with your router and not gunk up your Bridgeport. I get chatter free cuts. Just watch your “feed rate”. Nibble, don’t plow.

Thanks Josh, I will go back and read through again. I had done that previously but we're on page 58!

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

My Bridgeport turned it fast enough to get a good cut. You may see the vacuum hose. Folks on PM are not my instructors.

Yes, funny enough I do use a vacuum hose on my Deckel and Nichols when needed. I don't have coolant and use misting only, but certainly wouldn't do that with wood! I am not a total dummy!

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

I did my heavy the same way with walnut. Finish is not on it yet for the photo. Al Flores work and technical advice was priceless.
View attachment 1349658
View attachment 1349659

I sure wish I hadn't sold the heavy.
I will not do another for myself or anybody. I just love wood, but leave it to the professionals. joshb would be on top of the list. cigarcop for inletting and bedding, and Kenny Youngblood for painting. I haven't had the opportunity to have Bc'z do anything for me but I like his work.

Butch,

One other thing I was curious of is how did you get the profile for the butt? Did you take similar dimensions for the V from another rifle?

I have one of those cheap plastic Remington 700 stocks, and was planning to reference it when I do this stock. My first bolt action is using an ACIS 1.5 non-folding chassis, and the next build will be a tactical, so it will have a flat base. That seems to be a huge advantage on doing the inlet...just route it flush and mount. IMO, that seems better than all the tube mount hardware needed in the stock, and all the bedding this is done...tactical seems easier.

Gonna toss one more Q for you here. I noticed in a video that F-Class John did, the ejection port was on the opposite side of his bolt and that looks easier to feed as you can operate the bolt with one hand and be putting the next round in with the other hand. Otherwise, it seems a bit obfuscated to have it on the same side as most are done. Why don't more vendors put the bolt and ejection port on opposite sides? John told me you can order most any action and the vendor will put it on the opposite side, I just have never noticed one at the range or with friend's bolts that was like that, all of them are bolt/port on the same side. I'm leaning to putting the port on the opposite side. Any comment on that?

 

[joshb]

Thanks Josh, I will go back and read through again. I had done that previously but we're on page 58!

Yup. It’s early in the thread. It got a little cluttered with the comments and question but it’s there. 2 6x6 “boxes” and a couple straight edges. The trick is to figure out how “out” your router base is and compensate for it. With careful measuring, I can keep cut’s accurate to 1/32. Less with patience.
On the left port, right bolt? Early on, I bought a few customs with right right. Then I bought my first left right. I love them for bench shooting, for the exact reason you thought. On a hunter? No.

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

Josh,

I agree, not on a hunter, but a hunting rifle will be using a mag unless I would take a bolt with me. I currently have an LR-308, it is my hunting and defense rifle. I'm kinda looking forward to seeing if we will be able to use suppressors in California now...this is exciting times...with a suppressor I think I could slam up to 10 on most any animal I would take. I wouldn't want to put 10 rounds in an animal, I would destroy much of the meat. I am not planning on a lot of hunting. However, I found out just recently that on private land out of the city you don't even need a hunting license, and there's a place near SLO that even has American Bison/Buffalo as well as Water Bison, Aoudad, plus a lot of other exotics. Those bigger exotics are not cheap, but not entirely outrageous and even for a wild pig, at least you know you're gonna get good clean meat...that said, I will probably buy most of my meat, but feel everyone should be able to take an animal if they eat them, and I have...just that I think it would be good to get my son to do it. He loves meat but hates firearms, so considering it.

Central Coast of California Wild Pig Hunts, Buffalo Hunts | Paso Robles, California Pig Hunts

Hunt California Wild Pigs, Buffalo, Deer and more.

www.bitterwateroutfitters.com

Anyway, not really worried about hunting for the bolt the stock will be for. It will be strictly for ELR. I will go back and look at your jig, I haven't done that yet...busy week with all the disruption from the SCOTUS...

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

I offered to show another forum member how to make one of my stocks. Although he's hesitant, some other guys have asked if I would show them. I'm going to make copies of the patterns I use, send them out and then lead them thru the process. I'll start a couple stocks, describe how and what I'm doing and post lots of pictures. I'll do stocks for a Rem 700 and a Tikka. If any one else wants to do one, PM me your address and I'll put you on the mailing list. I figure that if I'm going to type it out , there may be some other guys that might want to do one. Let me know, Josh
View attachment 1005765
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I should add something. These stocks can be "tweaked" to your favorite style of shooting, during the build. They can be made longer, wider, have a flat bottom butt, etc. I usually make them with a 4-5" long flat spot on the forend for shooting off a rest. That area can be 2-4" wide or the entire forend can be wider. They can also be cut short and made thinner for a lighter hunting rifle. I'll be making mine repeaters with bottom metal but they can be made as single shot . The forend can be cut to expose the magazine or be cut flat from the mag well to the tip of the forend, like a prone Anschutz.

I know this is not the jig Josh, but I like how you concealed the mag in your design. Although I like the lower grip with the carved grip slots.

FWIW, I think I could build one with a gouge and a mallet! Seriously I don't think you even need a power router.

Curious, do you use a bit the same size as the stock or do you use a slightly larger bit? I have a 1.25" straight barrel blank is why I ask. What size router bit do you use for a given barrel size?

RE: Glue

Butch mentioned he bagged the one he showed, and I know someone that is building a CNC router to do stocks, and he also mentioned bagging the ones he's going to do. However, I have built a lot of stuff using Titebond and have never had a problem with delam on anything I have built. Plus the redwood piece I have is solid. I am not entirely sure but think it is plenty wide, I still need to flatten the sides and/or evaluate to see how it will contour into a stock...I think I mentioned to you, if I had a stock like that walnut stock on the bottom, I would be entirely happy!

 

[joshb]

I use Titebond 2, almost exclusively and never had a problem. I use lots of clamps with it. I think Butch was using epoxy with that carbon material. You have to be careful with epoxy. Too much clamping pressure will starve the joint.

 

[joshb]

Bully,

I can remove my posts here if they bother you, I don't see who Shortgrass is, but if my posts bother you I can remove them???? Not looking to be bullied.

Look at the date on that post.

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

Yeah, I removed that post and added a similar comment that I f#@$'d up seeing it at the bottom of the 1st page, it was really an old post...I did remove it.

I think I use Titebond II also, isn't that the green one? I have about a gallon of the green one and a small of the red. The reason I use the green one is that it's supposed to be water resistant to some extent. It just seems better but I have learned...clean as much as you can when clamping cause that green stuff is pretty tough to sand, and it can be tough to knock off with a chisel. That stuff is tough on edge tools.

I notice a lot of folks bagging though, and I have a vacuum a friend left me when he moved out of State, so I could use it...but I don't see why? I do like hide glue, but I don't ever want to take the laminate apart on a stock... In that regard, Titebond is my goto for this type of lamination.

EDIT: Looking at Butch's stock, it looks like he may have used the green bottle Titebond, it has the darkish brown color to it. That reminds me, it can tend to leave a lam line where the Titebond resides between the wood. That wouldn't matter for clamps or vacuum, it is species agnostic. (ain't I smart? ) Mainly if someone reads this, don't be afraid to laminate a stock using clamps and glue, it's been done for years...the only thing I used for years since high school was Elmer's white glue. Even that is stronger than wood grain!

 

[Wellington]

58 pages is to much to look through, so I will just ask. What tools would you guys recommend for rough shaping the stock after all the machine work has been done.

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

58 pages is to much to look through, so I will just ask. What tools would you guys recommend for rough shaping the stock after all the machine work has been done.

Well, I'm probably the least qualified to answer, but that has never stopped me in the past.

If I understand you correctly you're asking how to make the sides symmetrical??? IOW, how the butt of the stock narrows and/or tapers to the bottom if you look at it from the rear of the stock, is that correct? There are so many ways that can be done. You could use flap discs on an angle grinder, or several other style discs for die/angle grinders on wood. What do you mean by " machine work", are you talking about the action/receiver? Or maybe you could explain.

You could also use a technique Sam Maloof used which is opening the guard on a vertical bandsaw and using the blade to cut the side contours and cut away the taper in multiple passes. Several people use this to make chairs like Sam did, but I personally don't think it's smart as it's dangerous to use a vertical band saw like that. There are a lot of factors, and even Sam cut one or two fingers off in his lifetime. A great craftsman however.

You could use a spokeshave, a drawknife, or even a combination of 2 or 3 ways. There are so many ways to skin this cat, and while I haven't done a stock myself, I have done a lot of handsaw handles which have some similarities. It's possible that each person on this forum that has made a stock has used different methods, or some use ones they saw, etc...there are also some very clever craftsmen in the world, so some clever solutions.