Do it yourself Stock making thread

[joshb]

Up front for a kid I met.

 

[Bully]

I just re-read the full 70 pages.

An amazing amount of information. Simply amazing.

 

[Bully]

For anyone that uses epoxy to glue their stock laminates together:

I am thinking to put some fabric between the laminates of the stock I'm putting together for some additional strength. burlap/denim/something. Kind of a fabric G10 kinda thing. I'm thinking to use the West System epoxy.
How would you go about clamping/weighting the laminates for good adhesion? From the little I know, too tight will starve the joint of glue making it weak. Vacuum bagging is not an option. I'm a newb at this and am looking for solid advice on how to proceed.

Thanks for any advice anyone can give.

 

[Southwest Action Works]

Couple I made yesterday

 

[LVLAaron]

Wow, a little more detail on your process?? Those are awesome.

 

[Seagull]

I use West systems all I do is saturate the timber with epoxy wait till tacky then lay on carbon fibre saturate carbon fibre with epoxy use a small roller and roll epoxy all over it. Then do the same to next piece of timber clamp up and wait till the next day to add another piece of carbon fibre matting and other piece of timber. Clamp up and wait for atleast 2 days before triming off the excess carbon fibre mating and start shaping. Just remember carbon fibre will eat tooling trust me.

 

[Bully]

I use West systems all I do is saturate the timber with epoxy wait till tacky then lay on carbon fibre saturate carbon fibre with epoxy use a small roller and roll epoxy all over it. Then do the same to next piece of timber clamp up and wait till the next day to add another piece of carbon fibre matting and other piece of timber. Clamp up and wait for atleast 2 days before triming off the excess carbon fibre mating and start shaping. Just remember carbon fibre will eat tooling trust me.

Thank you Sir!!!
I'm glad to hear that there are no really special tools involved.

 

[Seagull]

No specially tool in my workshop . Here's a picture of another stock that has a few layers of carbon fibre in it . 1 in the machine getting shaped and the other ready for some filling then hand shaping to finish off. I also apply west systems thinned 10% with acetone to my stocks after sanding to seal the timber the first time sanding.

 

[Southwest Action Works]

For anyone that uses epoxy to glue their stock laminates together:

I am thinking to put some fabric between the laminates of the stock I'm putting together for some additional strength. burlap/denim/something. Kind of a fabric G10 kinda thing. I'm thinking to use the West System epoxy.
How would you go about clamping/weighting the laminates for good adhesion? From the little I know, too tight will starve the joint of glue making it weak. Vacuum bagging is not an option. I'm a newb at this and am looking for solid advice on how to proceed.

Thanks for any advice anyone can give.

I use 30k carbon fiber between my laminates. Clamping works well. Keep in mind clams make tight spots where the head of the clamp sits. I use a combination of clamping and vacuum on mine. You control the glue joint with the finish on your mating surfaces. Once you figure out your layup sand the glue joints opposing each other. That will keep all the glue from squeezing out of the joint. Don’t be afraid to use tight bond I have stocks that are older than me that were glued up just using Elmer’s. If you use glue It’s more about finish you want to keep moisture out.

 

[Skedaddle Shooter]

I use West systems all I do is saturate the timber with epoxy wait till tacky then lay on carbon fibre saturate carbon fibre with epoxy use a small roller and roll epoxy all over it. Then do the same to next piece of timber clamp up and wait till the next day to add another piece of carbon fibre matting and other piece of timber. Clamp up and wait for atleast 2 days before triming off the excess carbon fibre mating and start shaping. Just remember carbon fibre will eat tooling trust

This thread has inspired me to try my hand at making a stock as well. Joshb and others have been very helpful and encouraging so I figured what the heck. So far I have used the same philosophy as Seagull. I found some 6” carbon fiber tape on Amazon and have some West systems in the shop. I laid the blank up all at once and let it set a couple days before trimming it up. I’m working on my inletting skills on some mock-up blanks I glued up from the wood pile. Once I get a little more confidence I’ll dive into this blank. Good work fellas, and thanks for your help to us who would like to make our own stock one day. Joe

 

[Seagull]

Nice work keep us up dated as you go . Due to the timber I use I also wrap my stocks in 4oz glass matting that they use for building surf boards.

 

[Bully]

I use 30k carbon fiber between my laminates. Clamping works well. Keep in mind clams make tight spots where the head of the clamp sits. I use a combination of clamping and vacuum on mine. You control the glue joint with the finish on your mating surfaces. Once you figure out your layup sand the glue joints opposing each other. That will keep all the glue from squeezing out of the joint. Don’t be afraid to use tight bond I have stocks that are older than me that were glued up just using Elmer’s. If you use glue It’s more about finish you want to keep moisture out.

Thanks.
I was wondering about TiteBond.

I want to put a fabric in between the wood. Not necessarily carbon fibre. Just something for a little bit of torsional strength and to help reinforce the wrist a bit. I was wondering if TB would soak in to the fabric well enough that it would work. If anyone has any insight, I would love to hear it.

My guess is that it's not a great plan but in the spirit of learning I'd like to understand why it may or may not work.

 

[LVLAaron]

TB would probably soak into fabric enough... I doubt you add any more rigidity to the stock doing that.

 

[joshb]

Thanks.
I was wondering about TiteBond.

I want to put a fabric in between the wood. Not necessarily carbon fibre. Just something for a little bit of torsional strength and to help reinforce the wrist a bit. I was wondering if TB would soak in to the fabric well enough that it would work. If anyone has any insight, I would love to hear it.

My guess is that it's not a great plan but in the spirit of learning I'd like to understand why it may or may not work.

I wouldn’t. Wood glues need a tight joint and lots of clamping pressure. Putting a fabric in between could weaken the joint. Use an epoxy with fabric.
For wrist reinforcement, I drill a hole and epoxy a threaded rod in it.

 

[Twdmar]

Thanks.
I was wondering about TiteBond.

I want to put a fabric in between the wood. Not necessarily carbon fibre. Just something for a little bit of torsional strength and to help reinforce the wrist a bit. I was wondering if TB would soak in to the fabric well enough that it would work. If anyone has any insight, I would love to hear it.

My guess is that it's not a great plan but in the spirit of learning I'd like to understand why it may or may not work.

Carbon fiber is relatively cheap on ebay. Fiberglass works well but both are a bit a little more work compared to some fabrics.
Linen is sometimes used by bow makers. Research if they use any others(I've seen them use drywall tape even) Tightbond will work with fabrics and if the joints are properly prepped, may be as strong or possibly stronger than the wood. Normal wood/wood joints with titebond are very strong.
For clamping, take 1x4s and drill holes on the ends to put long bolts through. I posted a picture several pages back in this thread. If you want, pm me and I can go take some pics.
It is much harder to starve a glue joint with titebond in wood to wood joints compared to epoxy. With fabric, I am not so sure. People do mold carbon with titebond as well.
If you use epoxy, take care not to squeeze too hard. A large c clamp can exert some crazy amount of force, like 30k psi or something like that.

 

[Southwest Action Works]

I want to put a fabric in between the wood. Not necessarily carbon fibre. Just something for a little bit of torsional strength and to help reinforce the wrist a bit. I was wondering if TB would soak in to the fabric well enough that it would work. If anyone has any insight, I would love to hear it.

I’m sure you could use a cotton based fabric. You’ll only get your strength from the hardness of the epoxy/glue being used. If I were to use something like that I would use some kind of penetrating epoxy to completely seal it off if not it might want to wick moisture faster than the wood. I pretty much only use carbon fiber for the “cool” factor sure it will add some strength and rigidity and maybe a bit better glue joint. Walnut/maple have a hardness of around 900-1200 lbs. if you want strength make your stingers out of bubinga, Padauk or Wenge any of those 3 have a hardness of around 2000 lbs.

 

[Twdmar]

Wow, a little more detail on your process?? Those are awesome.

I'd guess it's a crack or something found naturally in the wood with epoxy tinted and maybe some kind of prismatic added. It looks cool in the pic, probably better in sunlight in person.
Look in to what people are doing for epoxy river tables and you'll get lots of ideas.

 

[Twdmar]

I’m sure you could use a cotton based fabric. You’ll only get your strength from the hardness of the epoxy/glue being used. If I were to use something like that I would use some kind of penetrating epoxy to completely seal it off if not it might want to wick moisture faster than the wood. I pretty much only use carbon fiber for the “cool” factor sure it will add some strength and rigidity and maybe a bit better glue joint. Walnut/maple have a hardness of around 900-1200 lbs. if you want strength make your stingers out of bubinga, Padauk or Wenge any of those 3 have a hardness of around 2000 lbs.

The fabric will give it some additional strength if it's done correctly. Putting a dowel through the grip may or may not still be a good idea depending on how the fabric is done.

 

[Southwest Action Works]

I'd guess it's a crack or something found naturally in the wood with epoxy tinted and maybe some kind of prismatic added. It looks cool in the pic, probably better in sunlight in person.
Look in to what people are doing for epoxy river tables and you'll get lots of ideas.

Exactly it’s some punky walnut drop that I had on hand. It’s actually the drop from this stock

 

[Skedaddle Shooter]

Exactly it’s some punky walnut drop that I had on hand. It’s actually the drop from this stock View attachment 1396851

That’s stunning