Checkering Refinishing Question(s)

[therifler]

makes a beautiful piece of wood even better . nice examples .

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

Thanks

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

Why would I check on a forum, Butch? FYI, my checking instructor was Joe Balickie! I have the diploma to prove it! Maybe you should switch to de-caf.......

I met Joe Balickie at one of the "American Custom Gunmakers Guild" shows in Reno. Helluva nice guy and very free with answering any of the questions that I asked as a 'fledgeling' stock scratcher. He's the one who turned me onto the W.E. Brownell tools, and if my memory doesn't fail me, I believe he did a video 20 some years ago involving the methods he used to do the excellent work he accomplished.

 

[hoz53]

Hoz53 said he would post a photo of 2 of mine, 1 a point pattern and 1 a flat top checkering.

Hi Butch-- Sorry I forgot to post those pictures you emailed me. I will do that with some of them in a few minutes. If you send me a picture by email its easy to get in my photo library, then easy to post here. If you send me a link to some photo sharing site though that is a whole different animal for me. I do have 20 + pics of your Mauser downloaded on my phone and unzipped, but getting them to my photo library is another story. I managed it with a couple but it was going around the barn for sure. At least for now. Ill be glad to post pics for you just send me the actual picture in an email. Thanks for all your help with this checkering. I have got the finish removed and would like to run a tool over it to just clean the grooves but don't know if I will yet.

Pictures of a couple of Butchs Fabulous Mausers, to give an example of the different types of checkering

 

[Intheshop]

Dang,Butch is doing some clean checkering. That's impressive.

 

[hoz53]

Monte Kennedy's book, "Checkering & Carving of Gunstocks" has flat top checkering throughout. A very good example of 'flat-top' style checkering that's been used on Weatherby Rifles is what's called skip-line or French checkering. Sorta looks like this:

Thats some fabulous checkering you do. I don't know how anyone has the patience to do it. I wish I had the skilll to do t. Thanks

 

[hoz53]

Dang,Butch is doing some clean checkering. That's impressive.

Well--Not to take anything from Butch but I believe he farmed that out.

 

[butchlambert]

Well--Not to take anything from Butch but I believe he farmed that out.

No I didn't do the checkering, but I do use the good guys.

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

That is an awesome lookin' stock. The LPI must be what, 26 or 28? Still shows the grain figure very well.

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

Thats some fabulous checkering you do. I don't know how anyone has the patience to do it. I wish I had the skilll to do t. Thanks

Patience? For sure. I had to teach myself to put down the "tools" and walk away at times. I do most of the checkering I do during the winter months up here. Put some soft music on and scratch away.

 

[butchlambert]

That is an awesome lookin' stock. The LPI must be what, 26 or 28? Still shows the grain figure very well.

The fluer de lis checkering on my Mexican mauser was done by David Christman "ACGG" in Delhi, Louisiana and the flat top checkering is on a 1917 Enfield in 416 Rigby and was by Duane Wiebe in Spanaway, Washington

 

[riverside jeep]

I spent 4 years of getting chewed on by my gunsmithing class teacher in high school. It seems that when your thinking about your date for the night ones mind may not be focused on checkering.

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

It does require a bit of attention, along with abstinence from caffeine:

 

[Stephen Frith]

Monte Kennedy's book, "Checkering & Carving of Gunstocks" has flat top checkering throughout. A very good example of 'flat-top' style checkering that's been used on Weatherby Rifles is what's called skip-line or French checkering. Sorta looks like this:

I do believe there is a huge difference between fat-top checkering and skip-line or French checkering. One style leaves no room for error repair, the other does.
Guess which one leaves no room. Guess which is seldom seen, then ask yourself why.
Stephen

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

It's just a matter of controlling the cutting depth. If one can not do that, then yes, stay away from the flat top style of checkering, which really doesn't provide much of any utilitarian purpose.