Do it yourself Stock making thread

[joshb]

I got some more time in, today.
Routed sides of blank at action for bolt stop, ejection port, safety and rear of action. Cut partial stock profile and cheek piece, leaving flat spot for bottom metal routing. Measured and cut pillars and put the bottom metal on them to check for proper function. 2 hours

 

[joshb]

Prep action and bed in stock: 1 hour

PS: Ggmac. If you're following this, that's your old 22-250 Ackley barreled action.

 

[joshb]

Moving slowly forward, I cut the bottom metal/magazine inlet and made the cheek piece router cuts and fitted the cheekpiece. 4 hours. I had a little chipping problem that I'll have to address. I pushed the cuts too fast.



On another topic, I have had a few PMs about making a "true Benchrest stock" so I sketched one out and cut a template. Took about 15 minutes. I'll do one soon, using the same procedures as before, just slightly modified. The forearm will have pieces laminated(glued) on to get my 2 1/4" blank to 3" wide.

 

[joshb]

I have to stop for a bit. I'm downsizing. Sold my beach house and have to empty it.

 

[USMCDOC]

I bet that would work. Something that may surprise a lot of people is that the most expensive board in that picture is the figured Sapele. It cost me $200 for that 2 1/4" x 6 1/2" x 9' board. I can get 4 stocks out of it so my "blank" cost is $50/each. That's for some very nice exotic hardwood. I did have to control myself when I looked at a piece of highly figured Lacewood. They wanted $1000 for the piece. That would have been $250 per blank. I may go back for that one at Christmas and treat myself. It was unbelievably gorgeous!
View attachment 1023026

If you asked for a pc of Sycamore, would it have been the same price?

 

[USMCDOC]

Well, I don't know if they had any. Have you used it before?

Just checked thier website. They have it. Looks pretty.
View attachment 1025398

i have used it in custom bass guitars in the past.. but the reason that i asked is that Lacewood is Sycamore quartersawn

 

[joshb]

Got a break. Installed cheekpiece hardware. 4hrs.
There are a few tricks I should explain, here. It's important to get the piece tight to your stock. You want that seam to "disappear" as much as possible, which takes time. I do the best I can to make accurate cuts and I'm still a little off. My chop saw is always cutting a little off 90 degrees no matter how much I adjust it . That's why my piece is a little cocked on the stock. I'm more concerned with the joint being tight. You can adjust the hardware to recover the cut misalignment by loosening the hardware pillars and moving them a little. Another big reason I love this hardware. If the depth of your cuts are off by a fraction, you can add layers of tape to the front or rear of the top of the cheek piece hardware to adjust the line or on one side or the other. (I mean the top of the metal that fits in the cut of your cheek piece.) I take the time to get it as "perfect" as I can. Screw it all together. Check it. Pull it apart. Add tape where needed. Put it back together. Check, etc. Hence the 4 hours

When you finish forming the stock, it should look like this. Taking time here pays off.

 

[joshb]

I hit it like a hungry beaver. Cut to final profile, routed the forearm, rough sanded the grip ,formed the butt and attached the recoil pad. I fubar'd the mag release button location. That ebony inlay covers up my mistake. Measure twice, cut once! 9 hrs


Total time so far: 24 hrs.

 

[joshb]

Final forming of the grip and sand to 600 grit. Just the grip area. 4 hrs.

 

[Preacher]

Do I see a tiny hint of finger grooves ???
My kinda guy right there....

 

[joshb]

Yup. See post 181 on page 10. These are shallower than I normally do. They may get deeper as I continue but they're feeling good so far. I tried a narrower grip this time.

 

[joshb]

Final finicky forming of the butt and sand the entire stock to 400 grit. 2 1/2 hrs.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Excellent work josh. Lookin very good

 

[joshb]

Thanks Dusty. I've been developing a new hobby while you were gone. I like the way the grain pattern runs thru the grip area on this one.

 

[joshb]

I reworked the curve and cheek piece. I just wasn't happy with it. Sanded final details. Cut the bolt slot and final fitting for the trigger, safety and magazine release button hole. Applied first coat of oil. 6 1/2 hrs. Total build time: 37 hours.






So there you have it. A custom stock you can build in under 40 hours. Good luck! Just PM me for patterns or if you need help. I'm going to build a couple Christmas presents, next. After that, I'll start a Benchrest stock. Should be a lot faster and easier. Josh

 

[Preacher]

Your going to love that oil when your done....
Nice stock...

 

[joshb]

Thanks for the sample, Bruce! I know "expert advice" when I see it. I just ordered a 16 oz. bottle. Should be a lifetime supply.

 

[joshb]

This is for guys that make mistakes. Don't kick yourself. I pulled a lulu, today. I was pressed for time. Wifey wanted to go shopping. I have 2 stocks in the works. I had just enough time to do what I needed to get done. I installed the trigger guard on the bench stock and jumped over to the other stock to do the recoil pad install. I had it epoxied and installed in short order. I got ready to take a picture and noticed the mistake. It was upside down. Had to flip it fast before my epoxy set up. Glad I caught it!

 

[joshb]

Moving forward on the same old design. I'm adding some more ebony to this one, testing a new look. Those deeper finger grooves are for you, Bruce. Still adding coats of oil to that other stock.

 

[teele1]

WOW!!!!! Josh you are one fine craftsman. Every one of those stocks are a work of art.