Do it yourself Stock making thread

[hoz53]

Actually, its pretty easy to build a stock. To build one that looks good and doesn't need filler and paint to look good is tougher. Buy a chunk of something cheap like birch and just do like Joshb shows in this thread. You can get by with a lot fewer tools than he uses. Figure out how to use the tools and if the stock looks a little bad, paint it. The only way to learn to use the tools is to hack away at some wood.

Here my first stock- its the one Josh is talking about “ Lining up the grain”. I didn’t care at the time- I was just practicing.

 

[hoz53]

“Leave the wood alone that is supposed to stay and take the rest.”
Priceless!

Oh, and spend a little time to try and match the grain patterns. It’ll look better in the end!

Getting off the beaten track a bit here’s pics of the box I made for my dads flag. Notice on the top how that grain goes up one side and lines up going back down the other.

 

[Twdmar]

Here my first stock- its the one Josh is talking about “ Lining up the grain”. I didn’t care at the time- I was just practicing.

That is some nifty looking wood, I like it!

 

[hoz53]

That is some nifty looking wood, I like it!

Its hackberry- in the elm family so its stringy and likes to tear instead of cut, but its dense about like oak and its tough. Some of it has great grain. That’s from a tree cut down behind my shop 6 or seven years ago. Thanks

 

[Twdmar]

“Leave the wood alone that is supposed to stay and take the rest.”
Priceless!

Oh, and spend a little time to try and match the grain patterns. It’ll look better in the end!

Josh,
I don't really try to get me grain to line up. I try to get my lams to glue up nice and flat with minimal need for clamping pressure. Usually I will set my center lamination so the grains in the grip don't run the same direction as the others for strength. Then when the grain lines up, I get a happy result.

 

[Twdmar]

Its hackberry- in the elm family so its stringy and likes to tear instead of cut, but its dense about like oak and its tough. Some of it has great grain. That’s from a tree cut down behind my shop 6 or seven years ago. Thanks

Very cool, we have Hackberry trees here but they grow small. It looks like a cross between hickory and mango.

 

[CStuck]

So glad to see you back at it @joshb !

I've been plugging away at a few pieces recently

Finished this Turkish walnut piece for a friend a few weeks back. He got it all put together and man it looks great. 338 Edge


A new piece of English walnut

 

[joshb]

Josh,
I don't really try to get me grain to line up. I try to get my lams to glue up nice and flat with minimal need for clamping pressure. Usually I will set my center lamination so the grains in the grip don't run the same direction as the others for strength. Then when the grain lines up, I get a happy result.

My bad! That second comment was for hoz and the cheek piece. Your work looks great!
I chuckled over the first quote. I like a guy with a simple, straightforward out look!

 

[joshb]

Here my first stock- its the one Josh is talking about “ Lining up the grain”. I didn’t care at the time- I was just practicing.

The cheek piece! Only the CHEEK PIECE!!!

 

[joshb]

So glad to see you back at it @joshb !

I've been plugging away at a few pieces recently

Finished this Turkish walnut piece for a friend a few weeks back. He got it all put together and man it looks great. 338 Edge
View attachment 1213230

A new piece of English walnut
View attachment 1213232
View attachment 1213233

Cstuck!! That Turkish stock looks gorgeous! Fabulous work! If you don’t mind, how much was that blank and where’dya get it?

 

[CStuck]

Cstuck!! That Turkish stock looks gorgeous! Fabulous work! If you don’t mind, how much was that blank and where’dya get it?

Thank you!

It was a serious project, with the cheek riser and the adjustable length of pull. But a pleasure to work with. Cuts super clean and crisp.

I found the blank on eBay, it was a steal of a deal, I only paid $400 for the blank. There are a few on eBay and some good deals, others are overpriced, just have to find the gems.

 

[hoz53]

Very cool, we have Hackberry trees here but they grow small. It looks like a cross between hickory and mango.

This one was 2 foot diameter one 70 foot tall

 

[hoz53]

So glad to see you back at it @joshb !

I've been plugging away at a few pieces recently

Finished this Turkish walnut piece for a friend a few weeks back. He got it all put together and man it looks great. 338 Edge
View attachment 1213230

A new piece of English walnut
View attachment 1213232
View attachment 1213233

Thanks for posting the pics Cstuck - great looking stock and it gives me some idea how I can perform certain operations

 

[CStuck]

Thanks for posting the pics Catuck— great looking stock and it gives me some idea how I can perform certain operations

Thank you, if you have questions or want to know more about certain operations, I'm happy to help.

 

[hoz53]

The cheek piece! Only the CHEEK PIECE!!!

You haven’t done any bad- ill make sure and think about the grain.

 

[hoz53]

Thank you, if you have questions or want to know more about certain operations, I'm happy to help.

Thanks for that- You sure have some wood working skill. I’d have to have much more before I’d work on a blank that cost much at all.

 

[joshb]

A little progress.

 

[hoz53]

A little progress.View attachment 1213318View attachment 1213319View attachment 1213320

Well it’s good to see the stock school thread revived. About the stock I mentioned a few posts ago. Was gonna pitch it at one point building it, but let it lay around. Thinking I mite finish it lately, upon inspection there is a crack almost all the way through the wrist area. I had thought I took to much wood out in this area and it was one of the reasons I gave up on the stock. I may glue this is and screw it, but I don’t think it will ever be a really useful stock for me. It does seem I see many stocks with not much wood in this area.

 

[Seagull]

Have seen a few stocks do this have used a marine epoxy resin glue and a carbon fibre rod as reinforcement and stock still in use today. A well known commercial stock was also doing the same thing and people have used a threaded rod and epoxy glue to do the same sort of fix

 

[hoz53]

Have seen a few stocks do this have used a marine epoxy resin glue and a carbon fibre rod as reinforcement and stock still in use today. A well known commercial stock was also doing the same thing and people have used a threaded rod and epoxy glue to do the same sort of fix

Thank you for the advice and insight. I was going to use wood glue, but I think you’re right an epoxy would be better. I wonder how Devcon would be as I have some of that. I will fasten it somehow and see what happens.