I have been getting a few PMs about making stocks for other people.
Right now I am still in early days with my machine and am still learning my technique.
I have a line up of projects that are waiting for wood. I can't afford to use the services of a stock maker, and I won't pay the price to get a repop from England, so hence this adventure with the wood duplicator. I have been practicing using scrap wood, but now I have lucked into some old walnut that is sitting idle with a cabinet maker. He bought some massive logs from a farmer down Niagara way. The logs had been cut and were in a barn for 35 years. Cabinet maker milled the logs on site and they have been kept inside, racked up nice and dry in his storage unit for another 25 years. the wood is awesome to work with. the wood is expensive, so time to get serious working with it.
What I have learnt is that the better the pattern, the better the product. Allowances can be made when copying the shape of sanded wood, but a decent pattern with true dimensions would be the ticket.
I am not expecting something for free. If you can help me out, i will repay with some product. So, if you need a long Lee Enfield forearm, and you have a decent original that I can copy, we should talk.
There will be no damage to your stock other than four small wood screw holes. two inside the barrel channel at the tip, and two more on the back face where the wood bear against the butt socket. all hidden when assembled. these holes are to attach metal brackets for mounting in the machine. The process involves moving a plastic stylus over the surface of the pattern by hand with a light fingertip touch. The motion of the stylus is communicated to a cutter on the blank. The result is a semi inletted forearm that needs some woodworking skills to finish it up, mainly sharp internal corners touched with a chisel and then final trim and finish shaping and sanding.
When I get half good at it and reduce the time it takes to make one, i'll see if I want to make some for others. But right now this is just a hobby to help me restore my clunkers. I am learning from my mistakes, so no where near perfect. So yes, I can make Ross stocks and front sections. However, there is another Gunutter who seems to be well on his way to specialising with the Ross, he has the patterns. I am focused on Lee Metfords, Martinis and Sniders.
My challenge this week is making handguards, which are thin and brittle.
