How do you cut a butt stock?

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Spokerider

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I need to shorten a walnut butt stock.

How do YOU, cleanly cut, without splintering, a walnut stock? Yes, there is but once chance to do it correctly.........

On a table saw with a new 80-tooth carbide finishing blade?
Wrap the stock with [ and cut through ] multiple layers of masking tape to reduce the chance of splintering?
Finish on a table disc sander with 120 grit?
The above items I have.

Also, for recoil pad grinding.......anyone have any plans for making their own grinding jig?

Thanks.
 
Spokerider said:
I need to shorten a walnut butt stock.

How do YOU, cleanly cut, without splintering, a walnut stock? Yes, there is but once chance to do it correctly.........

On a table saw with a new 80-tooth carbide finishing blade? Sure, why not? Make sure it is a crosscut blade, however.
Wrap the stock with [ and cut through ] multiple layers of masking tape to reduce the chance of splintering? That's what I would do. Wrap it tightly.
Finish on a table disc sander with 120 grit? You can. Depends how flat/straight/even you cut was to begin with. You're not going to see the face anyways.
The above items I have.

Also, for recoil pad grinding.......anyone have any plans for making their own grinding jig?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

There's not much to the jig. I don't think a plan is really required. See the Great Google.
 
After you tape and mark out where the cut will be use a razor knife to cut the wood you only need to be a millimetre deep, and finish with the table saw, no splinters, just need to be sure the the knife cut is exactly on the saw cut
 
I've done it several different ways... table saw is OK, chop saw better but a band saw would give you the best results.
 
The first thing you need to get into your psyche is DON'T use power tools. I have cut down a lot of butt stocks for people of small stature and I always wrap the stock with one layer of masking tape that is only there to draw line I want to cut. To actually make the cut I use a "hacksaw with a sharp new fine tooth blade." There are no splinters at all and if you get your mind into what you're doing it will go well. It goes much quicker than you think and the job ls and looks professional.
 
bearhunter said:
The first thing you need to get into your psyche is DON'T use power tools. I have cut down a lot of butt stocks for people of small stature and I always wrap the stock with one layer of masking tape that is only there to draw line I want to cut. To actually make the cut I use a "hacksaw with a sharp new fine tooth blade." There are no splinters at all and if you get your mind into what you're doing it will go well. It goes much quicker than you think and the job ls and looks professional.
Click to expand...

All the ones I have cut over the years I have used two layers of masking tape, then marked my cut, scored the cut about 1/32" deep with a razor knife and then used a nice new blade in a hacksaw and cut slowly following my marked and scored line carefully. Never had an issue with splintering or boo boo's. After the cut I install the pad and sand it down with a disc sander from Canadian Tire in a electric drill just until you kiss the first layer of tape. It can be tedious at this point but after you have done half doz. you have the knack. I find the hacksaw gives me control on butt stocks that are curved and the drill sanding disc's also give one good control. The pad has to be shaped to follow the contour of the stock so it looks like an extension of the butt stock. If not it will look like Buba and Billy Bob installed it while sipping on a 24 of beer.

This is the method "I" use. Others may have other methods that work well for them.
 
The way to do it on a table saw, is use a crosscut sled, and you make a 1/16" scoring cut first, after that you raise the blade to the desired cut height and cut the rest of it normally. Here's a video that shows what I'm explaining.
 
So how do you folks with table/cut off saws contour a the butt end to fit a contoured plate??? There is only one way and that's by hand. I have seen a lot of bubba jobs because the person doing the job insisted on using power tools. I'm not saying the answers from you folks are wrong or that you are bubbas by the way. Maybe you just have more experience with your power tools. Whatever suits your purposes is up to you. I am willing be play a bit loose with my own stuff but when it comes to doing it for a friend that's a completely different story. When you only have one chance to do it right, especially on a curved butt plate why take a chance to save a few minutes.
 
bearhunter said:
So how do you folks with table/cut off saws contour a the butt end to fit a contoured plate??? There is only one way and that's by hand. I have seen a lot of bubba jobs because the person doing the job insisted on using power tools. I'm not saying the answers from you folks are wrong or that you are bubbas by the way. Maybe you just have more experience with your power tools. Whatever suits your purposes is up to you. I am willing be play a bit loose with my own stuff but when it comes to doing it for a friend that's a completely different story. When you only have one chance to do it right, especially on a curved butt plate why take a chance to save a few minutes.
Click to expand...

For straight cuts, mitre saw with jig to hold the stock square.
For curved butts, band saw with jig to hold the stock square. Finish with drum sander and files with inletting black, caution and patience.
 
The cats ass is doing it on a lathe in the milling attachment using a wood router bit. My lathe will turn the bit at 4000rpm. Finish cut is awesome.
 
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smoji said:
For straight cuts, mitre saw with jig to hold the stock square.
For curved butts, band saw with jig to hold the stock square. Finish with drum sander and files with inletting black, caution and patience.
Click to expand...
This!! IF you insist on using a hacksaw expect a "hack" job unless you have a good saw, good blade AND know what you are doing; Hacksaws WILL wander unless you buy something like this

701-10.jpg


this is a Klein 701-12 12" Heavy Weight Hacksaw ... note how the blade is enclosed within the frame to support it and reduce the tendency to flex and wander. Start with a cheap hack saw - even with a good blade (and tightened till you bend the frame!) - and you will end up with a short stock for sure... as you keep cutting to correct the wandering mistake.
 
No, I'm not using a hack saw.......my table saw with a new 80 tooth [ $120 OUCH! ] blade will do a better job than I ever could with a hack saw.
My dad has a band saw i may use.....what is the optimum teeth-per-inch for a cut like this? I dunno what the tooth count on the blade is now.

Pad shaping jig....... been looking for a used one, but none have shown themselves.... looks like i will need to make my own jig. I'll prolly fab one out of steel and i mig weld. Anyone else made a jig? pics?
 
smoji said:
For straight cuts, mitre saw with jig to hold the stock square.
For curved butts, band saw with jig to hold the stock square. Finish with drum sander and files with inletting black, caution and patience.
Click to expand...

With great power(tools), comes great responsibility..... :)
Skill helps as well.

Hack saws are for metal.
A nice Japanese style wood saw would be better.
 
Spokerider said:
No, I'm not using a hack saw.......my table saw with a new 80 tooth [ $120 OUCH! ] blade will do a better job than I ever could with a hack saw.
My dad has a band saw i may use.....what is the optimum teeth-per-inch for a cut like this? I dunno what the tooth count on the blade is now.

Pad shaping jig....... been looking for a used one, but none have shown themselves.... looks like i will need to make my own jig. I'll prolly fab one out of steel and i mig weld. Anyone else made a jig? pics?
Click to expand...
... and that's probably a ripping blade: Cutting an inch off a buttstock will be a crosscut requiring a crosscut blade. I have only had to shorten one factory stock to fit a Limbsaver and this was accomplished using a dovetail handsaw. Ideally I would have had a wheel marker to sever the edge wood fibers but with the fine saw and tape, there were no problems... I recently bought a micro-wheel marker for another project, an upgrade from the pin marker.

The ideal way I'd do it again would be using tools like this:
165438.jpg
and
71VxJiN1JeL._SL1500_.jpg


The blade you need for your mitre or table saw jig is this:
diablo-ultra-fine-circular-saw-blade-10-inch-90-tooth-for-wood-and-wood-composites-model-d1090x

and it costs much less than $120.00
 
New Camper said:
... and that's probably a ripping blade: Cutting an inch off a buttstock will be a crosscut requiring a crosscut blade. I have only had to shorten one factory stock to fit a Limbsaver and this was accomplished using a dovetail handsaw. Ideally I would have had a wheel marker to sever the edge wood fibers but with the fine saw and tape, there were no problems... I recently bought a micro-wheel marker for another project, an upgrade from the pin marker.

The ideal way I'd do it again would be using tools like this:
165438.jpg
and
71VxJiN1JeL._SL1500_.jpg


The blade you need for your mitre or table saw jig is this:
diablo-ultra-fine-circular-saw-blade-10-inch-90-tooth-for-wood-and-wood-composites-model-d1090x

and it costs much less than $120.00
Click to expand...

That Diablo 80 tooth blade IS $120 after taxes at 2 stores around here.
 
I've cut stocks with bandsaws, chop saws, and handsaws. Liked the chop saw best. For grinding, I've used disc sanders and belt sanders or a combination of the two. I have never used a jig or even had a look at one. I don't know how many I have done but many hundreds for sure. Never had much trouble with walnut splintering but maple or birch were sometimes a problem.
 
Spokerider said:
That Diablo 80 tooth blade IS $120 after taxes at 2 stores around here.
Click to expand...

The blade is a 90tooth crosscut blade: I seem to recall paying between $70 and $80 for it a couple years ago at Home Depot. Currently they list it for $85.59... $97 with Onterrible taxes.

The Limbsaver I purchased was specific to the stock I fitted it. When I eventually have to fit the recoil pad, I'll attach it to the cut side of the stock piece I just removed and use that as a guide for sanding the pad to the correct dimension.
 
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