Grip checkering. .

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I have a wood stock that would look and feel much better if it was checkered.
I'm sure it is all done by machine now but, is there a way to do it yourself ?
It would take time and some skill I know, but I want to try it. Does anyone
know what type of tools and procedures are involved ?
Thx.
 
Hi-Look in brownells catalog--they have all the hand tools ect you need to checker a stock
Also have several books on checkering
Sydney
 
I stippled the stocks I have made, and looks cool. Feels nice also.
All you need is a dremel, example, can also get fancy with a pin stripe curved thru the ctr of the design, can draw a bunch of designs first , then go at it.Its easy.
StipplingOiled2CRSFull.jpg
 
Levi Garrett said:
I stippled the stocks I have made, and looks cool. Feels nice also.
All you need is a dremel, example, can also get fancy with a pin stripe curved thru the ctr of the design, can draw a bunch of designs first , then go at it.Its easy.
StipplingOiled2CRSFull.jpg
Click to expand...

Oooohhhhh !! That's pretty !! Whats the procedure ??? !/8" round nose tool and poke repeatedly ??? any other hints ?
 
There are a couple of very in depth tutorials on the web on how to layout and checker wood stocks with hand checkering tools.
 
As with anything new you want to try out the key is to practice on some scrap of wood you do not care about first. The right touch and feel for doing this stipling relies on both judgement and muscle memory and that can only come from doing. Neither Levi nor anyone else can push that sort of knowledge into your brain first hand although some hints and findings on what he found worked and doesn't sure comes in handy.

For a practice piece you'll want to get some sort of hardwood so you develop the feel and look with a material that is similar in density and machining results to the wood of your stock.

I've also noticed from seeing a number of pictures of stipling that by far the cleaner looking efforts all have a border groove around the edges of the stipled areas. Without that the rough border line of the stiple looks rather unfinished.

I'd also suspect that this is best done with a 3/32 round ball burr rather than a round nosed 1/8 router bit. The router bit would bite too aggresively and chip out the wood. You'll also find that even a burr tries to splinter up the wood on the up stroke so you probably will find that it works best if you hold the dremel and proceed in directions where the cutting lips are cutting down into the fresh wood rather than jumping around randomly. Again, some practice on some hardwood scrap will soon tell you if this is the case and how best to avoid it.
 
Stipling can be done with a dull nail and a mallet too. It's not as precise as checkering. Easier to do. Wouldn't use a rotary tool though. Too easy to slip.
Checkering isn't terribly difficult, but requires a steady hand and lots of practice before you tangle with a stock. Doing either is the only time that patience is a virtue. Find a hunk of finished hardwood to teach your self on. No soft woods. They tear.
Cruise around on garbage day looking for a piece of furniture that's being pitched. A hunk of skid/pallet will do, but those aren't finished.
 
WW; I believe that most "factory" checkering is done by machine / laser, however most "custom" checkering is still done by hand, some with a power checkering tool. There are a few things to consider - # of lines per inch, I would say about 18 to 20 for a novice is about right. Second checkering tools come in 60 & 90 degrees of cut. Third there are several styles of "diamonds", pointed, semi pointed and flat. For the pointed a 90 is usually used, the 60 for semi pointed & flat usually is done with a custom made cutter - I use a very fine hack saw blade (32 teeth per inch). Are you attempting panels with or without a border?

So you will need 3 or 4 coarse cutters and 3 or 4 fine cutters all either 60 /90, a spacing marker cutter, a border cutter & 3 or 4 handles. I purchase all my checkering tools from Brownells, my dealings with them has always been satisfactory.

You will find that mastering a straight line around a curve keeping the cutter at right angles to the wood the greatest challenge. You diamonds should be twice as long as they are wide. I find that reversing the cutter and pulling towards the border helps in less over-runs. Others may have a different approach to all this - feel free to Email any ?s you / anyone else may have. FWIW --- John303.
 
Levi Garrett said:
I stippled the stocks I have made, and looks cool. Feels nice also.
All you need is a dremel, example, can also get fancy with a pin stripe curved thru the ctr of the design, can draw a bunch of designs first , then go at it.Its easy.
StipplingOiled2CRSFull.jpg
Click to expand...

that looks awesome, very nice job.

ive always liked stippling more than checkering. i prefer the feel and its more of a utilitarian finish.
 
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