Stock making hobby, how to get more involved, and improve?

I am by no means good at stock making but one thing I find very useful is to have a similar stock in front of me to give me a 3 dimensional view of shapes and proportions that I would otherwise see only in photos. I also use home made scrapers and goose necked chisels a lot. The chisels are shaped like a streched out Z which allows me to work in a recess more easily. The scrapers are handy when the wood grain is wavy. Below is a photo of some of the chisels and scrapres I have made. They are ugly as sin but they work. I have made them from worn out chainsaw files, automotive coil springs and drill rod, Heat the metal red hot and forge to shape, heat red hot and quench to harden then draw the cutting portion to brown to get the right temper

cheers mooncoon

 
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brybenn said:
Looks pretty damn good to me. I got nothing to add to help you except avoid cocobolo wood. It's toxic
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for the tip of the stock or at the palm it's fine, I wouldn't build the whole thing out of it, stay away from purple heart, that stuff is horrible and about as easy as working with wood tools on it as it is using them on mild steel, little tiny slivers that itch worse then PWF lumber or cedar and gotta be much more toxic then coco-bolo.

Edit; to the OP, your work looks good, keep it up!
 
Looks good, you have natural talent. You also have the desire and ambition to forge ahead and learn more. I hope you have good eyes as checkering is going to test them to the max. I use a magnifying lens but they tend to dust up which can get frustrating.
I agree learn how to keep your tools razor sharp. Makes your life easier and you will get better results. May I suggest a 'Foredom" rotary shaft tool. It is a like a industrial Dremel, very similar in looks to a dentist drill hand piece except it is electrically powered not air driven. Motor hangs on the wall with a foot control like a sewing machine. You can put dozens of different types and sizes of cutting heads on the hand piece, there are also different sizes of hand pieces available. I have had one for over 25yrs. and it is indispensable when carving. No need to worry about grain direction and it will remove large amounts of material quickly and easily in very awkward places. Also can remove very minute amounts. I originally bought mine for carving decoys but have used it for stock work on numerous occasions.
 
welcome to the hobby ! the more you do, the better we get. I would stick with walnut, really study the grain before you even lay it out. read up un stock blanks, there is good info out there. as for checkering - practice. get a piece of scrap walnut and have at it. do all the mistakes on scrap wood. a finished stock is not something to mess up. I enjoyed doing my stocks but it is very time consuming. it helps to be retired.
 
I've had a fair interest in woodworking for quite awhile and am interested in transferring that over and trying a few stocks myself. Some of my take on it is...you have to love the wood lol, sorry no other way to put it...you have to know lumber how's that. If Walnuts are the mainstay there are a bunch of other woods that would be just as suited if not better in some ways, paying attention to weight, hardness, stability and machinability. The Wood Database is an excellent source for this.

Seasoned woods and moisture content is very important in other fine wood projects so I assume it is in stock making too. Most stores (like Windsor Plywood) likely have stock that is kiln dried, it's not a catch all but it's a good start. You don't want your project to crack or warp during or after the process. This is where laminating would be beneficial, it would be stiffer and less prone to warping, also would provide "guide lines" while carving so you know each side is accurate. Grain is also a big consideration for stability, working with beautiful wood is half the reward imo.

Cutting your own wood is great but storing and seasoning becomes a time issue for some. As a matter of fact wood I've bought that was even kiln dried sits for anywhere from 2 years up...ah it's too much to get into but there are considerations. Just delve in I guess, read as much as possible.
 
I plan to start a stockmaking project at the ENTS woodshop next spring or summer, I've got a few ideas kicking around that I want to try out.
 
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