I want to install a thick (1.5") recoil pad to the butt of the stock I have yet to order. How do I cut the butt in such a way that it is square to the centerline of the bore as viewed from both above and from the side of the stock? How do I avoid creating those little splinters where the cut is? An ounce of foreknowledge is worth a pound of regret.

[ 07-13-2003, 02:11: Message edited by: rootbeer ]

put masking tape on the stock. Make your cut thru the tape. Before removing the tape, take a fine, flat file and stroke it toward the center of the stock. All the way around. That will remove any whiskers on the edge.

thanks; sounds like a plan.

Also, lay out the line on the tape with a fine tipped pen before you cut it. Sorry if you were planning on doing this anyway, but many don't think about laying it out before it is too late.

If you need 1.5" taken off, you can do a test cut in which you take off 0.5". If you think you've done it right, cut off the other 1.0". If you need more practice, take another 0.5". If you do lift a splinter on the for-real cut, it can be laid back down using epoxy, and the repair is completely invisible.

H. C.

All you guys just know so damned much; where would a grasshopper like me be without this vast source of gunsmith knowledge as well as knowledge about so many other things. I never thought about making trial cuts. How ignorant of me. I am such a fencepost!

[ 07-12-2003, 19:13: Message edited by: rootbeer ]

Oh, here is another thing- to make the new recoil pad parallel to the old one try standing the stock vertically on the table and laying some books on the table to the height you need, then scribing the line with the tip of the pen using the books for a straight edge. I think Henrys idea of making a test cut or two is an excellent idea, wish I had thought of that 20 years ago! Remember though to mark the true line you want to cut first so if you lose your reference it will be OK. Back before I thought of the book idea I would tape the stock with masking tape then do one turn with electrical tape to give me my line in a true circle and not have the start of the drawn line be different than the end of the line.

A little trick I use when installing pads is to never sut to the line where the pad is to end up. Instead I leave a bit of wood proud of the line and use a belt or disk sander to remove the last 1/16th inch. The sander will cut exactly to the line and never pull and chips. Also be careful if you file the edges to remove the burr. The tiniest chamfer will show as an unsightly gap when the pad is finally applied. Instead when you are ready to apply the pad file the flat you have just created for the pad to sit on. If a sharp medium cut file is used there will be no burr remaining on the wood. An orbital sander can be used for this job but there will be a learning curve(and some pain!)..

For allot of stock cutting, I put the stock in the vice on the milling machine and mill it.

But for cutting off the butt, I have always used the power miter saw. Walnut has never chipped while being cut off for me. I lower the blade very slowly.

http://www.nookhill.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=007208

Don't forget to lay out the pitch you want your rifle to have.
I use an electric mitre saw with the stock clamped and shimmed firmly and square.
The tape idea is good whenever you have to make a fine cut. Use it when cutting fore ends too

The pad will pull down tighter and the butt will be easier get "true", if you remove a little wood (1/16"-1/8") to lower the surface of the interior area of the butt, leaving about 3/8" all around the perimeter to be finished perfectly flat.

I own a couple dewalt 708 saws with 80 to 90 tooth carbide blades and have no problem with cutting walnut and not splintering, sometimes if the blades are dull I will rap masking tape around to keep splintering at bay. I test cut first before I take it down to were it needs to be. If blades are really dull, I will cut to with in a 1/8" and finish with a bench mounted belt sander

forgot to add that the miter saw works on fiberglass also.