Got a question for some of you guys with more experience than I have. I make a few stocks but something that I find quite difficult is cutting a forend for a tip or cutting butt of a stock to length (making a good cut), I'm getting better on the forends, I do it on my table saw.

I have tried to aviod cutting the butt, typicaly have the duplicator do that for me on a band saw.

I have a stock coming that I may have to cut the butt. I have a chop saw and very good table saw, but would think the table saw would be out of the question for cutting a butt.

How do you guys make cuts of this nature. Is the prefered method a band saw, which I do not have anymore.

Thanks, Billy

I use a bandsaw, but a good backsaw will do as good of a job. I normally wrap the cutting area with several layers of masking tape to lessen the splintering of the wood on the back side.

Billy,
the trick on cutting a shaped stock it to shim it, tape it, and keep it level... that is, unless you REALLY want a random cast thrown in

jeffe

Jeffe,

Or bring it to you place and use your bands saw, drink your beer and watch you cut it

I do what Jeff does only I use my miter saw.

Bill,

Thats a good excuse for me to go buy a new blade for my mitre saw.

How you been doin anyway, thanks ,billy

I did my last one on the table saw. Make a little plywood sled to be pushed with the miter gauge. Shim the stock and stick it in place with duct tape. You could get real fancy and devise a clamping device for the plywood sled to hold the stock firmly. Feed it slowly. Mine tuned out great.

I use a table saw and eyeball it and leave up to 1/16 - 1/8" extra wood and use a belt sander to do the rest. Then a big file to make sure its perfectly flat.

Doin fine Billy. Got 3 rifles and a shotgun all going at the same time. 35 Whelen, 264 Win Mag, 270 Win, Lefever 20 gauge. In a word. Busy.

I set them up level, plumb, and square on the table of my radial arm saw. I use shims and wedges to properly locate the piece on the table and then clamp it in place. A sharp carbide blade seems to work much better than the high speed steel offerings.

A good quality power miter saw and a expensive 80T ATB blade.A plywood jig to hold it in place.You shouldn't need to use tape,but do it anyway.

Billy,

How will you cut a curved butt stock for a steel butt plate? I suggest that you buy a cheap band saw from the Chinese Junk suppliers and make a jack shaft to slow the speed down on the ft per minute cutting. My saw was purchased for less than $100 and a small motor will cut up to 2 1/2 in blank ok, but slow. I buy the blades in the bulk roll and silver solder the over lapping joint together with a propane torch. Buy the fine tooth blade and get the skip tooth blades for ripping out the blank. Make an angle mitre guide that will fit the saw table and use shims on the table to get the stock square on the butt cut. It is easy to cut a straight line for a recoil pad. A hand saw will work for the straight cuts with a block of 60 grit floor sanding paper on a flat 2 X 2 X 12 block to finish the cut. This is assuming that you may not have a belt sander or a disk sander. When cutting a stock for a curved steel butt plate, I use wooden guide to mark the stock with the curve of the plate. This wooden guide has a line on it to show a 90 degree line with the bore line. On most classic stocks I will have about 1/8 in. reverse pitch to the bore line for the steel plate and the guide has this built into it for marking the stock. If it is a skeleton butt plate you will need to allow for the amount of wood to come through the plate and this is a little more involed in figuring the cutting angles. When cutting the curve it is a free hand cut with the stock shimmed to make the cut square to the bore line. Hope this is not too confusing.

Les

Thanks guys for the comments and pointers.

and Les, been catching any fish, thanks Billy

Billy,
I left that area and am back on home base. Busy moving into a new location. Hope to be more active on the board later. Les