I have a Ruger 77 Mark II laminate stock that needs a checker job. I also seen some 'fish-scale' checkering and carved panels done on the pistol grips and forends. What options are there?

Is checkering a laminate significantly different from walnut??

Thanks.

There are few people that will do it, however a lot don't like to because of the different wood laminates with grain running in different directions through each layer and the glue joints tends to make it a headache to keep a staight line. I also hear it is hard on the cutters.

heres 1....16 lines per inch is coarse checkering i know.... but i wanted something for using, not looking at... slick, wet, gloved hands can hang onto this.....

quote:

Originally posted by NorthGaAire:
I have a Ruger 77 Mark II laminate stock that needs a checker job. I also seen some 'fish-scale' checkering and carved panels done on the pistol grips and forends. What options are there?

Is checkering a laminate significantly different from walnut??

Thanks.

Brother, I know exactly what you're talking about!!

The stockmakers over here that I've spoken to about it have backed away because of the problems that the alternate grain and glue factors... apparently, it's pretty tough on the tooling, and hard to get an even checkering.

I hunt in regions that range from sub zero to 40+ degrees (C) and I've tried putting strips of camo tape along the stock (works OK if the temp doesn't get too high) but when you're hands get sweaty, the tape gets sticky...

Get friendly with a local teenager, and find your local store that sells the stuff that skateboarders put on their 'planks' to provide grip for their feet... works a treat, and can be easily removed.

Doesn't look real pretty, and when you first try it, it feels like 600 grade emery... but it works.

HTH

i've been told by those who know that because the typical lam'd stock is made of birch, checkering doesn't hold onto the tops of the diamonds very well. appearantly birch doesn't point up very well, too brittle.
my local gunsmith said that a power checkering tool works the best and that flat topped is the way to go on them....at least it's something.... stocks look so naked with no checkering at all.
i wonder how stippling would look?

quote:

Get friendly with a local teenager, and find your local store that sells the stuff that skateboarders put on their 'planks' to provide grip for their feet... works a treat, and can be easily removed.

It's apply named "grip tape" and you can occasionally find it in other colors besides black. It worked great back when I used to skateboard, not sure if I'd want it stuck onto a stock though. I seem to remember sanding holes in my shoes and fingertips with it.

I have carved and inlaid quite a few laminate stocks. I can see that they would be a problem to do checkering on but they are fine for carving animals, leaves, basketweave, or fishscale patterns.

Also, Carved figures do not look as good on the multicolored laminate stocks. They look better with the Brown/Brown or Black/Grey laminates.

I have also found simple inlay carvings look better the deep relief carvings. Laminates, for the same reason they don't checker well, don't hold intricate carving detail either.

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing like fine checkering on a beautiful wood but I like the look of a simple carved basketweave pattern on the grip and forearm area of a laminate stock.

I have done a couple of Ruger stocks, they worked great. I did a Boyds stock a while back, NEVER AGAIN. I use an electric tool for most of it, and carbide hand tools. Bill

I think if you set it out so that only ONE LAYER of the laminates contained the chequering that you would be all OK. Or maybe cut out a panel shape two or three layers deep with a router and then inset in a thicker contrasting solid panel of wood and chequered that.

quote:

Originally posted by enfieldspares:
I think if you set it out so that only ONE LAYER of the laminates contained the chequering that you would be all OK. Or maybe cut out a panel shape two or three layers deep with a router and then inset in a thicker contrasting solid panel of wood and chequered that.

The 1 layer idea is good but the layers are 1/16" thick so it won't work in 1 layer - 2-3 layers minumum would be my guess.

Inlaying is doable - just alot of time, which equals $$ Might look good with the right wood or other material though.

no idea what it might cost, it might be cheaper to take the stock to a place that does laser carving/engraving on wood items and have them burn the inlay pocket into the stock. if you supply the inlay material, they can cut it to fit the pocket exactly at the same time.
there is small glass shop in my town that jobs this service out and a couple yrs. ago i asked if they could do something like that and they said no problem.

Thanks for the feedback.

My Ruger Mk II stock is nutmeg - brown on brown. I would like to have a fishscale pattern carved on it, and will probably do 2 panels on the forend to keep the carving out of the 'sandwich' layers. How is fishscale carving applied??

Thanks.

A fishscale pattern is usually hand carved. You may be able to get the general shape with a lazer but you can't get the hand carved look.

With a nutmeg (Br/Br) stock, the carving of a fishscale grip pattern would look fine without a wood inlay. You could have the pattern follow the contours of the stock a bit with the carving.

If you want to see what a hand carved fishscale pattern looks like, check my link below.

http://www.llarsonstudio.com/recent%20work.html

quote:

Originally posted by merlinron:

i wonder how stippling would look?

Stippling looks great. The only problem is the it takes 3 times as long as other types of carving.

I just go cross-eyed if i have to do very much stippling. You also have to really take your time if you want to get it even.

It is a good gripping surface though..

This is my Ruger 77 with 3M stair tape.



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Sherry Abraham will checker them but I can't say if she does fish scale. You can ask her here:Checkering