Ahlmans in Morristown, MN was selling their duplicator so I purchased it over the weekend. Actually, a buddy of mine went to look at it and paid for it, I'm driving up in two weeks to actually pick it up and bring it home. Sounds like it's fairly new, 2006 model and is complete.

I was wondering if anyone here has any nice pattern stocks that I could lend for making my own patterns, as well as get used to the duplicator. I just want to have a few patterns on hand, and I thought it'd be a good way to get started.

Thanks.

How about some take-off tupperware stocks. Fill in the barrel channel with bondo, smooth it out, and bingo.

FWIW, West Salem is a couple hours from me. hen you get set up and are confident, I may have a couple of SxS stocks and forends that need duplication. Does that mean I'm your first customer?

From their site. "Fasten old stock to one side and a block of wood to the other. Turn on the machine and it will precisely carve the original contours"

Now that is a sales pitch.

That would be after the user spends many hours of practice.

Best of luck on your new purchase. I know once you get the hang of it you'll enjoy it.

Sorry I didn't have a pattern to help you with your Swedish project.

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Originally posted by 2Barrels:
How about some take-off tupperware stocks. Fill in the barrel channel with bondo, smooth it out, and bingo.

FWIW, West Salem is a couple hours from me. hen you get set up and are confident, I may have a couple of SxS stocks and forends that need duplication. Does that mean I'm your first customer?

Are you in WI? I get around the state for some gunshows, perhaps we could meet-up, I'll be looking for a first customer, just as soon as I feel comfortable doing it for myself!

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That would be after the user spends many hours of practice.

Best of luck on your new purchase. I know once you get the hang of it you'll enjoy it.

Sorry I didn't have a pattern to help you with your Swedish project.

I almost emailed you before purchasing this, to see if it was worth buying, but I was afraid I'd get talked out of it. Looks like I'll be making my own Swede stock now. Best of luck to you, I hope your health improves quickly.

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I almost emailed you before purchasing this, to see if it was worth buying, but I was afraid I'd get talked out of it. Looks like I'll be making my own Swede stock now. Best of luck to you, I hope your health improves quickly.

Thank you.

One of the biggest issue I found was getting the relationships between the pattern and blank right in my mind. Best way to set up the blank. Insuring all dimension were correct etc.

Best suggestion is take a pattern and keep cutting copies until you are happy with more than one result.

You will find forends etc are as much if not more work than the full stock. You might consider getting a copy of Les Brook's DVD. While it is geared to his copier it helped me and some of his jigs could be altered to work with your duplicator.

As to pattern wood I like Cecil's Myrtle for around $30 delivered.
http://www.gunstockblanks.com/pictures/the-blanks/ Hard to glue up something for less than that.

Last thoughts enjoy, when tired or frustrated walk away and you didn't invest mcuh $$ if you decide it isn't for you. Make sure you start out with a large bit and remove the vast majority of the wood. I start with at least a 3/4" straight bit and cut about 1/8" proud. Then come back and use something like a 1/2 round nose to cut the outside contour.

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Are you in WI? I get around the state for some gunshows, perhaps we could meet-up, I'll be looking for a first customer, just as soon as I feel comfortable doing it for myself!

I am. Just south of Fond Du Lac.

I want to thank the members of this board. I've been overwhelmed at the number of PM's that I have received. From offers of patterns to offers of how to run and set-up duplicators. The people that hang out here are some of the greatest people out there, most are just trying to help another member that they wouldn't even recognize if we met on the street. Hat's off to every one of you! You guys have saved me countless hours of frustration and tinkerin' around.

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Bondo: The Pattern Makers Friend

Would be lost without it.

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I have several sizes for each diameter bit, for example for the 3/4" bit I have 1 inch diameter, 7/8 inch diameter and 3/4 inch diameter tracers. Start with the biggest tracer first, this leaves plenty of wood for the final shaping.

Great tip. I have a couple larger tracers but more often set up with a gap between spacer contact and bit. Works great as long as you don't contact the side of the bit. I can see now I'll need to make a couple larger tracers.

I'd love to see more of this process. If anyone else is interested chime in. Lets learn the basics of stock duplication. More please. DW

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I'd love to see more of this process

DW
Les Brooks did a good job on his DVD taking you from setup through cutting.

Woodhunter I have a couple different thickness shims that I stick under my bit depending on how much wood I want to leave.

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Don't try to carve with a dull bit! Toss it and chuck up a new one.

Yep.
I've found that a little oven cleaner then hitting the edges with a diamond/ceramic stone before I put them away keeps them going longer. Hoever if you let it get too far gone toss it and start over.

WH
I do pretty much the same except I don't use a real long rod I turn the set up 360 and check.

As soon as I get my darn bandsaw fixed I'll be back to scribing.

What are you using to support that wood while it is in the duplicator? If you look at the Hoenig Duplicator or the photos of the one that David Miller uses you see that those folks pay a lot of attention to making sure that wood doesn't flex even a few thousandths when they are duplicating.

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What are you using to support that wood while it is in the duplicator

I have not seen the Hoenig or Dave Miller pictures with wood support.

You would need to be a better man than I to support the wood to make sure it doesn't deflect down even a few thousands without during set up deflectin it up.

I feel the mast majority of the duplicators in use are not accurate enough to worry about a couple thousands. Most are a basic x-y-z with the z being a arc. So the x axis is not cut straight up and down but through an arc. I normally cut exterior to .025-05" dpending on how I space the bit. If it is .023 or .027 it doens't really matter.

Now some of the high $$ machines that are what some call a 4 axis might be tight enough that .002" makes a difference.