Guys I would like to checker a few rifles that I have and have a few pieces of wood to start with but they are flat and was wondering what I should buy to get started as in a kit.

I am already pretty good at wood working (I think)

I do have a couple of 10/22 stocks to practice on (birch) but I could get the feel of walnut easy enough.


Cal30

I wouldnt start with a "soft" wood like birch. This will make checkering more difficult. Some old walnut stocks or flat pieces would be a better choice imho.

If you're a woodworker then maybe you have a wood turning lathe.....make a trucker friend a few tire thumpers out of walnut, maple, cherry, etc and practice checkering them as practice on a flat board isn't quite the same as on something like a forend!

I'd recommend you do a couple small patterns on a flat peice of walnut just to get a feel for the tools and see how deep you need to cut to make a nice pointed diamond.
Then practicing on something rounded as Vapodog mentioned is a good idea. Curved surfaces are a new ballgame.
But learn to walk before you run.........................DJ

Do you recommend any particular brands of tools?
I see Midway has a couple of starter kits to get a guy started.


Cal30

I prefer the Gunline cutting heads but thats just a personal preference.
I think that instead of buying a set you might be better off buying a few full veiw handles and individual cutting heads.
If I were starting over I'd buy 3 full veiw handles (brownells brand) and a single 90deg, a double 90deg, a triple 90deg (in 20 or 22 lpi) and a jointer to straighten lines.
If you want to do mullered borders you can add more later.......................DJ

Check out the prices of new stuff at Brownells to get a reference point, then go to eBay and see what is up for auction and place a bid. Trouble with eBay is the used stuff could be dull so go for the unused tools if possible.

Here is a blank for checkering made from scraps of walnut for the students at TJSC. You could cut several checkering patterns on this by sanding down the first and recut another. The machine is my design and students built the machine in 1993. This was a project which students got paid to make for the school. Until that time there wasn't a stock duplicator in the school. It was still being used a couple of years ago.

[IMG:left] [/IMG]

No expert here but I started by recutting existing checkering on a few guns I had before starting on blank wood. I recut factory machine made checkering and even cut one that was originally impressed.

It gave me a feel for the tools with out having to think about layout, that came later and was it's own set of headaches.