When I first started checkering a few years ago, I cobbled together a simple cradle using pine wood scraps for practice pieces. It was retrofitted some to accommodate for finished stocks and it did get the job done, but required a lot of adjusting and tweaking and patience in the process too. I said over and over again that I'd eventually make a new one but other work was getting in the way and the old one could still work, but now that I am sufficiently fed up with the old cradle I decided to finally turn the design I'd been mulling over in my head into an improved cradle. Here it is.





The stock is held at both ends by heavy duty ball joints that allow for rotation without fore-and-aft movement. I made a curved block for the butt to seat against that is fixed to the ball joint and covered with a couple layers of drawer friction padding that protects the existing butt and holds it in place too- the stock refuses to move once tightened up. The fore-end is held via a 1/2" steel rod that attaches to the other ball joint thanks to a long coupling nut threaded for the 3/8-24 ball joint stub with the other end drilled out to fit the rod, which I epoxied together. A 1/4" hole drilled in the other end of the rod accepts a screw fitted through the front takedown screw hole in the stock, which is held firmly together once screwed together against the rod. Plastic and metal bushings on the rod keep it centered in the barrel channel and free floating too, so the rod does not contact the stock. The ball joint at the butt end is fixed in place but the knob and wing nut holding the ball joint at the fore-end in place allow me to adjust for varying lengths from stock to stock and also tighten the thing in place. I hold the wing nut in place while cranking on the knob and as the stock is secured tight to the rod, it puts pressure against the butt end. This is cradle design 2.2 because the original I drew up for #2 involved a mounted bearing that didn't allow for the stock to rotate on whatever axis it wants like it can being held between two ball joints.

Another improvement over the old cradle is the swivel base I installed. Previously I had to undo the vise, pick up and rotate the cradle 180 degrees, and tighten it up again if I wanted to rotate the stock- the ability to spin the cradle around with ease now is just awesome. It uses a basic lazy-susan style swivel plate with ball bearings and 8 indents to hold it in place at every 45 degrees of rotation. A flaw I discovered is how the swivel base can become a pivot point and cause the cradle to see-saw but I found a scrap block that fits perfectly between the clamping piece and the cradle, eliminating movement.

Here's the rod in the fore-end and screw occupying the takedown screw hole in the stock to secure it to the rig.



Adjustable fore-end side. There's nothing obstructing access to the stock around the fore-end tip like the old cradle did, which made finishing the checkering at the tip a challenge.



Butt end with the padded block- I attached it to the ball joint offset and not centered so it would want to rotate closest to the bore line axis, but you still have lots of room to adjust for different stock dimensions.



I may very well make some changes to this cradle again, but in the meantime I'm happy. Since the lumber came from a loafing shed loft on my grandparents dairy farm the only signicant cost out of my wallet was hardware ordered from McMaster-Carr (most expensive parts were the ball joints) but it took longer than I wanted to build as I had to revise the design after the first parts came in. Worth it though, since I am a lot more confident using this cradle now and feel it shows already.


side note: that is Australian walnut and is cutting like a dream at 24 lpi.

For reference here's some of the old cradle, using a 1/4" bolt at the butt end (which required drilling a hole in the stock) and cut up racquetball and duct tape at the other end.



Red Green would be proud, though I don't miss this rig at all.

Evan- I've never done checkering, but can sure appreciate the work-holding challenges. You have done a masterful job!

You can see why I'm anxious to get it in my hands. The stock, not the cradle.

Who is that guy laying on the floor?

quote:

Originally posted by lindy2:
Who is that guy laying on the floor?

Quality control - He does all the Lab work.

Good one Frank!

Thank you Doug!

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:

quote:

Originally posted by lindy2:
Who is that guy laying on the floor?

Quality control - He does all the Lab work.

Haha yes he does.



I got Buck when he was 1 1/2 old and since he's been a great hunting buddy, shop dog, and all around good boy. Gets along well with my fiancee too, otherwise we'd have issues.

I might just as well ask: Just what are the design constraints and ideals for a good checkering cradle? What exactly do you want in one, and what don't you want in one?

Some really great points in this one. I plan on copying them in my next cradle which looks like it will be soon.

The whole ball joint/rod idea is great!

quote:

Originally posted by lindy2:
I might just as well ask: Just what are the design constraints and ideals for a good checkering cradle? What exactly do you want in one, and what don't you want in one?

I'll preface this by saying the experience and talent I have is a drop in the bucket compared to others here, so take my words with that grain of salt. In addition, I like to checker finished stocks versus bare wood but I know of some who prefer the opposite and do great work. I also would rather use a cradle too but am aware of some that just rest the stock against a padded bench and get great results that way. So... the point is there's other ways of getting this work done that are effective too and this is just my way so far.

Here's what I think the cradle needs to do, in a perfect world, for holding a bolt action (or similar) stock:

-Allow for smooth 360 degree rotation of the stock around the bore axis
-Allow access to both ends of the stock so you can cut starting facing either end of the patterns.
-Restrict any movement fore-and-aft
-Accommodate for stocks of different dimensions (length, drop, cast-off, etc)
-Be rigid enough to mitigate vibrations and other movement.
-Be at the right height for the user so you can sit or stand comfortably while using the cradle, to accommodate for eyesight and avoid back pain.

Ideally it should allow for full access to the entire surface of the stock too and not cover anything up, which my old cradle didn't do as the fore-end tip was supported by a rubber cup that made it difficult to checker near the fore-end tip. Plus it should be able to hold a finished stock without removing the butt pad/plate or modifying the stock too. In a truly perfect world the cradle would checker the stock for me and give me a back massage afterwards anyways but you can't always get what you want.

quote:

Originally posted by drhall762:
Some really great points in this one. I plan on copying them in my next cradle which looks like it will be soon.

The whole ball joint/rod idea is great!

Go for it, and good luck!

Very impressive!

"Allow for smooth 360 degree rotation of the stock around the bore axis
-Allow access to both ends of the stock so you can cut starting facing either end of the patterns.
-Restrict any movement fore-and-aft
-Accommodate for stocks of different dimensions (length, drop, cast-off, etc)
-Be rigid enough to mitigate vibrations and other movement.
-Be at the right height for the user so you can sit or stand comfortably while using the cradle, to accommodate for eyesight and avoid back pain.

Ideally it should allow for full access to the entire surface of the stock too and not cover anything up"


Interestingly, I do a lot of fixturing for assembly operations and these are pretty much the same challenges. They are universal in nearly all workholding situations- providing security, flexibility and access all at the same time, and they are often at odds with one another.

I'd say you've done a really good job at tackling all these challenges. Again, kudos!

I would add the total weight of the assembly is important.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Kobe:
I would add the total weight of the assembly is important.

Thanks Jim and I agree, there's a reason I didn't make cradle #2 out of pine again.