What tools would I need to make a gun stock like this one?

[ryan.s]

Would it take massive amounts of hand carving? Is there an easier way it could be achieved? I'm guessing a spindle sander would be a must??

Thanks!

[scorrpio]

Lets see...
a bandsaw to cut out the general shape.
For most rough work, I'd say a high-end overarm router.
Like this: http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2007/Main/78
Finer details either hand-carved or with a rotary tool with a flex-shaft.
Finally, finishing it on a sander. Some parts will require hand-sanding.

[crokett]

Hmm....

A bandsaw will rough out the profile of a rectangular block and it can cut the rough shape of the grip with the finger pads. A forstner bit in your DP can hog out the hole for the trigger guard and the one above the grip. It can also clear most of the waste in the top of the stock where the barrel and chamber goes. A router and a curved jig could rough the curve in on the sides of the stock. After that probably a power carver in an angle grinder for the detail on the stock. Then a LOT of sanding and a couple rat tail files to get in the trigger guard.

[LCHIEN]

spindle sander probably not that much use. Being that it has two key attributes that you don't have need for. One is that it presents a sanding surface 90° to the table top (useful for edging flat objects with a vertically straight, curved edge). And two, that it oscillates so as not to make horizontal sanding lines on the edge being sanded.

[Tom Miller]

Would it take massive amounts of hand carving? Is there an easier way it could be achieved? I'm guessing a spindle sander would be a must??

Regarding just the spindle sander: I don't think you'd use the hard-spindle type, but maybe the inflatable sleeve type that conforms to curves in the axial direction.

Regards,
Tom

[Black wallnut]

The quickest way would be to take your stock blank and an existing stock to a stockmaker that has a 3D router set-up. If i was making one, not that I would, I'd use draw knife, spoke shave, planes, scrapers, chisels, drill bits to bore holes and a router to mill the barell and action channel. All final inletting would need to be done with chisels and scrapers. All sanding by hand using both blocks and dowels.

[JimD]

I made one crude stock I threw away and am thinking of making another. I am thus no expert. My second time, I will do all the inletting on a rectangular piece of wood and then start shaping it. If the inletting is not good, the stock is junk even if everything else is good. I think I can route out most of the wood for the inletting if the stock is rectangular.

Brownells has the most hand tools for stock making. Midwayusa.com has better prices. They sell scrapers for making the barrell groove. The 22 rifle I am thinking of making a stock for has a barrell that does not taper until after the stock so I may be able to just route the groove and then probably use sandpaper on a piece of dowel to make room for the glass bedding.

After the inletting is done, I will bandsaw to rough shape and then probably remove most of the rest of the wood with my big right angle sander or a sanding pad on my right angle grinder. Probably use 80 grit but I might even go coarser than that. I also have wood rasps, flat and curved, that will probably get used. I dremel type tool will be useful for some of the material (sanding primarily). If I skip the comb, I may not need carving tools.

I find flat wood work a lot easier. But I hate to spend the $100-200 or more they get for a roughed out stock blank. I should probably just order one from Richard Micro-fit but my other issue is I shoot left handed and they don't make their "tack-driver" stock for lefties.

Jim

[Jim Boyd]

I made one crude stock I threw away and am thinking of making another. I am thus no expert. My second time, I will do all the inletting on a rectangular piece of wood and then start shaping it. If the inletting is not good, the stock is junk even if everything else is good. I think I can route out most of the wood for the inletting if the stock is rectangular.

Definately the easier way to go

[Black wallnut]

BTW one of the reasons I would not make a stock of that design is it would be impossible to checker the finger groves! You can checker over a hill or through a valley but not both at once.