Cutting down a mil surp stock and ensuring that the cut is square and no angles.

[samari46]

I have a couple stocks and forends that need to have cuts on them and I want the cuts square with the stock and do not want any angles. I have a chop saw with a 60 tooth blade and a an old saw table combination where you put a piece of wood in clamp it down and the saw rides inbetween two upright poles with guides on the front and back so basically the saw blade runs true.As usual any help or comments. One forend is for a BSA single shot 22rf target rifle.The end towards the action the cut is neither true 90 angle and the cut is angled off to one side. If you are familiar with these rifles the gaps are apparent. Frank

[Bazoo]

I personally would use a different blade, a freud tk806 is my blade of choice. Basically a 10" 80 tooth that burnishes. The freud Diablo 80 tooth is similar and acceptable.

Anyways, if you don't know, you should cover the stock in masking tape where the cut line will be, it will reduce or eleminate splintering. As per getting it square, bout the only way is eyeball it.

[gnoahhh]

I use a couple 10" mitre saws and the blades mentioned above are good ones. I only use 60 tooth blades for rough work. But, I also have a dandy 12" disc sander and that is what gets the nod for final truing of an end cut.

[JimB..]

For your BSA I’m afraid that trying to nibble it square with a chop saw carries significant risk that you’ll make the situation worse. I would tackle this problem with a file and some 80 grit sandpaper on a sanding block.

[SSGOldfart]

For your BSA I’m afraid that trying to nibble it square with a chop saw carries significant risk that you’ll make the situation worse. I would tackle this problem with a file and some 80 grit sandpaper on a sanding block.

You might want to are a rasp to the above mix and take it slow with all.

[truckjohn]

Almost nothing on a regular rifle stock is square or easy to chop.

As others here are saying - you are better off chalk fitting with hand tools it to get rid of gaps

[JimB..]

If we’re going to introduce files and rasps, better share a bit of technique. When cutting end grain always try to cut supported fibers. If you cut from the outside of the piece of wood towards the center, the fibers are supported. If you cut away from the piece of wood the outside fibers are unsupported and you’ll likely tear away chunks of wood creating a bigger problem.

I doubt that you have a rasp, but if you go looking you’ll come across another tool called a micro plane. They cut very fast, probably too fast for this job. If you try just remember to cut supported fibers.

I have a ton of tools, and I’d expect to start and finish this project with a sanding block.

[Dan Cash]

Use our chop saw and the finest cut blade available. Select a dowel rod slightly larger than the barrel channel and tape it in place so it extends a couple inches each side of the cut line. Wrap a couple layers of tape over the desired cut line and mark the line. Place the dowel against the saw fence and cut.

[Wayne Smith]

If using a chop saw you will have to support the end of the stock so you have a 90 degree angle to cut. Otherwise the stock, being tapered and not square, will end up with an angled cut. This will have to be laid out, every stock will have a slightly different taper.

[LAGS]

I made a Long Wooden Miter Box with both 90 degree and Angle cuts to cut both the stock and nose caps to match.
I use a Hand Back saw to do the cutting and finish the pieces off with a sanding block.
I place the stock in the Miter box, and shim it and clamp it so the cut ends up Square both directions then clamp it in for the cut.
Yea, I am OLD School.
But it has worked for 30 years, so why buy power equipment when I only do a few stocks with Nose Caps a year.

[RED BEAR]

I have had pretty good luck using a miter box and fine hand saw i just buy a dowel to approximate the barrel and line that up instead of stock as most stocks have a taper.

[country gent]

The barrel channel is about the closest to true on a rifle stock A wood dowel taped or bolted in and used for alignment with a level. a long stock inletting screw used to hold dowel in channel that sticks out will give the other axis. A small level on the dowel and stock screw will get them very close then clamp to fence solid and check alignment. cut slowly and carefully. A layer of masking tape with a deep knife cut on edge of cut saves a lot of splintering.

[KCSO]

Use a deck of cards to level the stock for the cuts. Add or subtract cards till the stock is square.

[pietro]

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I cut wood stock forends (front & rear) in a miter box with the barrel channel "down" on a flat surface that's squared to the cutting blade.

I use sacrificial tapered cedar house shingles on the sides of the FE to ensure that it's also squared to the C/L of the barrel channel.

The angle, in relation to the barrel, should come out correct every time.

The angle @ the rear of a forend would have to match that of the receiver face against which it will abut - especially if the face of the receiver was specially coutoured out of square as a design feature.





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[samari46]

Do have a electric miter saw with a 60 tooth blade. As well as the hand miter saw. Someone years back posted a jig he made up where the barrel channel was face down on a jig he made up with the center top of the forend was laid out with a straight line facing towards where the cut was to be made and used tapered wood wedges (or the tapered wood shingle wedges) and the line mated up with a corresponding line on the jig. Getting back to the BSA forend, looks to be cut down from another forend. And the section that faces the front of the receiver does not come up square with the face of the receiver. Only needs about 1/4" taken off and I can make up a dutchman doweled and glued in place. Not a wood worker by any means but can do something like this. Gotta see what pieces of walnut I have in my small stash. Never ran across a 10" miter saw blade with anything more than 60 teeth. Thanks to all of you who took the time to respond to my post. Your comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Frank

[LAGS]

This stock was Sectioned on A Miter Box with a Hand Saw.
The forend was cracked and Greese soaked, so I just replaces it with a piece of maple.
It is a Mosin nagant stock that I sporterizes since it could not be restored in the condition it was in.

[samari46]

Bazoo, where would I get one of the TK 806 80 tooth 10" blades?. I have an el cheapo table saw that I could make up a jig using the channels in the bed for alignment made up of wood to fit the channels and glued and screwed and take a cut so that the edge closest to the blade is square.

LAGS, very nice joints. Have a couple stocks that were done years ago. One of which was a 1917 enfield stock. Higher comb,pistol grip and was made for a '17 with the straightened trigger guard. Got it for nothing except all my '17's have the standard trigger guard. And while I'm at it what do you all use for glues?. I have Elmer's wood glue and that is the only adhesive which I have experience with. Frank

[LAGS]

@ Samari 46
This stock was actually glued up with Elmers wood Glue.
But a lot of my stocks I do with Epoxy Died Black or White with washer spacers to give a White or Black line separation between the two different woods.
This stock was Salvaged and reshaped to be used as a pattern to run on a Stock Duplicator.
But even glued with Elmers, this stock is currently being used on a 1891 Mosin Hex receiver rifle, and has held up really good.
I also make wood blocks with holes in them that fit inside my Mitre Box, to use as drilling Fixtures to be able to use the old cleaning rod hole as a place to Dowel the two pieces together on Military Stocks.
For installing a nose cap on New stocks, I use two 3" drywall screws threaded into the stock, the head is then cut off leaving a threaded stud about 3/4" long .
Then the nose cap is drilled for a slip fit over the studs, and then the cap is epoxied on.
The slip fit on the studs gives you a little alignment wiggle room.
The epoxy fills in the space around the threads and works like rebar keeping the nose cap in place forever.

[onelight]

If your saws have the depth of cut you need You could build a jig on a piece of plywood with a straight edge that will go against the fence on the saw. You can then attach blocks to the plywood with 2 sided carpet tape and nails or screws to the plywood to hold the stock in place . You have the fence side to measure from to give you a reference line to square the cut with the barrel channel, a piece shaped to position the barrel channel would be attached centered on the line.
Make the plywood base longer than than the miter saw base so a stop can be attached to the bottom to repeatably position the the jig on the saw , the bottom of the other end can be shimmed to set the angle of the vertical cut.
This sounds a lot more complicated than it is the cut angle is set with the piece in the barrel channel and the shims under one end of the jig the rest is just to stabilize while you make the cut.
Is this clear as mud.

[gnoahhh]

Rule of thumb: it often takes a lot more time to create a jig or a fixture in order to make one precise cut than it takes to actually make the cut. Welcome to the world of precision joinery.

Good quality 10" blades are offered by all the major woodworking stores. Google is your friend.