What's on the bench

[freakonaleash]

I've been working on this forever. Lehigh rifle in .44 with a swamped 43 1/4" Hoyt barrel, Chambers lock. The wood is super hard piece that Freddie harrison cut. Stump cut 1/4 sawn sugar maple. Hope to have this wrapped up in the next week or two. These pics were taken a few weeks ago, there is alot more carving on it now. The carving isn't cleaned up yet in these photos. Weighs 6.5lbs.
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[swheeler]

That is going to be nice and I love maple! :drinks:

[hawkenhunter50]

Real nice work. Make sure to show the whole rifle once finished.

[cub45]

You got all the best parts.

[waksupi]

Looking good. I keep thinking I should build another gun, but still have some I need to sell. I don't NEED another, but that shouldn't stop a person.

[Lead pot]

Looking good. I keep thinking I should build another gun, but still have some I need to sell. I don't NEED another, but that shouldn't stop a person.


I been saying that for at least 40 years :lol::lol::lol:

[RU shooter]

Beautiful carving ! Wish I had 1%of your talent to do that . I tried once on a scrap piece of wood and looked like a kindergarten kids art project ! Hahaha I didn't try again

[Lead pot]

I tried carving a stock once and ended up making another. It takes talent to that kind of work. I think I followed the wood grain the wrong way.
If you could I would like to see some of the tools you use and the pattern layout's. Are you making the patterns first on brass sheets or draw them freehand?

[Bull-Moose]

Excited to see the finished carvings.

[freakonaleash]

I tried carving a stock once and ended up making another. It takes talent to that kind of work. I think I followed the wood grain the wrong way.
If you could I would like to see some of the tools you use and the pattern layout's. Are you making the patterns first on brass sheets or draw them freehand?
Take a look at the sweeps and gouges in the woodcraft cataloge, a have about a dozen or more that I stab the carving in with and then remove the background with a flat chisel. I usually draw the pattern free hand on the stock or I draw the pattern on paper and then transfer it to the stock. you can see one of my patterns on paper laying on the bench in the first pic.

[freakonaleash]

Excited to see the finished carvings.

I had planned to put on the stain today but to many other things came up and got in the way. The carving is all done now, maybe tomorrow will be stain day.

[Lead pot]

I Had a uncle that was an artiest working for Hallmark. He drew a lot the artwork for the cards and he also did china plates sort of like the Rockwell collections and he used a ( I think a fine oiled carbon grease pencil) and he would draw out what he wanted on paper and rub a spoon over the paper to transfer the drawing on the plate then paint it and put it in a electric kiln to fire it. I tried this on a wood stock but it did not work like he used to do his work. I have gouges and chisels but they are not the quality that woodcraft has. I just cant get them sharp enough.
Please post the photo's when you get it finished.

[rfd]

I can absolutely appreciate those who can artistically carve wood. My father could, his avocation was working with wood and carving was his specialty that won him awards. However, I've never really taken to carvings on the stocks of any guns. It's like art on top of art, where the lines of the gun and the wood genus used are the prime art. So I'd rather see effectively nice wood grain, specially if it's popped out a bit with aqua fortis under a resin based oil finish. I built a Kibler .54 Colonial kit and went overboard with acquiring tiger stripe maple wood grain. Even without carving, that was a tad overboard and dripping with bling. Too much for me in overall weight, too. Sold the gun. It's all good, to each their own, as it should be. Looking forward to the forthcoming Kibler smoothbore around the Summer or Fall of next year ... I hope ... no tiger stripe maple, either. :)

Gone, but not entirely forgotten ...

https://i.imgur.com/OJylbBB.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/aU9MDeK.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/FVWgtqp.jpg

[freakonaleash]

I can absolutely appreciate those who can artistically carve wood. My father could, his avocation was working with wood and carving was his specialty that won him awards. However, I've never really taken to carvings on the stocks of any guns. It's like art on top of art, where the lines of the gun and the wood genus used are the prime art. So I'd rather see effectively nice wood grain, specially if it's popped out a bit with aqua fortis under a resin based oil finish. I built a Kibler .54 Colonial kit and went overboard with acquiring tiger stripe maple wood grain. Even without carving, that was a tad overboard and dripping with bling. Too much for me in overall weight, too. Sold the gun. It's all good, to each their own, as it should be. Looking forward to the forthcoming Kibler smoothbore around the Summer or Fall of next year ... I hope ... no tiger stripe maple, either. :)

Gone, but not entirely forgotten ...

https://i.imgur.com/OJylbBB.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/aU9MDeK.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/FVWgtqp.jpg

The colonial Kibler kit is best had in .58. It weighs 9lbs in that caliber. I have handled some of these in .50 and .54 and they are too heavy for me.

[Lead pot]

Nothing wrong with that tiger stripe. I made plain maple look like that by drawing the stripes with Paraffin wax before staining the wood.

[rfd]

The colonial Kibler kit is best had in .58. It weighs 9lbs in that caliber. I have handled some of these in .50 and .54 and they are too heavy for me.

In .58 it would have saved me only 4 ounces or so. I've gone back to my original preference - smoothbores - mo' bettah @ 6-1/2lbs or so. Plus, ain't too much a .62 can't do on the Norte American hunt with its patched heavy balls, or a load of buckshot, or scattershot for fowl or skwerls. No wonder it was the most prolific and ubiquitous firearm of our 18th Colonial century.

https://i.imgur.com/F3EvOlE.jpg

[samari46]

Have an old Fine Wood Working magazine around here about sharpening chisels and plane blades. Once you get the chisel or plane blade sharpened you do what they call a micro bevel. Only has to be about 1/32 nd wide on your already sharp blade. Sort of a double edge. Don't know if that makes sense. Lets say you have set the angle of your sharpening guide (I use one sold by sears that holds the chisel or plane blade) at 25 degrees and have the whole blade sharp. Now with the blade still in the guide raise it about 5 degrees. Lightly stroke the blade until you see another even cutting edge on your blade. That's what they call a micro bevel. I do my sharpening using stones. Also it helps to stone the back of either chisel or plane blade as they are not usually flat as they come from the factory. They may look it though. Hope this helps. Frank

[freakonaleash]

Should have it finished today. The carving disapeared after I stained it. Going to have to rub the stain out a bit.

[freakonaleash]

It's done now!
HARD sugar maple stock with a 44 3/8" Hoyt .44 swamped barrel. 7/8" at the breech , 5/8 at the waist and flared to 13/16" at the muzzle. Chambers lock. My brass. Weighs 6 3/4lbs, 13 3/16" pull. I stabbed in all the carving except for the incised which I did with a V tool. Stabbing is nifty, ended up in super low relief, probably less than 1/64". Carving is hard to see well behind the cheek piece, gets lost in the curl. The box stopped me cold for a couple weeks just studying how to do it.
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[godzilla]

Is Freddie Harrison still selling stock wood?

[hawkenhunter50]

It's done now!
HARD sugar maple stock with a 44 3/8" Hoyt .44 swamped barrel. 7/8" at the breech , 5/8 at the waist and flared to 13/16" at the muzzle. Chambers lock. My brass. Weighs 6 3/4lbs, 13 3/16" pull. I stabbed in all the carving except for the incised which I did with a V tool. Stabbing is nifty, ended up in super low relief, probably less than 1/64". Carving is hard to see well behind the cheek piece, gets lost in the curl. The box stopped me cold for a couple weeks just studying how to do it.
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Very nicely done. I am envious of the skill and the rifle. Good job, thanks for sharing.

[Lead pot]

Nice, very nice.
Now lets darken the bore and look at the holes through the paper :D

[tnlonghunter]

Beautiful rifle! I love the Lehigh lines.

Is that barrel by Bobby Hoyt? If so, what did it set you back -feel free to PM if you'd rather not say in a public space. I'm kicking around a couple of different rifle ideas, one if which is a smaller caliber barrel for a rather short (34") flintlock I've got.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

[freakonaleash]

Is Freddie Harrison still selling stock wood?

His son-in-law is. I bought 8 blanks from him a month ago.

[freakonaleash]

Nice, very nice.
Now lets darken the bore and look at the holes through the paper :D

As soon as it gets above 40! Probaly this weekend.

[freakonaleash]

Beautiful rifle! I love the Lehigh lines.

Is that barrel by Bobby Hoyt? If so, what did it set you back -feel free to PM if you'd rather not say in a public space. I'm kicking around a couple of different rifle ideas, one if which is a smaller caliber barrel for a rather short (34") flintlock I've got.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

It seems everything I get from Hoyt these days is $300 + shipping. No matter what length or profile. He makes great barrels.