Help cutting buttstock

[cabezaverde]

I need to take about 3/8" off a buttstock for a Marlin. Any ideas on how to accomplish that with a table saw?

[C A Plater]

Best done with a jig or some shims to keep the butt plumb and square while cutting along with a fine tooth carbine blade like for cabinet work. Use masking tape to help keep the wood from splintering and lay out your cut line. Most use a disk sander to clean up the saw cut and reshape the butt plate/pad. I have a 12" one just for such tasks but a 4" belt will work if you have one as well as the hand tool method of files and sanding blocks. Measure twice, cut once.

[Denver]

I've done this on my table saw by building a sled for the workpiece to ride on. Start with a piece of 1/4 plywood big enough to lay the stock on. Cut a wood strip of width and depth that will fit the miter slot. Cut it so it will slide thru the slot without binding or being sloppy. Lay the strip in the slot with a little Elmers glue on it. Lay the plywood piece over the strip with one edge slightly past the saw slot. Using small brads, fasten the two together. With the blade in the saw that you're going to use (preferably a fine tooth carbide blade) to cut the stock, start the saw and trim the edge of the sled. This gives you a guide to use for cutting the workpiece exactly where you want to make the cut. Because the stock has few or no flat/square surfaces, you will need to do some blocking and shimming to hold it on the sled. I've used modeling clay for shimming. Mark the stock where you want to cut it and lay it on the sled with the marks lined up with the cut edge of the sled. Start blocking and shimming to hold it so it won't move. Check the butt end with a square to be sure it is at right angles to the table, and have at it.

Good luck :-D :-D

[cabezaverde]

Just found out a buddy has a power miter saw. Does that help make this any easier?

[Denver]

Just found out a buddy has a power miter saw. Does that help make this any easier?

The key to your success with this is being able to hold the stock so the cut can be made. As with any machine operation, preparation is as important as anything. If you can come up with a way to hold the workpiece, then the miter saw will probably work.

[LGS]

I cut the stock on both my Marlins 444 and 45-70 useing a power miter-box saw. Make sure the angle cut is on 0 and hold the top of the stock against the rail, tightly. I drew a lind were I wanted to cut and cut with the blade touching the line on the butt end. If you cut on the line it will take a little more off the length. The miter box saw is the best for this work. The blades are made for cross cuts and you move the blade and not the stock Gives you a better cut. Hope this helps.

[garandsrus]

cabezaverde,

I think you would be get a better cut with the tablesaw and a sled. In my experience they produce a more accurate cut than the miter saw. It's also much easier to control the rate of feed for the cut on the table saw. The miter saw tends to "grab" the wood and pull itself down.

Either way, you do want to use a carbide blade with a bunch of teeth (80 is about the highest) to get a smooth chip free cut. If you are taking off 3/8", you might want to make a test cut on the stock by taking off 3/16" or so. That way you can evaluate the quality of the cut and still have room to re-cut if a change is needed.

The masking tape that C A Plater mentioned should be wrapped around the entire butstock. The cut you are making will go through the masking tape and stock. The tape helps to keep the stock finish from getting chipped. It also helps protect the stock finish while you are sanding the recoil pad. Take it off when you are done!

John

[stocker]

I do 10 to 20 of these a month so claim some practice. Take your stock as it is less original buttplate. Shim it so when you put a try square on the saw table up against the end of the butt the butt is square to the blade of the try square. Tape the shims in place with masking tape and re-check for square.

You can set the angle of cut with your sliding mitre.

Cut it a bit long in case of grain tear and I use an 80 tooth 10" carbide blade to minimize that happening.

I replace the blade with a 10 " sanding disc, 100grit and finish it to length again using the sliding mitre.

Old screw holes should be drilled out clean and filled with sections of dowel epoxied in place if the holes no longer match the spacing of the holes in the pad. Cut and sand the dowels flush with the butt.

Redrill and install your buttplate or pad. Measure to the center of the butt top and bottom (from side to side) and draw a center line before marking and drilling as some factory stocks come drilled off center. Not often but it happens so don't depend on the old holes as a guide. Measure the holes in the butt/pad to determine hole spacing and mark them on your center line.

If you are installing a pad check it for straightness against a straight edge. If bent you can boil it in water a few minutes and form it back straight by clamping it lightly against a flat surface and allowing it to cool.

Sand to fit with the disc, belt or hand sander making sure to maintain correct angles. Should take about an hour or a bit less including time for quick cure epoxy to set around the dowels.