Inletting Boyds blank

[DaleH]

I have set up a Christmas Break project for myself as I plan to inlet a Boyds laminated blank for an old Model 12 Slazenger I have (keeping everything else original and saving the old stock for re-fitment later if required) to make it look "modern" for the kids to shoot!. The rifle is hardly used and as per most on-line comments, shoots straight and true so I thought I should get some use out of it.

I have a reasonable set of wood working tools including a router so I was planning on building a router guide / jig and doing a 90% inlet with that and then finish off with chisels and scrapers. I will do a trial run on some laminated beam timber to see how the laminated material effects the router etc.

any hints or tips besides the obvious:
"give it to someone else to do"
"be prepared to take a looonnngg time"
and "measure twice cut once"
or from the Lithgow fans "don't change a good thing"

[Aster]

You should be able to do it all with just a good set of chisels if you don't might doing slow and steady.

Best method I know is to get some stock maker screws so you can mount the action above the stock and screw down the action into the wood.

Before you screw it down paint the bottom/sides of the action with a marking compound, and screw it down so the action marks the stock with the compound.

Then screw it out, chisel away where marked then repeat.

[DaleH]

Sounds like a plan - this Lithgow has only one hold down screw so I may have to pick another point that I can attach some sort of guide screw else I would run the risk of going askew at some stage.
I have found a router bit that is 1-2mm undersize so I can rough out the barrel channel and breach with that first - using a series of jigs so everything is square - and then use the stock screws to help keep everything true as I take out the last mm or so.

[Lorgar]

Are you going to bed it? Or hoping to avoid that?

If you make plans for bedding it, that will obviously give you a bit more of a margin of error as you can fill in anywhere you chisel out too far.

Just a thought depending on which way you want to go.

[DaleH]

If I am really good, the plan was not to bed it - likely that I will as I am sure I am not "really good" . The main bits I will be focusing on are the metal / wood joints - making sure that they are consistent in gap (barrel) and tight where required (trigger guard etc). Bedding the action and up to just past the hold down bolt was part of the overall plan to get a good result.

[Lorgar]

If I am really good, the plan was not to bed it

Fair enough.

Just a thought and an extra option in case something's a little off

[Press]

Bedding the action and up to just past the hold down bolt was part of the overall plan to get a good result.

Any reason you don't just do the lot?

Couldn't hurt. Could help.

[Yelp]

Best method I know is to get some stock maker screws so you can mount the action above the stock and screw down the action into the wood.

Before you screw it down paint the bottom/sides of the action with a marking compound, and screw it down so the action marks the stock with the compound.

That's the way.

If you've got the patience to do it bit by bit you shouldn't go wrong with the above.

Just don't get impatient and rush it

[DaleH]

I think you are right(Yelp & Press):
1. Plan to bed action
2. take my time - if its not done within my break, it will still be done sooner than if I had to order a new stock.

Very wise words, you guys done this before???

[DaleH]

Just an update guys,

I have inletted the stock and will test fir the coming weekend. I will bed the action after I have test fired the rifle as is.
Attached are the before and after photos prior to the stock being oiled.

original.jpg (127.36 KiB) Viewed 6536 times

finished before oil 2.jpg (216.5 KiB) Viewed 6536 times

[Humir]

Real nice mate.

Which boyds stock is that exactly?

Interesting looking grip and semi-heavy foregrip?

[reddog]

Good job mate , definitely looks a bit different to the Lithgow original.

Is that a modified Hills hoist you have for a front rest ?

[Tinked]

That's going to look awesome once it's oiled.

[DaleH]

Hahaha - front rest is an old screw type car jack - nice and solid, adjustable and best of all - free.

The stock is a Boyds blaster - I purchased it as an unfinished stock so I could do the inletting for the lithgow - for some reason they don't do inletting for one......

Minor mods required to the stock was a removal of a hump at the rear of the receiver end (this is there to blend in with the receiver of the 10/22 they normally do these for i think ) and to cur out some of the meat around the trigger / magazine area as this area was very deep (~ 15 mm removed).
The trigger guard is a bit rough but will look better once painted black. The lithgow one wont fit so I made a two piece one out of some aluminium extrusion - actually some corrugated fins off a heat soak recovered from an old plasma TV - This will be a later day replacement job

Kids reckon it looks "like a real rifle" now.

Oiled stock half completed is below - another coat should do it - using Tru-oil which is easy to apply - only disappointment is that the timber came out a bit darker than I originally wanted but looks reasonable anyway.

oiled stock.jpg (188.69 KiB) Viewed 6529 times

[Rakk]

Kids reckon it looks "like a real rifle" now.

Ha ha.

The kids must have some real realistic looking nerf guns in the toy box

[Humir]

The stock is a Boyds blaster

Cheers.

[DaleH]

Project update - I assembled the finished stock last night. Not bad for a 1950's rifle

finished 1.jpg (174.99 KiB) Viewed 6323 times

[DaleH]

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=718

FYI the above link is to the forum page where I placed the build story.

I will take the rifle out this weekend hopefully and see how it shoots - will then go through the bedding process.

[lole]

Looking good Dale