Stock Making index

Part 4 Inletting

Before we start the inletting for the Marauder action, I want to clean up the decorative cap. A scraper gets rid of the excess glue squeeze out, and the orbital sander easily levels the surfaces.




Now I can mark the grip and head to the band saw to complete all the cuts to reveal the final profile of the stock.






Using the Belt sander and the oscillating spindle sander, I remove all the saw blade marks and smooth the profile.






Next I want to remove the 5/16 of material on the top of the forearm. By starting the stock this way, I give the cheek a “head start” since the Marauder is such a tall gal. I remove the material on the band saw, and clean it up on the jointer.






Next I drill the holes for the manometer and the ¼-20 mounting stud. The manometer requires a 1 inch diameter hole. The mounting stud hole is first drilled with a ½ inch Forstner bit to a depth of ¾ inch, then completed with  9/32 drill.





The final step before beginning the inletting is to drill for the trigger hole and thumb hole. I use several Forstner bits to remove most of the material, and finish the shaping on the oscillating spindle sander.





The inletting for the air tube and trigger group is accomplished on the router table with the blank upside down, using a 1 ¼ inch core box bit and a 5/8 inch straight cutter. I check to make sure the fence is absolutely square. I don’t want the action sitting in the stock canted to one side. The fence is located to 1 3/16 inches from the center of the cutter, which is the center of the blank. I cut the inletting for the air tube in several passes, raising the bit after each pass. After the first pass with the core box bit, I check to be sure that I am in the center of the blank, and adjust the fence if necessary.







The trigger group requires a plunge cut with reference to start and stop lines scribed on the blank. The cut is made in several steps, raising the bit after each pass, and watching the reference marks carefully. The blank needs to be lowed and raised with the router running, while slight pressure is applied against the fence, Care must be taken when using this technique.





The last cut is made with a 3/8 spiral flute cutter which allows the trigger blade and safety to extend into the trigger hole. Again, a plunge cut is used.



The final test is to fit the action into the blank. We are good to go on these two.



In the next installment, we will begin the carving process.

Part 5 Shaping the Grip and Butt