The Home Machinist!

I just bought used mill, a RF-45. I'm thinking it might be the ticket for inletting stocks. tips? thx

Your first problem will be a method to hold the blanks. A semi-inletted stock would be even harder to hold.

I've done 2 or 3 semis already by hand, I would finish all stocks that way. There is a saying" Little mistakes slowly". But the hogging out, would be machine work. I was thinking of using a big plunge router, a jig, and templates. The templates would be slow work with a file. I have Mauser'98s, a M-70, Savage 110s barreled actions and blanks.These are just for me. I'm not interested in doing other guys rifles, though I have been asked to do stock work.

I've done a 10/22 and a CZ 455 stock (From blanks)in my mill. Measure twice, cut once, both came out very nice.

The best tip is, clean up your dust at the end of the day. It sucks the oil right off the machines and holds moisture like crazy.

I would not use a mill for the task, as it would be painfully slow. Instead, I would use the mill to build a sliding table that would guide an uncut blank around a router bit, which would be mirrored by a plastic stand in bit on a mirrored machine. The table is one single thing, but with two routers side by side, one running a cutting bit, the other a dull guide bit.
Have a good solid look at the machines on the American Precision Museum website. These were used to build the muskets of the Union army, and may inspire your design. There is a lock inletting machine pictured there that is worth a thousand of my jumbled words.

I do it this way. I will post more photos if requested.



Disclaimer: Nope, I am not in any form of business for making gunstocks. I only work on my personal guns.

SilveradoHauler wrote:I do it this way. I will post more photos if requested.



Disclaimer: Nope, I am not in any form of business for making gunstocks. I only work on my personal guns.

Nice Copy Router setup!
I'd certainly like to see some more,

- Nick

A couple photos below. I have tons of photos and a word document describing how it works. I will put it up if requested. This thing weights around 2000 pounds and is very accurate.

That is indeed a nice copy router. Is that home brewed or were you able to find plans somewhere?
When I was at the Colorado School of Trades, I used the vertical mill to inlet the receiver portion of a stock for a M88 Winchester and the other students thought I was "cheating". But it came out far better and faster than if I had blued and scraped for days. (The M88 lever gun had a long flat sided receiver for those of you who have forgotten.)
--earlgo

The NorthStar Master Carver is a commercial made unit designed for the furniture industry. It is a very robust and accurate machine for continuous use in making furniture parts. Sadly it is no longer manufactured. The new cost was around $15,000. I "stole" this one for $1,200: It was owned by a woodcarver that no longer need it. The darn thing was under blue tarp behind a barn and was close to being unusable. Took a 20 hour round trip drive to go and pick it up. I gave it a rebuild, replaced all bearings and belts, sandblast and paint, total rewiring including new switches and controls. It works like a champ and in my opinion is a more accurate machine than most duplicators used by stock makers today.

A pantograph is easy enough to build as is a table to move the stock on. Routers are cheep. Something that would work for duplicating can be whipped up fairly easy. I had planned to put one together some time ago, and never got past the collection phase.

Of course a 1200 lb real machine is to die for. good on ya for the rescue of such a nice piece. Think of doing any carrosel horses?