Custom Stocking a Farquharson

Now that the client was satisfied with the work so far, I sent the pattern along with a lovely piece of English walnut off to be machined. All the dimensions were a bit large, but that's OK. It's easy to trim wood. I have never figured out how to grow wood back when something is undersized. This is a corollary of the "measure twice, cut once" rule of stock making.

Two weeks later the machined wood was returned. This is one of those defining moments for a custom stock maker. We have a pretty good idea what the machined stock is going to look like. But sometimes we're surprised. I was indeed surprised. The machined stock was even better than I thought it would be (see photo 13). This was important, as I suggested that the client purchase this stick over another that was his first choice. Now I knew he would be pleased.

It is always my preference when fitting a machined single shot stock to first fit the upper tang. Once that's done it is easier to fit the lower tang and get a water tight fit against the receiver. This is easy to do with actions that have removable lower tangs such as the Winchester 1885 and the Remington Rolling Block. The Farquharson however, has both tangs permanently attached to the receiver. So I simply turn the machined stock upside down, and then fit it to the upper tang.

This may seem a bit odd till you get used to it, then it seems quite natural. I fit the upper tang to the stock till it's about 1/8" short of touching the rearmost portion of the machined inletting.

There are a couple of things to look out for when fitting receivers with tangs. If the tang is untapered, the marking agent will rub off on the sides of the tang onto the wood as you slip the stock into place. You may be tempted to remove those spots. Don't! They might not be high spots. The marking agent can rub off if you have a good slip fit, which is what you want. If you remove them you will create gaps.

Unfortunately, there's no way I can better describe this. It takes experience and practice to know whether it's a high spot or a good slip fit. If you continue to remove marking agent you're probably creating gaps and you will later wonder how they got there. It's a good idea to stop every now and then and just think about what you're doing. Let your brain catch up with your hands. If the tang is tapered, as the upper tang is on the Farquharson, the same technique works. Of course it's important to remove the sliding safety to get it out of the way. Carefully fit the upper tang using the marking agent of choice. Lightly tap the wood toward the receiver as you go. Do not slam the stock too forcefully, you run the risk of splitting the stock as the tapered tang acts as a wedge. Also you run the risk of spreading the wood from the wedging action. You need to be aware of this, or you will again wind up with ugly, unprofessional looking gaps (and ruin a perfectly good piece of wood). I use a small clamp at the leading edge of the stock to keep the wood from wedging out. Turn the machined stock right side up. With the solid reference the top tang has given you, begin to fit the lower tang and tenons to the receiver. Try and fit, try and fit, each time scraping away the high marks as shown by the marking agent. Most people use a variety of scrapers to do this. I use the Dremel tool with a variety of rotary diamond and carbide rasps. The Dremel is handy, and fast, but if you're not used to it, CAUTION, it can get away from you and do all kinds of damage to your work.

When the lower tang is fitted so that the front of the stock is about 1/8" from home, turn your attention to fitting the tenons that fit into the mortices in the receiver. These tenons serve the purpose of keeping the stock from spreading apart behind the receiver. Remember that the wood is pretty thin along side of the wrists on most single shots. The Farquharson is no exception.

Since this Farquharson had a stock bolt added to it, I use it for the final fitting to get the stock up against the receiver as tight as I can. Warning. Don't use the stock bolt to force the stock home. You might split the stock. The stock bolt develops a lot of torque as you turn it up tight. Remember to go slowly. Stop and think. If you feel yourself getting tired, go on to another project, or take a break. Trying to get just a little more done is the way to ruination. Know your limits and stop when you have reached them.

When I'm satisfied that the stock is properly fitted, I clean up the action of accrued wood dust, debris, and marking agent. Ditto the wood. Then I liberally coat the receiver inside and out where it joins the wood, with Johnson's paste wax, preparatory to applying epoxy. It's a good idea to use modeling clay inside the receiver to prevent epoxy from getting places where you don't want it. Better safe than sorry. I butter the mortices for the tenons with epoxy so that everything will become super tight. Epoxy won't hide mistakes. But it will add considerable strength, and waterproofing in those places where it's most needed. I undercut the sides of the wood inside the tang inletting with a small rotary rasp to further add surface area for the epoxy to adhere to. You will see no evidence of epoxy on any of my stocks unless you disassemble the rifle.

After waiting 24 hours, remove the stock bolt and separate the wood from the action. This may take some doing as you have worked hard to make the fit as tight as possible. A rap or two with a mallet on the comb nose (protected by a piece of leather) will usually loosen the stock so you can pull it free.

Then carefully clean up excess epoxy that has oozed onto the wood with small rasps and abrasive paper. Clean out any and all epoxy that remains within the action now as well. You might as well find out now whether epoxy has gotten into places it shouldn't have (see photo 14).

This is the perfect time to fit the steel buttplate. Please, please don't use a recoil pad unless you're dealing with a big bore African gun. The steel buttplate looks ever so much better. Using a band saw I cut the rough outline of the buttplate a little longer than the length of pull (LOP). Then using the try and fit method with lipstick as the marking agent I begin the process of fitting the buttplate. As the buttplate nears being fully seated I drill the appropriate holes in the stock and use the stock screws to complete the job, pulling the buttplate tightly against the end of the butt until I have achieved a hairline fit. Again, I use epoxy under the butt plate to seal the wood. This is end grain and is likely to wick up moisture like a sponge if not well sealed. A well fitted buttplate is a mark of careful craftsmanship.

The next step is to use the receiver, and the steel buttplate as guide lines, to begin the final shaping of the stock. Even though the wood was machined from a pattern, in this case one specifically made for the Farquharson project, it was necessarily made somewhat oversize in order to allow for adjustment in the final fitting and shaping.

I begin with the receiver end and carefully rasp the side panels down to meet the metal. Remember, there is a protection tape on the receiver to prevent accidental marring of the steel. Work slowly and carefully until the rasp just begins to touch the protective tape. Take it slow. Don't forget to leave the slight flair to the side panels. It's a nice custom touch. Cautiously round off the rear of the panels being careful to keep the edges sharp and clean. Then begin the same process on each tang. Remember you don't want to change the basic shape of the side panels as you do this. Just follow the shape of the metal and make certain the lines continue to flow naturally into one another so nothing is jarring, or out of place.

Next, continue shaping along the lower tang to the front of the pistol grip. The PG serves as another layout line. Come right up to the PG cap, but try not to mar it with the rasp. As the bottom line of the wrist is complete, continue to work your way around the PG cap, rasping away excess wood. Be sure to carry the line of the PG cap up through the wrist so that you don't wind up with a swollen looking wrist. Remember it's supposed to be graceful looking! Be very careful as you work around the front edge of the pancake cheek piece. This requires care as there isn't much room to maneuver. This is where a good selection of files and rasps of various sizes and shapes is ideal. Among them should be a fair assortment with safe edges so that you don't cut into the cheek piece as you refine the shadow line.

When you're satisfied that you've gone just about as far as you can go in shaping the wrist and the area from the PG cap forward to the receiver, including the side panels, it's time to turn your attention to the rear end of the stock. Now begin the process all over again, this time using the steel butt plate as the outline. You might have anywhere from 1/16" to 1/8" of wood to remove. Don't think all you have to do is bring the wood down to the buttplate just adjacent to the buttplate. To properly shape the stock you must work the entire butt. In other words, if you choose to work the offside (the side opposite the cheekpiece side), use the rasp to work the entire side until you just barely touch the metal of the buttplate. Use a straight edge often to gauge your work. This can be a tedious process. But the only shortcut I know of is to use the coarsest rasps you can find. Be mindful that as you approach just touching the buttplate that you are not using a rasp that will leave gouges that can not be removed with finer cut rasps, and abrasive paper.

Now is a good time to work the line from the nose to the steel buttplate. Be sure this line is straight. Check your progress with a straight edge from time to time. Ditto for the line from the toe to the area immediately behind the PG where it joins the stock proper.

The off side is the easer side to do, even though you may be removing more wood than the on side. The cheekpiece side, requires a lot of patience and care. Begin by working the area behind the cheek piece down as close to the metal as you are comfortable with. You are working across the grain here, and the scratches must later be carefully smoothed out. Once that is accomplished you must then rasp from the buttplate to the side of the PG below the cheekpiece. This line should not have any hump in it. Use a straight edge to constantly gauge your progress. A variety of different size rasps is a must, and some with safe edges makes life easier as you work beneath and around the cheek piece. You don't want to spoil the shadow line or change its dimensions at this point. Once you're satisfied that you've rasped away all the excess wood it's time to step back and examine your work. It's not a bad idea to do this from time to time to be sure you haven't gotten carried away.

If anything makes or breaks the looks of the stock and a professional looking job, it's the cheek piece. Truth be told it's really not that functional and is more of a design factor than anything else. Be that as it may, it IS the mark of an outstanding looking stock. Conversely it can be an abomination, usually because they are too large and totally out of proportion. I'm not at all certain that a cheekpiece can be made too small, but I have seen my share of them that are too large.

The foregoing can take several hours or more of painstaking and careful work. Let's step back and review what we've just accomplished. We have used the receiver and tangs, steel PG cap and butt plate as pattern outlines to get the basic lines of the stock to come together as a pleasing whole. Once we're comfortable with what we've achieved, we can begin working the cheekpiece. We want it to look like it belongs on the buttstock, and not an appendage that just happens to be there. If you suspect that the cheekpiece is too large (and it probably is), very carefully use a rasp with a safe edge to work the shadow line into a pleasing shape.

I like to start with the top rear of the cheekpiece and work slowly around the outline removing wood. Draw an outline with a pencil or a bright felt tip pen. Don't be afraid to sand it off if you don't like what you see. Keep removing excess wood slowly and carefully, being certain to continue working your way all around the cheek piece. Don't try to get one small portion of it to the correct size. You may discover that it's become misshapen without your realizing it. Keep stepping back to check your work. This is where those safe edge rasps come into their own. The safe edge will allow you to rasp the shadow line without gouging the base of the stock. You will notice that as you continue this process, the neat little shadow line will get deeper and deeper. It can be anywhere from 1/8" to 3/16" high in some places. Not to worry; we'll take care of that later.

The shadow line is one of the marks of true craftsmanship. I like to taper it starting from the base of the stock to 1/16" or so and gradually increasing its height to a bit less than 1/8", then taper it back down again. On a tear shaped cheekpiece it simply disappears into the wrist about midway up from the PG. On a pancake type cheekpiece, such as we have on this project the front taper is less than 1/16" and the cove is rather small. If you've never done one before, it can be frustrating. Rat tail files are handy for this work. Take your time. As you taper the shadow line you can also alter the cove surrounding the cheekpiece. Some people like a faintly steep cove. I like the cove to be moderate in size. It defines the cheek piece and gives the optical illusion that it is larger than it really is.

When you think the cheekpiece is of the size and shape that you're pleased with, it's time to check out the lines once again with a straight edge to be sure that there's no hump beneath the cheekpiece. There probably will be. Rasp it flat and straight.

The area between the cheekpiece and the buttplate should also be flat and straight. It's easy to rasp a hollow in the wood about midway between the rear of the cheekpiece and the buttplate. Use a straight edge to check this out. If there is a hollow, carefully determine where wood should be removed. It's usually in the area immediately adjacent to the rear of the cheekpiece. Plane this area down using a fine cut rasp with a safe edge. Be careful with your rasping here since you're going cross wise to the grain. There's no getting around this, so don't make any deep scratches. Then finish up with a smooth cut cabinet makers rasp which planes away excess wood rather then gouge it out. These come with safe edges as well, which will keep your shadow lines crisp. Let the rasp do the work. Don't bear down on it. Be particularly careful when cleaning up the area in front of the pancake cheekpiece just below the nose of the comb. This area is awkward at best. Just go slow, and take your time (see photos 15 & 16 on page 43).

Part III Making the Forend from Scratch

Compared to making and fitting the buttstock, the forend is a relatively easy task. This one will be a bit more complicated than most because the client requests a Purdoy type forend which is peculiarly English looking in shape. It is a short forend, no more than 10" long, tapering from the depth of the receiver front to less than one inch at the forend tip. It has an ebony tip and three panels. One on each side and one on the bottom.

The side panels should look identical to the panels on the buttstock even though the depth of the rear of the receiver is less than the depth at the front. Try to get them to look similar by getting them in scale. The bottom panel will have a Gothic arch shape to add visual interest.

Since the forend is being made from scratch it's a good idea to make some sort of pattern. I used the photo the client sent me and enlarged it on the photo copier using the receiver as a scale to get the proportions right. There are probably more scientific ways to do this, but then again the copier works just great. Next I route out the barrel channel. I make no effort to get the channel perfect. I just want to hog out as much excess wood as possible. I usually leave the channel about 1/16" undersized for final fitting.

Once again I use the "upside down" method (see photo 17). That is I fit the wood to the top of the barrel. This is done for two reasons. The stock attachment lug is in the way and makes it more difficult to fit the barrel and the lug at the same time. Also the front of the receiver has a convex lip at the bottom. By getting the barrel channel fitted, it will serve as a reference as I begin the work of cutting out wood for the attachment lug. I do this with drills and chisels and make it oversize so I will have room to slide the forend back to the receiver to fit the aforementioned lip. Contrary to the general theory, I like a water tight fit of the forend to the receiver.

Once I'm satisfied that the barrel channel is fitted satisfactorily, I begin to fit the forend to the front of the receiver. The first step in this process and one that will make life easier is to square up the end that fits up against the receiver. That will allow you to concentrate the on the trickier aspects of fitting the forend, especially fitting the convex curve at the bottom of the receiver to the metal.

I place tape on this curve, carefully remove excess tape, then peel it off and tape it to the roughed-out forend. Trace the curve unto the forend and remove the tape. Then I carefully remove excess wood almost up the tracing, allowing enough for the final fitting. Works great. Use the tried and true marking agent method of try and fit, remove high spots, try and fit again and again until the perfect fit is achieved. Keep the forend squared up as it is slowly moved back to the receiver face.

Once that's accomplished, I trace the full pattern outline on to the forend blank and cut away the excess wood with the bandsaw leaving enough wood for final shaping (see photo 18 on page 36). At this point I draw the side panels, roughly approximating the panels on the buttstock, and the bottom panel. With the completed forend in my mind's eye, I begin the process of shaping the panels by using my Dremel tool with a round rotary rasp to outline the panels. I deliberately leave the panels oversize so that I can make adjustments as I continue to work on the forend rasping away excess wood. Take breaks often and step back to admire your handiwork. This will give you an opportunity to gauge your progress, and not make foolish mistakes. This can easily happen when you've the task of removing a large amount of excess wood. You may find as I did that the panel outlines had to be deepened several times and the panels cut down and carefully shaped to get the proportions just right. As you approach the final stages of shaping it's a good time to attach the forend to the barrel. This will allow you to do the final shaping and sanding with the forend firmly attached, and you can use the barrel as a handle for this work (see photo 19).

There are several schools of thought for attaching the forend to the barrel. Some believe the barrel should be free floated except the area immediately surrounding the forend screw. I don't use that method and tightly bed the forend to the barrel. Others insist that the forend should not bear up against the receiver. I bed the forend in a water tight fit against the receiver. Most single shot forends are relatively small in comparison to the bulk of the barreled action. This pertains to both Schuetzen and black powder cartridge rifles. I can not believe that these tiny forends impact accuracy in any way by introducing pressure on the action. Most of my clients are in agreement with these findings.

Now on to the actual attachment. I use the screw and escutcheon method attached directly into the barrel, or into a lug dove tailed into the barrel. It all depends on the diameter of the barrel and the bore size. For those cartridges producing substantial recoil, I insist on two screws as the recoil can produce sufficient inertia to shear the screw. I learned this the hard way when I stocked a Ruger #1 and the client commenced using max loads in a 45-70. Since this Farquharson is chambered for the 22-3000, and is of sufficient weight to absorb recoil, one screw will be sufficient.

There are a number of techniques for drilling and tapping the barrel/lug in precisely the exact location. My technique involves being certain that I have fitted the forend to the receiver in a hairline perfect fit. Carefully tape the forend to the barrel using enough tape to be certain the forend will not shift from its position. Clamp the action on the drill press table making certain that the top (bottom) of the barrel is top dead center and the drill bit is perpendicular to the bore. I use a brad point drill that is the exact diameter, or fractionally smaller than the escutcheon (I use brass escutcheons that are vertically striated so they will not turn once set in place). Drill to a carefully determined depth spacing the escutcheon just below the surface of the wood.

Remember final minor shaping and sanding that allows sanding the wood flush with the escutcheon is yet to come. The brad point bit is removed (do not disturb the set up) and replace it with a drill bit that is fractionally larger than the screw you intend to use. The indentation of the brad point serves as a guide for this bit. Drill down to the metal enough to dimple it. Then carefully remove the forend so as not to disturb the set up, and drill the hole in the barrel, using the correct bit for the screw you intend to use. Drill to the correct depth using the previously formed dimple as a location guide. Works great.

After this is accomplished you can tap the hole. Accomplish any final shaping and sanding with the forend firmly attached to the barrel. It's also a good time to check that the forend is symmetrical because the screw should be perfectly centered in the forend.

It's time to get out the abrasive paper and begin prepping the stock prior to applying finish. But since this article is primarily to describe the design of the customers pattern and the principles involved in that effort, and the technique of fitting and shaping of the stock once it's machined, I leave the prepping for finish work and the finish technique to another time.

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