hand carving/checkering vs. laser etching or stamping

[granillanutz]

how would you rank the difference in look and feel of "done by hand" vs. "done by machine"? I would like to see some examples of both and mabye some pro's and cons of the two. I've recently finished my first hand-carved stock and am working on my second one. All free hand. My factory stock's checkering is obviously more precise as far as symmetry, but the hand carved is far superior in grip feel and i find the character of the visual flaws somewhat pleasing. opinions and pointers are more than welcome.

 

[J E Custom]

Nice work.

I carve sculptures and have done some stocks and In My Opinion on stocks that are carved a hand rubbed, looks best (Less gloss to show the wood and the work)

Rifle stocks that are checkered and then coated with a gloss finish lose there definition and sharpness. the old hand carved or checkered stocks that have the hand rubbed finish always
look the best to me.

On fine wood stocks, I always use hand rub finishes to show off the wood grain and any carving.
and with the hand rubbed finishes, you can apply as much as necessary to get the amount of gloss you need without it looking dipped in varnish.

the down side to hand rubbed finishes is the labor involved. bot the outcome is well worth the effort.

I am not being critical just expressing my opinion.

Keep trying different things and you will find the process that suits your taste and likes.

J E CUSTOM

 

[shortgrass]

Pressed of 'laser cut' only works on machine made stocks. As soon as the shape is changed those two methods no longer work. Hand cut takes skill, time, and patients,,, three things the general public don't have. Checkering custom hand shaped stocks require a pattern made for each stock. A 'basic' pattern is used, but altered to 'fit' the situation. Quality hand cut checkering is a pleasure to feel and look at. The proper 'lines per inch' need to be applied depending on the density of the wood. Most amatures go towards 'many' (28) lines per inch, thinking is shows skill. But, if the wood isn't dense enough the points won't 'point up' as would be expected or they will easily break off or 'dull from use. I'm 'dangerous' with a checkering tool in hand and down right destructive with an electric tool. Just not enough time to practice. My hat's off to those who can do it well.

 

[granillanutz]

this is hand rubbed boiled linseed oil. i tried to keep it as traditional as possible. maybe the flash of the camera made it seem more glossy than in it actually is... and it's still drying from the last rub down. i've wet sanded it several times and the last few sandings were with 600 grit. yes this was very labor intensive, and i enjoyed ever second of it

 

[granillanutz]

Pressed of 'laser cut' only works on machine made stocks. As soon as the shape is changed those two methods no longer work. Hand cut takes skill, time, and patients,,, three things the general public don't have. Checkering custom hand shaped stocks require a pattern made for each stock. A 'basic' pattern is used, but altered to 'fit' the situation. Quality hand cut checkering is a pleasure to feel and look at. The proper 'lines per inch' need to be applied depending on the density of the wood. Most amatures go towards 'many' (28) lines per inch, thinking is shows skill. But, if the wood isn't dense enough the points won't 'point up' as would be expected or they will easily break off or 'dull from use. I'm 'dangerous' with a checkering tool in hand and down right destructive with an electric tool. Just not enough time to practice. My hat's off to those who can do it well.

now that you mention it, i kindof "did" go with 21 lines per inch because it was one of highest lines per inch brownells had in stock and, yeah, i did think it would show skill learning to match lines per inch to the woodgrain properly has spurred my interest. could that sort of skill be taught? thanx for the replies.

 

[granillanutz]

my second stock, work in progress

 

[shortgrass]

now that you mention it, i kindof "did" go with 21 lines per inch because it was one of highest lines per inch brownells had in stock and, yeah, i did think it would show skill learning to match lines per inch to the woodgrain properly has spurred my interest. could that sort of skill be taught? thanx for the replies.

I don't know as matching LPI to wood can be taught, but there are some general 'rules of thumb' one might follow. Hard Maple and the various varities of English Walnut will usually take 'many' lines. The walnut that stocks for 'factory' rifles is made of is 'softer' by a ways. Claro is quit 'soft' and figured Black Walnut can be both 'hard' and 'soft'. A stock made from "old growth' timber will almost always be harder. The walnuts from California are trees that were. originally, commercial nut production., cut for their lumber when their production was no longer enough to be 'commercial'. In general, I'd say the first layout line would give a good indication of what LPI would be appropriate for that particular piece. If you made the stock you'd know. I am currently shaping a stock by hand from "Turkish" walnut, one of the many English walnuts (same Latin name, just grown in a different local). It's hard! and would checker nicely. All told, I've had about a months worth of stock checkering instruction taught by a couple of stock makers who are known for their work (NRA seminars). The 'stockmaking' instructor that taught when I went to school gave me some real useful pointers, too. I know the basics, I'm just too busy making a living to practice! You might venture over to www.accurareloading.com and visit the "CUSTOM" section as the followers there are more into custom wood than they are at this forum. (I always got my best results using Brownells carbide checkering cutters held in "full view" handles) www.checkering.biz (J & R Engineering) for carbide checkering cutters

 

[Edd]

A late friend of mine once said if you wanted to get good at checkering you should practice checkering broom handles. His work was as good as any I've ever seen.

 

[HarryN]

It looks good to me. My only suggestion is that linseed oil tends to oxidize and yellow over time, which personally I don't really like. I need to look it up, but some of the other oils are more resistant to yellowing.

I have not done any stocks but I dabble with building and finishing some wood projects, and occasionally one of them looks acceptable.