OK... so I am putting it out there, because I know someone down the road will check-in and that will get my butt in gear when I need "a boot!"
I just received an order of domestic and exotic harwoods...
- A hard maple butt stock blank, plus a second to rip for long maple forends (plain sugar maple, not figured, gonna be painted)...
- A Walnut butt stock blank and Walnut forend blanks...
- And a 10/4 East India Rosewood plank to rip for forend extensions, grip caps and butt stock spacers.
Project #1a;
Build a straight grip maple butt stock with high cheek roll-over to replace the one on the frame pictured below... to be finished in textured black;
Project #1b;
Build two long maple forends with a slender wedge shape to match Project #1 and to be dedicated to the swap barrel .30/30 and 7.62X39 barrels that go with it.
Project #2a;
The above pictured thumbhole stock will go on an SB2 .35 Whelen which is 22" plus a 2" Schuler brake. Project #2b will be to make a looong matching maple forend with a heavier wedge shape, which will also be finished in a textured black. With a Mueller Hybrid mounted... this will scream... "moose gun!" Loads underway...
Project #3a;
To make a Walnut High Comb butt stock tipped and spaced with India Rosewood. Project #3b will be the matching Mannlicher forend in two thirds Walnut, one third Rosewood... this set to go on a 7mm-08 chopped to 20." In my head, I see this one with a slender, graceful line to the buttstock and a forend with a gentle "belly" sweeping into a "Schnabel-looking" tip.
I will do my best to resurrect this thread and attempt to document progress... which had been requested a number of times via PM on my last Walnut/Cocobolo Mannlicher project set, which I completed without ever getting around to documenting, even though I said that I would a number of times... oooppss sorry.
Let the wood chips and sawdust fly!