doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com How do I get started checkering?

I'm always looking out the window every time this is discussed. I've thought about checkering a couple thousand times and dismissed it for reasons mainly having to do with time-of-life resignation to the solid fact that I am not going to embark on the trouble-fraught sea of gunstocking. Recently, I discovered that I do have sufficient skill to bring revolver grips to completion in a period of time which makes some concession to the length of human life. I also examined closely the diamonds and borders on a set of Herrett Shooting Star grips. Crisp, utilitarian in the non-skid dept. but certainly not a work of art at 10X magnification. That's ALL I want to try at present. I thought about taking a class at a community center, Y or whatever but haven't found one. What checkering tools do I need? I realize that the Gunline and Dembart sets are not an incredible outlay but thought I'd ask before I buy a set as most "starter" sets of anything are either woefully inadequate quality-wise, or ergonomically, or there's one you learn to use for everything and the others reside in a drawer. I've passed by the Kennedy book used at least 25 times. Too much input for my remaining grey matter. Would the five dollar Gunline pamphlet allow me to bypass some of the pain of the old seat-of-the-pants learning curve? I'm assuming I should get 60 degree cutters in a coarse tpi count as I want the non-skid function probably as much or more than the decoration? Please help me get another hobby!

jack

Rotsa' Ruck', Jack!! If you get it figgered out and could share the deep, dark secrets, let me know, too. I tried and gave up as simply too tedius for these old eyes and hands, and when I ran my right hand through a bandsaw last year and severed two flexor tendons, that pretty much closed the door. There's a good Scott Doctor here named McClusky who's nationally known for such stuff, and he put it back together, but it's not 100%. I wish you all the best with it.

I use Dembart tools and they serve me well. I also think that the starting pamphlet that you mentioned is enough to get started. I don't find checkering too difficult other than going slowly, at least at the beginning and at the edges. I enjoy Kennedy's book to look at the pics and read inbetween pics.
The tools are selfexplanatory. I would get new cutters every now and then to cut clean. Start with a scrap piece of walnut...
Enjoy.

Larry, I understand completely, fortunately at a certain close remove from your experience as I have only the mark of a few stitches on top of my right thumb from 33 years in woodworking and the allied crafts (kickback running 1/4" aluminum plate across a jointer). Searched around radial arms for a few finger tips not my own. Can't hear well in right ear but otherwise more or less intact--don't even have arthritis although I've had every repetitive movement syndrome you can think of in my right hand and arm. Since I am a lifetime myopic with about 20/40 vision at 12" or nearer, I have no trouble with close work once my glasses are on my forehead.

jack

Hey Jack... buy some cutters, practice a bit, and when you can follow a pattern I'll send you a Sterlingwort stock and forend to re-cut the worn almost flat checkering...

I've been looking for someone to do that cheap...

Interested?

I would read the Kennedy book and watch the Joe Balickie video before buying or trying anything. After watching th evideo 2-3 times, then reading the pertinent parts of the book a few times, you will have a great foundation.

There are a few little tricks to it, but you need to do a little scratching first before you can understand or appreciate them. But when you get going, all you have to do is ask here and we can help you with any snags you hit. Help is just a posting away!

I use tools almost exactly like Balickie and can't stand the Dembarts. BUT...the last shipment of W.E. Brownells cutters I got were total garbage. Gunline makes the same cutters and is supposed to be of better quality, so I will try them when I need to get more.

The one thing you must have is patience. And the second one thing you absolutely must have is the determination to do an excellent job and accept nothing less from yourself. If you have that one (OK, really two!) trait, then your very first job will eb a good one, and they will get better on down the line. I was looking at my first job about a month ago and it still looks good to me, even today. That was on a stock I made from the blank with less than $20 in tools. The checkering tools cost me almost that much, and I just held the stock in my lap as I sat in my recliner and watched TV-usually Seinfield. The point being, attitude and determination are waaaaaay more important than buying some cool looking tools and droping a lot of cash before you really know what you want.

I absolutely love checkering and find it one of the most relaxing things on this earth that I can do. I am just in a zone and can forget about everything else. Oh, sometimes I talk on the phone while checkering (with a blue tooth), but usually I put on my special "checkering music" and make diamonds.

Oh, on the lpi, I would not go coarser than 20 lpi myself. That is planty course enough and it posed no problem on my first job. Coarser than that and the checkering, even when well done, starts to look, well, coarse. 20 looks good on most guns that are not at a fairly high level.

Good luck!

The first thing that you need is a place and means to work. Space I am sure you have already. You can start as simple as you want but there are a few very essential items. You need a good checkering cradle to hold the work, you can build your own. Then a good light source to both illuminate the work and give you shadows to judge how the work is progressing. One old tooth brush to keep both the cutter heads clean and the work cleaned out. The basic starter kit will have almost everything you need. A few extra tools can be added later if you keep at it. Magnification is always a help if you have it. Your eyes may be better than mine but fatigue from eye strain is no joke. Them fuzzy little lines seem to run together after awhile.

I learned by first chasing old stocks which need checkering re-cut. Then simple patterns later. Now I have an electric cutter, just like the big boys. Use it for about 90% of the job but the fine detail areas are all still hand done. I have watched others who do 99+% of the job with the electric cutter. They are my hereos.

Jack even with 20/20 vision you will need magnifying help, I use an Opti-visor, and some sort of oblique light on the subject I am working on. I would suggest starting with 20-22 lpi, get 2 handles, a single line cutter and a Left or right single line spacer, it's a pain having to change cutters all the time. I am right-handed and spacing to the left seems to work best for me, that way I can see what the cutter is doing. Start with just a simple diamond layout on a flat surface, 2 1/2 or 3 to 1 ratio looks best to me. An old stock is good for practice on the sides, if you can find one that is english walnut you will see that it cuts the cleanest. Space the pattern one direction, one line at a time, don't cut the next line until you are happy with the line you are working on, then finish the pattern the other direction. Next go over the pattern with the single line cutter, it may take several passes to finish it. you will find that cutting over a curved surface is more difficult as you must pay attention to the spacing at all times. just remember that the lines should be straight and parallel and the diamonds the same size. It gets easier with practice, trust me!!

Jim

Pictures wOOd be nice...

OK JOe here's some pitchers. Checkering cradle, some hand tools that I use, some Fox photos and a Daly pic. I do have an electric buzz saw (Doiron) but it really isn't a beginning checkerer's tool IMHO.