doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DIY Gunsmithing @ doublegunshop.com Checkering Cradle Head and Tail Stock

I am interested in opinions about the optimal design for head and tail stocks on checkering cradles. Any particular work-holding pitfalls to avoid when designing / building a checkering cradle?

Doug Mann posted a thread on his cradle here:

https://www.doublegunshop.com/forum...at&Number=519758&nt=2&page=1

Basically, he uses a couple of thick leather cups with leather padding the bottom to protect the ends of the stock.
When I made mine based on Doug’s design, I traced the outline of an extra large Pachmyer pad for the buttplate. I figured that would be bigger than any stock I’ll ever do. I did the front cup 2” diameter. After setting up a stock I wedge some scraps of leather inside the cups for some extra protection from the stock slipping.
FWIW, since it sounds like you just getting started checkering, ACGG member Mike Ullman is teaching a checkering class at Tishamingo this summer. He also has some YouTube videos.

Thanks! I had seen Doug's post and the cradle I've started is also based on his design.

my current idea for the butt stock is to use a tripod leveling ball and a rifle saddle, all mounted to an oak head stock. The parts will be a little more expensive, but usable for other purposes as well.

for the tailstock, I'm planning to make a wooden cup just like Doug's. I may also make a dowel setup.

My work schedule won't allow a course in OK this summer, but I have been watching the youtubes quite a bit, including videos from mike ullman

Long post:

I have made a lot of progress on the cradle and, although I may make some changes to the head stock design, I'm pleased with the results so far. Here's what I've done:

The 'bed' is made of 1x3 oak purchased from home Depot. the rails are 4' long with short spacers glued at each end:



A mortise is made by gluing in an 11" spacer 2 1/2 inches in front of the head stock spacer.



The head stock slots in



The head and tail stocks are made of the same 1x3 oak laminated with the middle board just under 2 1/2 inches longer than the shoulders to create a tenon that is just shy of the depth of the mortise. This allows the stock to be locked in place with a washered bolt.

The bottom of the tenon was drilled and a hardwood 1/4" threaded insert (ez-lock) was installed.


The allows the head stock to be removed of necessary (using a wrench), and the tail stock can slide along the bed.

A cabinet pull knob was tapped for 1/4" and a short length of screw inserted. This allows easier, tool-free adjustment of space between centers:

The head and tail stocks were drilled through with a 1/2" hole about an inch below the top. They are drilled together to get the centers aligned.




For the tail stock, the hole was enlarged to 3/4" to accommodate a 1/2" shouldered sleeve bearing on one side. A 1/2" diameter, 2 5/8" long ball end handle was used as a spindle, and a palm knob was attached to the outside end. For the business end, a 2" ABS pipe cap was drilled and tapped to 3/8-16. A nut was added as a spacer so that the bolt end didn't protrude into the cup. A flexible pipe cap was cut to create a liner to the cup.








For the Head Stock (for now), a 3/8-16 insert was installed on the inside, and a 3/8" sleeve bearing was installed on the outside. 3/8" all thread was passed through. A palm knob on the outside allows smaller adjustments to the space between centers, and a tripod leveling base was attached to the other end. this let's the head spin without the screw turning and allows for the angle to change.







I'm thinking that I don't really need the 'fine adjustment' of the distance between centers, so I might ditch the all thread and use another ball end handle for the spindle on the head stock. I would like to be able to adjust the tension on the spin, so that might take some thought.

Either way, I'll attached a rifle saddle to the headstock to hold the butt of the stock. I'm waiting for that to come in the mail

Woodreaux, I love the work you’ve done there. I especially like how you used the tripod head. Thank you for creating this post. Posts like this, with good details and lots of pictures, are super helpful to me and others. Please keep us updated!

Likely final update on this project: After nearly a month, the shooting saddle finally made it's way from China.... not sure I would have bought it from the manufacturer if I had known it would be on the proverbial slow boat... But the finished result seems just about perfect to me (and easily modified when imperfections become apparent).

The butt of the gun (scrap stock in the picture) is clamped securely into the shooting saddle, which is connected to the tripod leveling base that is connected to the headstock. The tripod leveling base can then be loosened to adjust the angle so the the head of the stock lines up easily with the tailstock cup. The tailstock slides on the bed and is locked into place with the locking knob on the tenon. At this point, the stock is 'between centers' functionally.

The tension on the spin can be adjusted by the tightening screw on the tripod leveling base (obscured by the tightening handle on the saddle in this photo).

The short block of oak in the middle of bed is simply inserted wherever I want to clamp the cradle in the bench vise. This means the cradle should be able to accommodate work as short as a forearm and as long as a rifle stock.

I'm happy to post more pictures and videos for those who are interested. I can also send links to the components if anyone wants them.





Video Links (what happened to embedded video?)--

Removing Stock from Cradle

and

Stock in cradle rotating

Woodreaux,
I would call that the Cadillac of checkering cradles. Well done! I appreciate you sharing all the methods and insights.

Larry

Thanks Larry. it was a fun build. now time to start learning to use it!