Stock checkering tool

[HK USP]

So I bought some to do a little project, (checker a gamo air riffle that kicks worse than a .22) I thought it would be a duh factor but after practicing on some scrap wood I am at a loss. So what to I do to get some decient looking checkering on the gun with out makeing it look like a mess? Tool use sugestions please.

[Brian]

Get a starter kit from Brownells or MidwayUSA with instructions and they sometimes have decals that can be applied to the stock so you can follow the lines.

Without the kit, draw two guide lines that cross at the angle you want the checkering to be. Start with a single line cutter and go slow, not very deep and then switch to a double line cutter and follow the guide line with one cutter while the other cutter makes the new line, again go slow and NOT very deep. Repeat until you have the pattern or area done and then go back over all of the lines with the single line cutter until they are at the depth you want and the pionts on top of the checkering is as sharp as you want. It's important to go slow untill you get the hang of it and you may want to draw the whole pattern out ahead of the cutting so you know what it will look like and you can use the pencil lines as guides.

That's about it in a nutshell but I would recommend getting a small starter kit with the instruction book and a couple different cutters. Dembart makes decent tools and if you look through the gunsmithing catalogs you can find better tools and a lot of patterns to copy from.

It takes practice so don't expect great results right a way. Most if not all of the checkering you see on modern firearms are cut by machine so don't use them as an example of what you want yours to look like, although it will in time and with lots of practice.

Good luck and most of all have fun learning, that's what it's all about.

Brian

[HK USP]

Thanks Brian:
I bought the cutters from Brownels a few years ago, at that time they did not offer a kit, but I did buy several cutters, single and mutiple. Your sugestion gives me a starting point, I'll go back to a test piece and try again.