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Barrel/forend brace for builder's bench/vise

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Joined
Oct 15, 2008
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Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
I'll be building a Kibler kit when it arrives and have set up my building area with vise, etc. What I'd like some feedback with is the brace that apparently some people use to stabilize the front when say the lock area is in the vice. This is they type coming up from the floor to the height of the vise. What kind of home made jigs are you all using for this? Pictures would be greatly appreciated to draw inspiration. Thanks!
Hubertus
 
I bolted a leather covered post on the end of my work bench.
stock and post 001.JPG
 
I found some photo of vise's one time when I used the search box at the top of this page,
There was some nice homemade one in the group.
Right now I have used the Black & Decker Workmate and a carpenter clamp on another bench.
 
I have an "arm" for lack of a better word. The muzzle end just lays on it. There is little need to clamp down the muzzle end. Especially on one of those kits. Sometimes when carving I can turn the rifle out, and there is nothing under the muzzle. The only time I clamp the muzzle are is when I am specifically working on that area.

Cory Joe Stewart
 
I use 2 woodworkers vices, spaced about 22" apart center to center. Big deep wooden slabs in the jaws, with "air" in between them to allow odd-shaped items to protrude closer. My arrangement allows me to work sitting down on a stool. I have a heavy machine vice on the corner of my bench to allow me to work standing up for heavier tasks, like draw filing a barrel, or rotating a small piece for things like engraving.
work shop set up 2.jpg
 
I had a bench mounted gun vice and it was not very user friendly. I found it easier to work on guns if you can walk completely around the vice. The rest part is slotted for adjustment fore and aft. The big wood clamp holds good and solid
IMG_0176.JPG
 
I'll be building a Kibler kit when it arrives and have set up my building area with vise, etc. What I'd like some feedback with is the brace that apparently some people use to stabilize the front when say the lock area is in the vice. This is they type coming up from the floor to the height of the vise. What kind of home made jigs are you all using for this? Pictures would be greatly appreciated to draw inspiration. Thanks!
Hubertus
With the bbl/stock ass'y clamped clamped in my vise, I use a 2X4 frame that extends over the depth of the bench and also extends out from the bench 2'. It seems I always like to work the stock when it's an an angle. Very rarely do I work on the bbl/stock when it's parallel to the bench...…..FredView attachment 2459
 

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I keep it simple and just use various wooden blocks and shims stacked under the forearm until the stock is level.
 
Those vices seem a long way apart, and like you wouldn't have enough room to the right to hang a butt off of there. How is it working out for you?
 

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