Inletting tools

So a total klutz wants to try his hand at building a primitive matchlock. What basic tools will he need to inlet the barrel? Chisels and scrapers, of course, but specifically which chisels and scrapers? Barrel will be octagon to round.

I don't know why I do this stuff to myself ...
:shake:

Hi Bill,
First if you haven't built a gun before I would urge you to send the barrel and stock to Dave Rase in Bremerton, WA ([email protected]). He will inlet the barrel and drill the ramrod hole for a very reasonable price. He does excellent work. A long octagon to round barrel is a challenge to inlet and you might be better off spending your energies learning the skills needed to inlet the other components, shape, and finish the stock. Dave would need some sort of drawing to indicate the major stock dimensions and the position of the ramrod hole. If you are determined to do it all yourself, then you will need gouges, scrapers, chisels, and rasps. In my barrel work I use 3/8", 5/8", and 3/4" #9 straight and bent gouges, 3/8" and 1" straight chisels. I use octagon and round scrapers ranging in diameter from 1/2" - 1 " and a drill with a 1/4" bit to drill depth gauging holes along the channel. I alos use bottoming rasps and files to smooth out the channel. You can use routers or shapers to cut the minimum channel dimension but swamped and tapered barrels have to be finished by hand unless you have a profiler like Dave.

dave

Bill,

For an octagon barrel, I do 90% of the inletting using a straight chisel made from an old file. I ground it to the same width as the narrowest flat. Dave is right though, an octagon to round barrel would be a challenge for someone inletting a barrel for the first time. I don't think I'd be up to the challenge.

Thanks for the replies, fellas. Sounds like our man in Bremerton is the right one for this job.
It's bad enough to lack the skills, but compounding the problem with the lack of proper tools makes it a fools errand for me.

Ha out of all the metal work I will be doing on the snaphaunce I am getting ready to build I am doing the stock build myself and I am going to make a tapered ramrod and a tapered rather fancy octagon to round barrel from track of the wolf! It will be my first barrel inletting experience!