To carve or not

kansas_volunteer · Apr 20, 2023

I've read here very fancy wood ought to be allowed to speak for itself and left undecorated with carving. Plainer wood is better dressed up with carving. The grain in fancy wood is harder to carve precisely than the more forgiving plainer wood, which can be carved more easily. I've received a precarved stock with very fancy striping and a lot of birdseye figure. I paid a premium over and above the maker's highest price for striped maple for the stock. What should I be thinking about when deciding to carve or not to carve?

I'm putting the stock back in its box and putting it aside until I'm caught up on my projects. It's just satisfying to plan ahead.

No, I won't be posting pictures now. I'll wait until the project is ready to go. Just imagine a stock so nice it'll make you envious and you'll have a picture in your mind.

Flintandsteel · Apr 20, 2023

If you are not confident in your carving abilities, a very figured piece of wood is no place to start.
Figure can also hide a lot of carving detail.

64Springer · Apr 20, 2023

When it comes to carving, I follow this advice from a movie.

"I know I can't swim. So I stay my black azz out da pool".

If you have doubts, let the fancy grain be the detail.

Comfortably_Numb · Apr 20, 2023

Take some carving classes.

Sidney Smith · Apr 21, 2023

If you hunt, that deer ain't gonna know whether it's been shot with a plain or fancy stock.

If it pleases you then carve away. If you're doing it to please someone else, I'd sit back and think it over first.

None of my guns have carvings. 1. I doubt I could pull it off. 2. I simply have no desire to do so. I don't need to brag how good a gunsmith I am.

TDM · Apr 21, 2023

kansas_volunteer said:
I've read here very fancy wood ought to be allowed to speak for itself and left undecorated with carving. Plainer wood is better dressed up with carving. The grain in fancy wood is harder to carve precisely than the more forgiving plainer wood, which can be carved more easily. I've received a precarved stock with very fancy striping and a lot of birdseye figure. I paid a premium over and above the maker's highest price for striped maple for the stock. What should I be thinking about when deciding to carve or not to carve?

I'm putting the stock back in its box and putting it aside until I'm caught up on my projects. It's just satisfying to plan ahead.

No, I won't be posting pictures now. I'll wait until the project is ready to go. Just imagine a stock so nice it'll make you envious and you'll have a picture in your mind.

The cons you mentioned about figured wood is what I believe too. I even bought the Woodsrunner practice stock from Kibler to experiment on. Haven’t touched it yet, but I will. However, the kit I ordered is extra fancy maple, so whatever I ultimately do will be simple and minimal.

nchawkeye · Apr 21, 2023

I took a carving class and that proved that I didn't need to be doing any carving !!!

Probably should get those chisels out and sell them as well!!

TDM · Apr 21, 2023

I’m definitely nervous about stock carving. And it’s funny because I’ve done wood carvings for years, but doing whimsical wood spirits doesn’t require the precision that stock carving does.

appalichian hunter · Apr 21, 2023

Not a builder, not a carver but I think it would be really easy to turn a very expensive piece of wood into very expensive kindling. Good luck on your project. I will stick to making kindling with a hatchet.

Comfortably_Numb · Apr 21, 2023

You could hire somebody good to carve it.

Jim K · Apr 21, 2023

TDM said:
I’m definitely nervous about stock carving. And it’s funny because I’ve done wood carvings for years, but doing whimsical wood spirits doesn’t require the precision that stock carving does.

If you can do that, I’m sure your carving will look good. They’re cool!!

Rangefogger · Apr 21, 2023

TDM said:
I’m definitely nervous about stock carving. And it’s funny because I’ve done wood carvings for years, but doing whimsical wood spirits doesn’t require the precision that stock carving does.

Wow that’s very impressive work!

TDM · Apr 21, 2023

Rangefogger said:
Wow that’s very impressive work!

Thank you, but the skill set doesn’t transfer directly to stock carving, at least for me it doesn’t. I did a bunch of inlet and relief carving on an old Glenfield .22 rifle stock a year or so ago. Wasn’t pretty.

CuNosecap · Apr 21, 2023

To answer the OPs question we must ask what type of rifle, era, school, etc? Rococo carving would look silly on a plains rifle, just as aLancaster school rifle would look somewhat odd without some carving.
when all is said, it depends on the builder, your rifle, your choice. But also remember that many of the gunsmiths built sturdy rifles, but learned their craft on the job. We admire the fanciest and nicest rifles, but look closely and even the great examples have errors. Add to that the scabs of usage, and the rifle is slightly less than perfect.
I encourage those with a penchant for Golden Age flintlocks to take the leap. If you are asking this question, you probably aren’t making this for a customer, but for yourself. Make it yours.

akroguy · Apr 21, 2023

My last two builds had CM4+ grade wood. I only did very minor incise and relief around the barrel tang and lock panels. The figure is the decoration and yes, carving around the multitudinous grain directions can be extra challenging and somewhat chippy at times. I prefer simpler, more subdued rifles in general.

Jim K · Apr 21, 2023

akroguy said:
My last two builds had CM4+ grade wood. I only did very minor incise and relief around the barrel tang and lock panels. The figure is the decoration and yes, carving around the multitudinous grain directions can be extra challenging and somewhat chippy at times. I prefer simpler, more subdued rifles in general. View attachment 216467

View attachment 216464 View attachment 216465 View attachment 216466

That is really nice. I like the straight lines a lot. I’m funny. I’m not crazy about a lot of carving especially on a stock like that. But I really like engraving on the metal.

TDM · Apr 21, 2023

Very nicely done @akroguy. That’s along the lines I’m planning.

Sean E Bug · Apr 22, 2023

only one way to tell. get the stock made. then draw all the carving that you want to do on it. take a few steps back and ask yourself does it look better or not. simple carving can add to a rifle even with highly figured wood.

PathfinderNC · Apr 22, 2023

Bad carving on a rifle is far, far worse than no carving at all.

Hawk54 · Apr 22, 2023

Buy a cheap CVA or Jukar colonial or Kentucky pistol stock and practice carving on that. As Pathfinder said, bad carving is worse than no carving.

To carve or not

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