Making a LA forearm from scratch

[Mike8623]

I'm wanting to make a Winchester 1886 forearm from scratch...............I was wondering just how to go about drill/boring the hole for the magazine tube.............this forearm is going to be 18 inches long, so longer than originals.

Has anyone done this before, if you've ever drilled a deep hole in a pice of walnut I'd sure like your insite or anyone elses for that matter.

[Jeff H]

Typically, a one flute drill is used to drill long (straight) holes.
Dixie Gun Works used to carry such things for drilling ramrod holes in stocks.
If you are creative, you could alter a spade bit to cut on one side only and make the other side ride the hole.
It may take two people and a mirror to line up the drill and keep it straight.
If the hole is straight, but runs at an angle through the wood - not so bad.
Just remember to drill an oversized chunk of wood and then trim to final size by gauging off the hole at each end.
I would bore this hole first - before doing the barrel channel or anything.
Once you have a clean, straigh hole, use that as a datum to locate everything else.

[Sixgun]

A magazine tube is about 50 caliber so get yourself a gun that is that caliber, line it up and shoot the hole. -----------------Sixgun

[Chuck 100 yd]

When I do that I do it in the lathe. When the drill is stationary and the work piece rotates the drill will make a straight hole due to any drift is toward the center of load.

Check out the suppliers of Muzzle loader building stuff. They sell deep hole drills to do ram rod channels in stocks. The hole can be easily enlarged after the pilot hole is done.

You can find extension drills at many hardware stores and make up a couple of simple V blocks to guide the drill while drilling the hole.

[KCSO]

A lathe or drill press can be used to drill the holes. Use a center on the end where you want the hole to come out and drill half way through from each end. No problem, then inlet and shape the outside of the forearm. A regular drill bit will run true enough if you go slow and clean the chips often.

[Abilene]

The best way I have found is like we drilled lamps in the woodshop at Murry State in Tishomingo. We aquired a long enough drill bit then chucked it up in the wood lathe. This takes two people, we drilled a short starter hole then switched to the long bit. One person holds the neck or grip area while the other pushes an unlocked tailstock with a cup center on it. The neck or grip person keeps the long bit from flexing, with the cup center the forearm has a constant center. Go slow, make sure it is sharp, and clean out often.

We did four lamps this way and the worst was only off 3/16". Have drilled lamps and forends w/ drillpress, drill motor, from both directions and lathe produced the straightest holes. A brad point bit is less likely to wander w/ the grain.

Hope this helps Abilene, If ya need a wood lathe just holler.

[TomD]

To state the obvious, you drill the hole first, then lay out the final position of everything else after the hole is drilled.

Another option if a two piece stock is an option is to rout the hole, then assemble both sides of the forestock.

[adirondakjack]

I drilled a buttstock hole in a shotgun stock a few years ago. What I did was used my tabletop drill press, bolted to the edge of a bench with the base sideways, rotated the head of the drill press so the chuck was beyond the edge of the bench, and rigged up clamps and blocks to hold the workpiece to the drill press table that was rotated on edge, allowing the stock tto hang down alongside the bench. Once ya have it figured out so you can advance the work piece enough, or use a rigid extension on the drill, go ahead and drill it. I didn't blow through the stock, and had to drill a fair sized hole for a dead mule recoil reducer.
The drill bit I used was a long shank bit sold in the electrical aisle, commonly used by installers of telephone and cable to drill through houses.