longshot7.62x51
Member
Messed up this morning and drilled the tenion hole to high on my shanondoa build can i use wood putty to fill the hole and redrill lower or do i need a new stock and start over
Tenion hole mistake
- Thread starter longshot7.62x51
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I am making a couple of assumptions about your problem based on your posting--pictures usually help. First, that you are assembling a DIY Shenandoah percussion rifle kit from someone like Traditions. Second, the barrel tenon hole that you are referring to is in the barrel channel--also known as lightening cuts.
Following advice based on those assumptions:
Don't use wood putty in a barrel channel unless you are just building a wall hanger display. Most wood putty has little or no strength and in that application will probably will crumble under recoil. One way to resolve the problem is cutting a wood plug fitting the erroneous barrel tenon hole, preferably with some kind of mechanical attachment to the rest of the stock--I prefer using finishing nails with their heads cut off or you can use threaded rod. Make sure that the application area for the epoxy is cleaned with acetone (plain fingernail polish remover or if raw wood then mineral spirits will work) for a good bond. Then you use an epoxy type glue to secure it (super glue--isocyanate type--will eventually crumble in that application). Another way that is less craftsmanship but simpler is to use colored epoxy itself and fill the hole--after all-the hole in the barrel channel is not noticeable. If you have Acraglas which is commonly used for glass bedding rifles, it comes with color packets to color the resin which can also be used with off the shelf clear two part epoxy stuff at Wal Mart/Home Depot/Etc.
If I am wrong about my assumptions above and you are fixing a hole in the stock that will be observable when the rifle is assembled then,
If the hole is observable when the barrel is seated etc. such as a screw mount hole drilled in the wrong position, then the ideal way is to find some sacrificial wood that matches the wood type and grain of your stock (grain can be hard to observe if the stock is dry and dusty--swipe a bit of odorless mineral spirits to indicate the true grain that will be displayed by a stock finish--it will evaporate in a few minutes and not harm the stock). At harbor freight, they sell a set of wood plug drill bit set that you use to get plugs for repairs, covering screw holes, etc. Use the plug drill bit on your sacrificial piece to cut a replacement plug where the grain in the sacrificial piece matches the stock where the plug needs to go--then carefully use a drill bit of the same size as your plug to drill the hole so that a plug will fit--leave a bit of space for the epoxy glue--you can use wood glue if the area is not stressed but a lot of wood glue won't stand up to cleaning solvents (avoid Gorilla glue as it forms bubbles). Ideally, the plug should fit the surface snugly but have room at its base to allow sufficient glue to bind it to the stock. Large plugs generally need some mechanical reinforcement--e.g. metal such a threaded rods--bamboo bbq skewers work surprisingly well especially if the mechanical reinforcement can be seen, etc. to tie it into the rest of the stock. You can also buy premade wood plugs of a known size from Amazon, craft stores, or woodworking supply shops online.
Wood acts differently by grain type, amount of sanding, etc. in taking a stained finish--if your plug is noticeable after initial staining, then you might need to blend a small amount of stain just for the plug to get it to match.
Following advice based on those assumptions:
Don't use wood putty in a barrel channel unless you are just building a wall hanger display. Most wood putty has little or no strength and in that application will probably will crumble under recoil. One way to resolve the problem is cutting a wood plug fitting the erroneous barrel tenon hole, preferably with some kind of mechanical attachment to the rest of the stock--I prefer using finishing nails with their heads cut off or you can use threaded rod. Make sure that the application area for the epoxy is cleaned with acetone (plain fingernail polish remover or if raw wood then mineral spirits will work) for a good bond. Then you use an epoxy type glue to secure it (super glue--isocyanate type--will eventually crumble in that application). Another way that is less craftsmanship but simpler is to use colored epoxy itself and fill the hole--after all-the hole in the barrel channel is not noticeable. If you have Acraglas which is commonly used for glass bedding rifles, it comes with color packets to color the resin which can also be used with off the shelf clear two part epoxy stuff at Wal Mart/Home Depot/Etc.
If I am wrong about my assumptions above and you are fixing a hole in the stock that will be observable when the rifle is assembled then,
If the hole is observable when the barrel is seated etc. such as a screw mount hole drilled in the wrong position, then the ideal way is to find some sacrificial wood that matches the wood type and grain of your stock (grain can be hard to observe if the stock is dry and dusty--swipe a bit of odorless mineral spirits to indicate the true grain that will be displayed by a stock finish--it will evaporate in a few minutes and not harm the stock). At harbor freight, they sell a set of wood plug drill bit set that you use to get plugs for repairs, covering screw holes, etc. Use the plug drill bit on your sacrificial piece to cut a replacement plug where the grain in the sacrificial piece matches the stock where the plug needs to go--then carefully use a drill bit of the same size as your plug to drill the hole so that a plug will fit--leave a bit of space for the epoxy glue--you can use wood glue if the area is not stressed but a lot of wood glue won't stand up to cleaning solvents (avoid Gorilla glue as it forms bubbles). Ideally, the plug should fit the surface snugly but have room at its base to allow sufficient glue to bind it to the stock. Large plugs generally need some mechanical reinforcement--e.g. metal such a threaded rods--bamboo bbq skewers work surprisingly well especially if the mechanical reinforcement can be seen, etc. to tie it into the rest of the stock. You can also buy premade wood plugs of a known size from Amazon, craft stores, or woodworking supply shops online.
Wood acts differently by grain type, amount of sanding, etc. in taking a stained finish--if your plug is noticeable after initial staining, then you might need to blend a small amount of stain just for the plug to get it to match.
longshot7.62x51
Member
Thanks i was thinking about it and was probably doing to use a dowl to plug the hole then sand it flush the hole is .122 in diamiter
longshot7.62x51
Member
Wish i read that one early on i am going to cut a star burst t pattern around the tenion pins to and inlay some bonded ivory around it to hide the opps
longshot7.62x51
Member
here is the repaired hole and the proper hole
longshot7.62x51
Member
There will proably be alittle strain but it is a .117 inch pin so i doubt there will be much on it
Good. The major problem is that some adhesives like "superglue" isocyanates "sugar" (deteriorate into pieces like sugar) under recoil which would potentially cause "wallowing" or "hogging out" the hole. Also be careful about some solvents around the adhesive that you used--epoxy generally shrugs off most but others are sensitive to various solvents used to clean firearms.
longshot7.62x51
Member
Hot soapy water is what I plan to use in cleaning for this particular rifle but the solvent issue will be taken into account if the problem ever comes up on a customer rifle
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