For this project I did not create a cradle for the stock for one reason. I am working with a raw piece of wood and not an already shaped stock. Tossing a finished stock into a regular vice can damage the wood and is not recommended. However, because I really do not see myself turning this hunk of wood into a finished product, I am not too worried if the vice leaves a few marks. If I decide to continue practicing hand checkering, then I would absolutely make or purchase a cradle to work the wood.
So let us talk a little bit about how a cradle is made and some of the advantages of using one. The cradle is a very useful tool designed to hold the stock in one position so the individual working the wood can focus on the checkering and not how to hold the dang thing. Cradles are just a few pieces of wood that bolt into one another and allow a secure fit for a rifle or shotgun stock. The foregrip end may have a PVC pipe cap or something similar allowing stocks of different shapes and thickness to be held. This is tightened down using a threaded rod and a wing nut. The other end, also known as the butt holder, also uses a threaded rod and a wing nut to hold the butt end of the stock in place. Both front and
rear rods come through an L shaped cut of wood that is secured on both ends of a long cut of wood. Using a dowl in one hole and a bolt, nut, and washer through the other so you can adjust the placement up and down the long piece. You may just be working with a short butt stock piece or a longer one piece for something like a muzzle loader.
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