Gunsmithing Checkering

[xs hedspace]

Foolishly offered to finish and checker a shotgun stock for a friend-----told my wife yesterday that if I said I was going to checker another stock, she should shoot me first, to spare me the misery. Every 3-4 years, I forget the headaches, crossed eyes, hand spasms, and back pains from doing this----but it sure looks nice when done! Do any of you guys do this for a living? How do you stay sane? Beer would probably help.....
Rant Over.

 

[Turd in the Pool]

I feel your pain. Just finished 4 I was working on a couple of weeks ago. Lots of beer helps. Of course it should be taken between cutting sessions, not during;-)

I can only go 2 or 3 hrs at a setting before I start making mistakes. I considered throwing my tools out after the last one!

 

[Lucky Jack]

I'll checker for really good customers but that's it. Too much trouble; too many headaches. Recutting a non-fancy pattern for $75.00 a panel if I am refinishing the stock OK but it will slow the refinish down a couple weeks because the checkering is a "spare time" job. My eyes bug out too quickly to sit and checker for hours at a time. Plus I can't stop thinking of the money I am losing because I am checkering a stock. As I explain to customers regularly...it's all about money. I can install 5 muzzle brakes in the time I can rechecker one stock. It's pure mathematics.

 

[my human host]

Done it once. Project turned out well, but I have NO desire to do it again.

A guy would have to have a full tilt walnut obsession to enjoy checkering.

 

[nashlaw]

I once thought I would make some extra money by learning to checker frontstraps on 1911s. I worked on my own guns until I could produce a good product, then decided I could work a day or two of overtime at my regular job and make more money.......and save my hands.