Checkering

[spyder]

I have a 16g SW. The checkering has been recut, but unfortunately it pointed rather than flat-topped. Would there normally be enough wood to re-recut to match the original flattop style.

[wburns]

If it is the same lines per inch, someone likely can just cut the pointed diamonds down to the flat topped version. Very little wood is removed if you stick with the same lines per inch.

[bbman3]

You can get you a roll of blue painters tape that will not pull most finishes up. Carefully tape right up to checking and take some 320 wet or dry sand paper and get you several small differnt shaped flat sending blocks. You can use wooden popcicle stick and carefully sand the tops slightly off the diamonds until you get what you desire.I would not leave the tape on overnight. Do the sanding right away and then carefully remove tape,clean dust out of checkering and oil it with thinned linseed oil. Bobby

[DoubleGun]

Spyder,
Pointed checkering is normally cut with a 90 degree tool, flat top checkering is cut with a 60 degree tool. You can make flat top checkering into pointed checkering by running over the pattern with a 90 degree tool but you can't go the other way around because the wood you need has already been cut away by the 90 tool. If you really want to flatten out the pattern your only recourse is to sand the pattern down slightly as outlined above. I think I'd go finer than 320, either 400 or 600 grit, but whatever you use go carefully. It will not take a lot of sanding to flatten out your checkering.
Cheers, Pete

[spyder]

I'll try that. Can it just be sanded smooth and recut?

[mike campbell]

I treat flat-topped checkering as 1/3 finished pointed checkering. And I believe that's the way it was done at American factories since I suspect it was not a style statement but a way to shave a few pennies off the cost. To lay out a new checkering pattern, it's essential to use a double edged cutter or spacing tool. I've never seen one of those in 60 degree form. I would imagine a dedicated flat-top cutter would have a flat bottom to the groove between two cutters so as to limit the depth and make it uniform. To do the whole pattern with a single edge cutter would be risky and/or very tedious as you'd have no way but extra caution to ensure the lines were all the same depth.

In any event, I agree the best option now is to lightly sand down the points using a very solid backer like the popsicle stick. To sand it smooth to recut, you'd have to take down the wood surrounding the pattern as well, necessitating some refinishing.

[DoubleGun]

Mike,
Gunline makes about any sort of 60 degree cutter you want. I use the triple edge to layout the pattern and then finish with a single. You end up with flat top checkering the way it is done all over Europe. I agree that the standard SW checkering is probably just 90 degree checkering that was never finished. Some look like they just laid out the lines and left it. Once a pattern has been cut with the wider tool there is just no way to recut with the 60 cutter.
Cheers, Pete

[mike campbell]

Pete,

Other than their 60 degree single cutters, which I find are great for cleaning out old checkering, I've not used much Gunline stuff. And since it seemed 60 degrees would just require more wood removal to point up the diamonds, not to mention their higher cost, I didn't see a reason to inventory both. Admittedly, less than 2% of my new checkering to date has been flat-topped, so I'm willing to rethink that.

I just visited their website and see that they tout 60 degrees as being better fior initial spacing, even if you intend to continue with 90. It's never too late to learn. Thanks, Mike.

[DoubleGun]

Mike,
Yeah, there is always something new. I do a lot of English guns and they are usually flat top. With a 60 degree cutter you never get deep enough to bring the diamonds to a point, so it really doesn't take more time.
Cheers, Pete

[eightbore]

Do what the rest of us do; hunt the checkering flat.