Gunstocks
Gunstocks
The stock of a gun, a necessary part of the firearm, providing the attachment point for the barrel and firing mechanism, as well as ergonomic support against the shoulder during its recoil, is also part of the art of gun making with its selection of wood, carving and finish, and a contributing factor to accuracy and comfort with its proper design and fit to a particular shooter. The design and manufacture of modern gunstocks has continued to elevate in craftsmanship, as well as improved technical performance, with possible customization for stocks utilizing individual fit parameters, "bespoke", which can be adjusted within CAD/CAM software, as well as the selection of materials, and the ultimate execution of the customized program through CNC machining.
Manufacturers of gunstocks, and high quality carved and milled solid wood components, who have previously relied upon traditional machining processes and equipment to get the job done, find today's market increasingly requires and demands more flexibility, capability, efficient production and a quicker response time than ever.
CMS' range of CNC machining centers provides flexible, full, 5-axis machining capabilities with its Karat family, and Venus series of CNC machining centers, which are uniquely well adapted to gunstock machining. And in particular, CMS' new generation Multilathe system, its compact, powerful, highly efficient, combination CNC router and turning lathe series, not only does the work of a number of traditional machines at the same time, but does so with high productivity, at high volume, low batch or discrete run quantities, and at a much improved quality level. Manufacturers who have increasingly wondered if its still possible to compete against pressures of low world labor rates will find its possible to easily compete when the traditional labor content has been reduced toward zero through the application of CMS' revolutionary machining technology, Multilathe: meaning that gunstock and other components can be produced anywhere in the world, not just economies with a low labor rate.
Additional Images
Shown are two solid wood gunstocks, with special attention to their design, a design well adjusted the shooter's fit. To the top is shown a 2 piece stock with forend and butt, with thumbhole at the grip area for ease of holding, with only the butt section of another stock shown to the bottom. Though the range of individual requirements and stock types varies greatly, CMS CNC machining technology provides powerful capabilities for specific high end, low volume demands, as well as volume production.
Shown are competition, solid wood, one piece, gunstocks. The stock to the top is shown with special adjustable comb for competition, allowing for the correct adjustment of the shooter's cheek to the proper height of the gun sight, while that to the bottom features a high roll over, or a high Monte Carlo style comb: important design features for performance shooting, easily managed and executed with CMS' high performance CNC machining centers.
Shown here are some finished results from CMS' Multilathe CNC machining center. Multilathe not only provides high quality shaping and surfacing capabilities, but precise, controlled inletting capabilities for the gun hardware components, all in one operation, without the stock moving from one work station to the next, as in traditional manufacturing processes and without the consequent loading, unloading, inventory in process considerations for each machine, floor space, setup and rechecking of each new machining process, potential loss of work in process, and errors of compounded setups to the finished product: Multilathe, does it all in one setup, one process, without concern for small customized stocks or production run quantities, with total control and perfect results.
Products Used
Multilathe - Combination CNC lathe and machining center
Multilathe, CMS' patented unique combination, multi spindle, high speed CNC lathe and 6 axis machining center, makes it possible to machine 4 gunstocks at the same time, positioned side by side, like a multiple spindle copy lathe and carving machine, but in a vertically oriented fashion, not horizontally, the most efficient and compact arrangement possible. Each of Multilathe's point/counterpoint holding devices (headstock/tailstock) securely holds a gunstock blank ready to be shaped and machined, executing high speed CNC controlled continuous rotation for the lathe and shaping work, so that large amounts of material may be removed quickly, followed up with complex 6 axis CNC controlled movement for inletting, machining and carving work.
Multilathe, extremely fast and accurate, eliminates traditional multiple step production processes in various machines and combines several steps together at one time, in one place, and in a completed manner, no re-processing, no intermediate stocks of material, and no possible further lost parts in subsequent machining operations.
Multilathe has 4 powerful working spindles, each a 5-axis working unit, each with access to its own storage rack of 10 cutting tools for the shaping, carving and machining work being carried out for each gunstock.
Multilathe also has additional control over the working spindle's inclination, which is provided with a 6th axis, so that lathe operations can use the side of the milling tool for fast, smooth, machining operations - not the end of the cutting tool. With Multilathe's unique approach to roughing and finishing lathe work, the result is a perfect geometric surface, without the use of traditional copy lathe processes, only some light hand-sanding is usually required for gunstocks to be ready for the finishing process.
Following the CNC controlled lathe operations, Multilathe carries out all the remaining CNC controlled gunstock machining processes by executing cycles for routing, inletting, drilling, shaping, trimming, joint surfaces, holes, openings, carving operations, and so forth, resulting in a complete and finished part.
Venus - compact 5 axis, moving table CNC
Venus provides a complement to Multilathe's important shaping, surfacing, inletting and machining processes, with its machining work for hollow butt, deep milling operations. Venus, CMS' moving table CNC machining center, is equipped with CMS' flexible 5-axis working unit, with a wide selection of cutting tools for machining processes, or alternately CMS' RX4 working unit with 5-axis, 4 position revolver, of which one position is an ATC spindle, for additional cutting tool selection. Venus' specially engineered holding fixtures are easily mounted on the machine and provide quick, easy setup, and firm holding of the butt for end milling and hollow butt machining operations for deep routing, milling and drilling.
Venus' moving table system provides nonstop, pendular, work cycles, and its perimeter protection system with automated opening and closing protective, see-through door, permits the operator unobstructed access to 3 sides of the table for easy loading and unloading, while machining work continues on the other side.
Karat - inletting, machining previously shaped stocks
For previously shaped gunstock blanks, Karat, CMS' moving table class CNC machining center, provides flexible machining, along with a number of options for part holding and working units. Karat can be equipped with CMS' special A/B cycle holding fixtures, for executing sequential sets of operations for internal and external machining, along with 4th/5th axis fixture rotation and orientation of the part, permitting 3 axis working units to be used for the milling, shaping, routing and inletting work. Karat provides a:
- full, free-form, 5-axis capability, in single or multiple units -- as well as standard 3 and 4 axis units
- powerful working spindles
- large 3D work envelop in a wide range of table sizes and orientations
- operator safe work environment with perimeter protection and safety doors
- pendular and unison table cycle capability
- vacuum tables, special table accessories high speed movement with precision accuracy