barrel blocks have you made your own?

[Rover31]

going to make a set of barrel blocks.
Will someone give me a few hints to smooth out the road?
What diameter hole do you use?
I will be removing a couple of sporter profile barrels and replacing them with varmint contour barrels.
Thanks
T

[bajabill]

OAK

I struggled a bunch, broke a couple, and could never get them to grip untill I got some good old 2"x4" oak. I dont know what dia I drilled, but I drilled it to fit the action and after removing the factory barrel, I am able to flip one side over and use a flat side along with a half hole and tighten on the barrel for subsequent removal and replacement. I also made my own clamps with heavy steel and large bolts.

[82boy]

You must use hard wood, Pine just don't cut it. The holes should be slightly smaller than the barrel. For the cost of it you may be better off buying a set off of SSS last time I checked they was 5 or 10 bucks.

[Rover31]

Tried that they are out and will not be getting them back in.
Gotta make my own... Can't be that hard!

[thirty06]

Midway has them, but there $20.00.
I also made my own. The hardest part is finding good hardwood.

[RWO]

I make blocks out of a stack of 3" x3" x3/4" plywood pieces. Glue 4 of them together and you have a 3" cube of laminated wood.

Drill a hole through the center, perpendicular to the laminations, that fits the barrel snugly. Split the block on the hole centerline with a saw.
Coat the barrel with paste wax, PAM, or your favorite release agent. Mix up some epoxy or glass bedding compound( liquid). Butter the block hole halves with it and put the block halves on the barrel. Secure the block snugly to the barrel with tape, rubber bands , C-clamp, etc. Catch any dripping epoxy on some newspaper if neccesary.

Next day, knock the blocks off the barrel and clean up the split line with a sander or wood rasp. Coat the epoxy lining in the hole with some rosin dissolved in paint thinner, lacquer thinner, etc. after it dries you have custom fitted blocks that grip like the devil with very little pressure on the vise and will not split. You can deform them, but it takes 4 or 5 tons pressure. They last forever.

RWO

[Rover31]

So will need different blocks for different profiles?

[375Win]

If you don't have oak local, home depot carries short lenths of 2x2 oak. Or go to your nearest RR yard where the unload steal and pipe there are a bunch of oak dunage there for the asking if one of the empoyees isn't heating his home with them, I got enough oak 4x4's to build a small club house for the local sheep herding club. I usually cut the oak into 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 12" strips and laminate the together to make my blocks.

375Win

[Eric in NC]

I made some out of hickory - really work great and have lasted a long time.

[Rover31]

made some out of an Iron wood type tree. Looks like it will work great.
Thanks for the pointers!

[geargrinder]

I made some out of 2x2 pine, but I drilled the hole big enough to fit my action. :)

[FW Conch]

I make my blocks for the "action" also. I make the blocks just thick enough to grip the "front portion" of the action. I find it much more effective than clamping the barrel.