• DIY Raised Cheek Piece

    I wanted to make sure that the stop collars held securely in the stock, so the first step to accomplish this was to undercut the 3/4" holes a bit. I used a Dremel tool with a wood-cutting bit to do this. Each stop collar was then clamped in my vise, released, turned slightly, then clamped again. This was repeated and effectively knurled the stop collar, providing some "tooth" for the epoxy. I prepped the stop collars for installation by cleaning them with lacquer thinner. Using a Q-tip, I applied paste wax to the inside of the stop collar and the threads. The stock was taped off to protect it from excess epoxy and paste wax was applied to the exposed wood. The areas coated with paste wax should prevent any lock-up where it isn't desired. Two sections of 3/8" rod and the two 1/4" bolts were used to secure the stop collars in place while the Marine Tex epoxy cured.


    After allowing the Marine Tex time to set up, I sanded off the extra. I then made small locator pins out of short sections of the 3/8" rod. I sharpened the rod on the grinder, to a somewhat flattened point.


    I set the cheek piece on top of the sock and held it in place with an even reveal. I had my son lightly tap on the cheek piece with a small hammer. The resulting transfers were perfect. Each fell exactly on the middle piece of laminate. We then leveled the cheek piece on the drill press and bored 25/64" holes for the riser rods. We over-bored for a couple of reasons; one, to allow adequate space for epoxy and, two, to give some wiggle room in case things weren't perfectly square.


    Using my cordless drill and some sandpaper, I dressed up the riser rods just a bit. I used 120, 220, 320, and finally 400 grit paper to give them a nice brushed finish. Using the same technique that I employed to knurl the collars, I clamped the first 1/2" inch or so of the riser rods in the vise several times. Hopefully this ensures that they will provide some "bite" for the epoxy.


    All that was left was to install the cheek piece. I began by prepping the surface of the stock cut and the cheek riser. I didn't want epoxy to adhere to these surfaces so I coated them with some paste wax. Using a Q-tip, I cleaned the interior of the freshly drilled holes with lacquer thinner and did the same to the knurled portions of each riser rod. I then mixed up another small batch of Marine Tex, inserted it into the holes in the cheek piece, and taped everything in place. With the epoxy still pliable, I separated the cheek piece from the stock. The excess Marine Tex was easy to clean up with a utility knife. A few days later I hit the stock with Duracoat Tactical Black. It's a bit on the flat side and this may be due to my aging hardener. The mix ratio was spot on, but the hardener is getting a little more viscous then when new. I think I've had it for over a year now.

    Comments 4 Comments
    1. michaelnel's Avatar
      michaelnel -
      Very nicely done, thanks for sharing it with us!
    1. bootsmcguire's Avatar
      bootsmcguire -
      Thanks for sharing with us, my hat is always tipped to fellow DIY'er. Looks good.
    1. badmutha6's Avatar
      badmutha6 -
      I just recently finished doing the same treatment to my Bell stock from your tutorial on a different forum. Thanks again for all the help!
    1. 264co's Avatar
      264co -
      Nice work. I found an anschutz clamp and did something similar but I think I like your method better.