Woodworking question

[gmar]

I just cut out a new stock for an AK 47 and need to make it thinner and add some contours to it. I used a 2" piece of mahogany and need to make the stock 1.5" thick at the most and thinner than that in some areas. My first guess is to use a band saw but problem is, I don't have one so I started sanding it but realized really fast that's a no go. Other than a band saw, do you guys have any idea on what I can do to make it thinner and contour it at the same time?

Here are some pics:

[Broken External Image]

[Broken External Image]

[Broken External Image]

 

[dennishoddy]

That's where a hand plane and a rasp file come into play, or a belt sander.

 

[pinkhamr]

Yep, planer and then belt sander .....

 

[ssgt ben]

Use a halfmoon and flat file to do the contours 80 grit sandpaper for the rough shape then go higher in number (finer) in sandpaper the closer you get to the right size. Remember you can take it off but you cant put it back on after its gone.

 

[Shoot Summ]

You have alot of work ahead of you.

A hand plane is a good place to start, followed with rasps, etc.

If you had a small planer/surfacer you could make a sled that would hold it to run it through, or you could use a joiner but it is awfully short.

Next time I would address the thickness first before you cut the shape.

 

[oneof79]

You have alot of work ahead of you.

A hand plane is a good place to start, followed with rasps, etc.

If you had a small planer/surfacer you could make a sled that would hold it to run it through, or you could use a joiner but it is awfully short.

Next time I would address the thickness first before you cut the shape.

What he said.

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

If your shaping involves concave curves, a spindle sander will help as well.

Woody

 

[gmar]

It's the first time I've ever tried to do something like this, so I'll learn from my mistakes and address the thickness before hand.

The spindle sander looks like a great idea. Anyone know if I can rent one from Home Depot? I looked on there website but I didn't see a complete list of tools.

 

[Honeybee]

No you can't rent one but forget the plane, lots of work for not a lot to show for it.
Get a cheap belt sander from a pawn shop and clamp it upside down in a vise, use it for doing a lot of your shaping and thinning.
find a good sharp rasp to finish getting it into shape and then sandpaper... 80, 100, 180, 220 then stain it.
If you want an authentic color use a dark red stain like red mahogany or dark cherry.
Finish with thin coats of Poly,,,Wipe on-wipe off, do not build it up thick just lots of coats.

 

[Shoot Summ]

No you can't rent one but forget the plane, lots of work for not a lot to show for it.
Get a cheap belt sander from a pawn shop and clamp it upside down in a vise, use it for doing a lot of your shaping and thinning.
find a good sharp rasp to finish getting it into shape and then sandpaper... 80, 100, 180, 220 then stain it.
If you want an authentic color use a dark red stain like red mahogany or dark cherry.
Finish with thin coats of Poly,,,Wipe on-wipe off, do not build it up thick just lots of coats.

I will have to disagree with you on this one Don. A belt sander will eventually take the material off, but it will take a LONG time to remove 1/2", and make an incredible mess, even with a 60-80 grit belt. A well tuned hand plane will remove stock VERY fast, no dust, just lot's of pretty curlies. The challenge is that it is already cut to shape, leaving areas that be difficult to do with a plane, that is where the belt sander would work better.

If it were me, I would build a sled to hold the piece with some sacrificial material on each side and use a thickness planer. The base of the sled would be MDF or particle board, use double sided tape to afix the piece to the sled, then block in around it. I could make the sled, and thin it down in less than an hour.

I made one recently to make a Pizza Peal where it tapered the peal from 3/4" to 1/4" as it went through the surfacer.

ETA, or you could build a jig and do it with a router...