Photo 1.  This is what the top of the forearms looks after the shaping and sanding to 220 grit.  That top edge has thinned considerably.  All this adds up to a slimmer look without loosing a full sized forearm grip area.  The grip width is still 1.300 inches wide and about the same in height.

Photo 2.  The thumb nail or panels, at the back of the forearm, shown from the top.  Each side flares out starting from the frame.  I talked with Tony Maddox and ask if he could measure this area on his Walker for me.  On his Walker the wood was  1.320 at the frame and out to 1.460 at the from edge of the thumb nail. My frame width will end up just over 1.300 so these numbers worked on my rifle.  I did make mine longer though.  His were .860 long mine are just under an inch long.  I liked them slightly longer.  They do need to be the same length, from the action frame, and project evenly on each side from the surrounding wood. 
These panels are still being worked during the sanding.  I never finish the panel side until all the sanding it completed.  The edges always get rounded slightly, even being careful while sanding.  By waiting, the panel lines will sharpen back up when they are finished out. 
Also notice, I put a slight curve to the panel sides. This curvature will start out fairly flat at the frame and and increase as it approaches the front.  This should become more obvious after they are finished.
Bob

AJ wrote on Oct 9^th, 2025 at 6:52pm:



I appreciate the comments.  Thanks.

I certainly know and understand that there is more than one way to approach building a gun, so I just like to state this is how I build.  There a many others that probably build completely different and build wonderful guns.

There are also folks out there that may want to start building a gun but have no idea how to start...I know because I was there 30+ years ago.  This is why I have decided, on this forearm, to go into the depth I go when building, and try to explain it better than I have in the past.  There is pretty much nothing that isn't planned for in advance.
Bob

There was a thread on another forum, I follow, that started with the question "What tool do you use most while building?".  While I did not enter in to that discussion, my first thought was pencil and eraser!  I use them a lot.

The following pictures are showing how I form these panels, but these are not the final panels.  Once I start shaping the panel to final size and shape,  I was afraid I would forget to take pictures so I did an oversized shaping just to show how, and what, I like them to look like.

Photo 1.  Here I have drawn out what I wanted the forearm side panel to look like.  I always need to have an idea where I want to go with my shaping and, as always, with a pencil line drawing.  This helps in a couple ways.  First consistency between the two sides of the forearm.  Second, it give you the boundaries, and a plan, to shape the panels.  As can be seen the panel starts at the top edge of the forearm and extends, in an ark, around to the bottom sharp edge of the side flat of the steel action frame, not the very bottom of the frame.  This lower pencil line should extend the line of the frame, into the panel making a nice flow between the two parts.  This allows the bottom the forearm to be formed and blended up around and into this panel.

Photo 2. I have started forming the forearm, bottom up, around  and into the panel.  Looking at where the wood meets the frame shows this at #1.  By doing this the pencil lines would normally be removed, making the panel appear smaller than intended until I start working the width of the panel down to where it meets the frame #3.  #2 is showing the shaped forearm which needs to blend into the panel.

Photo 3. The #1 arrows are pointing to the area being blend from the forearm #2.  With the solid red line I am just showing the the forearm in front of and below the panel needs to blend straight into the front and bottom of the panel.

Photo 4.  Again showing the forearm should blend into the front of the panel.

Photo 5.  While it's not done, the top of the panel is also blended into the forearm, right down to the barrel, as shown by the arrows.
Bob

Bob, your woodwork is just as amazing as your metal machining! I still throughly enjoy your great posts!

When shaping the area under (as shown in the pictures) the schnabel beak, I work the area down fairly sharply to give good definition to the schnabel.

In this first picture I have the area on top or to the right side of the schnabel rough shaped out.  It's a nice smooth line sloping down off the edge of the schnabel.  The area the arrow is pointing too.

Photo 2.  This is showing the same area as in photo 1, but on the opposite or left side.  It has not been smoothed out and shows, between the arrows, an area that is not a nice smooth curve yet. 

Photo 3.  This is what the finished shaping looks like after using a rasp.

Photo 4.  Just a different view of the completed rough shaped forearm.

Photo 5.  I have added the forearm retaining screw (this is just a build screw at this point).  I have also started sanding the forearm, starting with either 120 or ever 80 if I need too.
Bob

All hail the power of Robert's rasp because of who's behind it.

Bill Lawrrence

Really nice work. I enjoy your posts and envy your abilities thank you.

For octagon forend sanding I use a 24" #3 barrel with the sand paper taped to it.  The barrel being slightly tapered allows me to use whichever end I need.  I mostly open up existing channels for larger barrels.  I think I managed to make a flat bottomed one from scratch once.  Wood work is not my thing at all.   

Jack