Stock Inletting With a Ball End Mill

By James A. Boatright

Introduction
Many small shops building custom target rifles occasionally need to inlet a new stock for
a tubular action and barrel, or just the barrel channel alone, for a heavy target barrel. If a
manually operated milling machine is available in the shop, an assortment of ball end
mills can be obtained inexpensively in standard fractional inch sizes. We will explain in
this article how to use a minimum number of milling passes with a slightly undersize ball
end mill to mill-
Of course, the best way would have been to anticipate exactly what diameters will be
needed and to have procured a set of custom made ball end mills of the necessary
diameters. It is an advantage for this job if the milling machine came equipped with an
optional longer milling table for this set-up. A two-axis Digital Read-Out (DRO) system
is also very useful in this approach, as are a quill-depth DRO and a motorized x-axis
traverse capability.
Planning the Milling Operation
An important first step is to plan the milling operation clearly. When working with a
raw, unfinished laminated wood target stock, we often plan on lightly milling the top
surface of the stock blank for perfect trueness after it has been carefully set-up on the
milling table. It might also be useful for the first time through this procedure to layout
the centerline and desired arc of the barrel channel on the front end of the blank, and
perhaps to layout the centerline and milling limits on the trued top surface of the stock
blank, as well.
Determine the desired milling radius RD for the longitudinal inletting cut in the stock. In
our example here, we want to inlet a Remington 700 action of diameter 1.357-inch along
with its fitted heavy target barrel of constant 1.250-inch diameter. Of course, the
barreled action is to be inlet -line) is exactly level
with the top surface of the blank from end to end. In this case we are planning not to
provide radial clearance around the action until after pillar bedding has been completed.
We recommend this procedure to keep things straight. We can easily clearance the
receiver later. So, the desired milling radius is:
RD = 1.357/2 = 0.6785 inch.
In this example, we will assume that the largest ball end mill (not exceeding the desired
cut diameter) that we could locate in the shop was a 1.125-inch diameter mill. So, the
radius of the cutting mill RC is:
RC = 1.125/2 = 0.5625 inch.
The diametral clearance in the barrel channel will be 0.107-inch, and the radial clearance
of 0.0535-inch is suitable for the barrel of this target rifle.

Copyright © 2009 James A. Boatright

Now, we are ready to enter these RD and RC values into our worksheet and adjust the
allowable error size E or number N of milling pass-pairs desired. The calculated table of
offsets should be printed for reference at the mill.
Set-Up
The next step is to secure the stock accurately in position atop the milling table. The
stock must be level along its top surface and aligned with the cross-axis of the mill. It
must be clamped securely with padding used to prevent damage to its surfaces. We
usually try to use the main mill vise with padded jaws as part of this set-up. It has
remained true and undisturbed on the mill table for several years. The stock must be
clamped and supported in several places. We zero the y-axis of the DRO with the quill
centered over the centerline of the stock as part of checking the stock set-up on the mill
table.
The 1.125-inch mill should be mounted into a suitable mill holder and placed securely
into the quill. With the quill retracted (raised), move the y-axis back to exactly 0.0000 (if
it is not still there), and lock it. Raise the mill table so that the work is about 1.0-inch
below the ball mill, and lock the table knee adjustment. Move one end of the stock under
the mill and lower the mill into minimal contact with the top surface of the stock, and
lock the quill. Run the mill at about 750 RPM, and observe carefully as you make a trial
pass along the top centerline of the stock. Any misalignment should be apparent.
Making the Mill Passes
Now, position the work so that the quill can be lowered just off the fore-end of the stock.
Carefully lower the quill by exactly RD = 0.6785 inches. Double check this setting and
then zero out the quill-depth DRO. Sight past the mill against your limit arc (or depth
mark) on the front of the stock. When you are certain that everything is correct, make a
full-depth milling pass along the centerline of the stock. This pass performs most
of the material removal, so a fairly slow rate of advance should be selected and set into
the x-axis traverse mechanism. Run the table back to the starting end again so that we
can adjust the table and quill with the mill hanging out in the air.
From here on, we will raise the quill to the next shallower milling depth shown in the
worksheet, and re-lock it. Then we will use the DRO to set the next wider y-axis offset
-lock the y-axis movement. Always
ensure that the quill depth setting and the y-axis offsets being used are for the same mill
pass. These pass-pairs will be removing little material and can be run at a much faster,
but controllable x-axis rate. When the mill leaves the stock at the action end, the y-axis
offset is reversed, and the return pass is made (again in the forward-cutting direction).
You did not forget to re-lock the y-axis movement of the table, did you? Some types of
wood stocks might actually mill better, with less splintering, if all cuts are made
etal-removal milling direction. Note that with these
out
of contact with the work. If we were milling-out only the barrel channel, then the
reversal of the y-axis offset between the passes of a pair might have to be done as a
cutting operation across the front of the receiver area. Your hands should know the
direction in which to turn the control handle to make this movement correctly.
Copyright © 2009 James A. Boatright
 3

Finishing Up
After completing the last pass-pair, the milled channel will be quite smooth inside, but
its cross-sectional profile. If desired, these ripples can be
easily scraped or sanded down. While the stock is still set-up aligned and level on the
table, we should drill the pilot hole for the rear action screw, so that we can locate the
ADL trigger guard for this single-shot action, and mill the trigger recess from the top to
avoid interference from the pistol grip in later bottom milling. We would also drill the
front action screw pilot hole if the action were to be bedded. In this example to be barrel-
block bedded, we will layout the end locations of the block and use a conventional end
mill to mill-out a flat-bottomed recess for bedding the barrel-block. We will then re-
clamp the stock up-side-down to make three milling cuts along the centerline on the
bottom of the stock: one that will exactly fit the polished ADL trigger guard (located on
the rear screw pilot hole) and another two to inlet the aluminum ferrules that we will turn

to fit the two barrel-block mounting screws. There is no reason that all of these milling
cuts could not be done without damage to a fully finished stock.
Summary of Mathematics Used in Worksheet.

Copyright © 2009 James A. Boatright