On many longrifles, there are mouldings along the forearm (usually the upper forearm) and along toe of the buttstock. Most often these are simple raised moldings cut in with a knife or chisel and then relieved behind the cut with the chisel or knife. The moulding is usually cleaned up using a slim triangular file with the tip ground off forming a scraping surface. The photo to the right shows a lower buttstock moulding cut with just the knife and the chisel.
For more complex mouldings, a scratchstock may be useful. The scratchstock shown here was made for the unusual moulding found on a group of Rockbridge Country Virginia guns (including John Davidson) and applied to my Gun #19. The blade in this scratchstock is ground to produce both the upper forearm moulding and the buttstock toe moulding. To use the scratchstock, the top bar runs along the top of the barrel channel to cut the forearm moulding and along the toe for the lower buttstock moulding. Only part of the buttstock moulding nearest the butt can be cut with the scratch stock and it can be more trouble than it is worth. The scratchstock is most useful for the upper forearm moulding, but it does take a lot of passes to cut the moulding. You have to shape the upper forearm as close as you can to finished dimensions before you apply the scratchstock.
One important note about the finish produced by the scratchstock. Since you are holding the scraper blade parallel to the curl in the stock, the scraper blade with ride up and down on the hard and soft curl producing a ripple effect. I know of no way to avoid this with a scratchstock. The ripples are a consequence, and an indication, of the method used to shape the forearm. Other places that you use a scraper, you can hold the scraper diagonal to the curl to avoid leaving ripples. Ripples in a highly figured stock are part and parcel of shaping and finishing with scrapers, but in most other places it can be minimized. It just can’t be minimized where a scratchstock is used.