Coffield suggests placing a warning flag on the end of a stock to prevent accidental damage in a crowded shop. It’s easy to break a stock right in half if it’s clamped at the center like this one.

Question: I have just had a major disaster in my shop. I was working on a Mannlicher-stocked Mauser sporter and had the stock secured in my vise. A friend dropped by to visit and unfortunately walked into the stock and broke it. I am not sure if I can repair the stock. How can I keep this from happening again short of banning everyone from my shop?

Answer: Even if you lock the door and keep everyone else out of your shop, there’s always the chance that you’ll walk into or stumble against a stock held in your bench vise. A trick I’ve used for years that has helped avoid accidents like this is to simply drape a clean red shop towel over the end of the stock if it extends more than a few inches from my vise and is not supported by a floor stand. Thus far no one, including me, has run into a stock which has this warning flag draped over it. I hope this helps and good luck with that stock repair!