This process is one that Louie is most renown for, he had a clear natural skill with it from the start and it proves the same to this day.

The objective of chequering is to simultaneously create a beautiful pattern and increase grip on two/three parts of the wooden elements of each gun - the Hand, forend and butt end (if not covered by a recoil pad).

Chequering is achieved by cutting perfectly spaced line across an uneven surface then going back through those lines at a specific angle to make the famous ‘diamond’ pattern. After the main pattern is ‘laid on’, every single line is then run through with a single line cutter to bring the diamonds to a point - every diamond should ideally look exactly the same, with the same depth and angle.

There are different sizes to choose from when it comes to the chequer, each is described by ‘Lines Per Inch’ (LPI). The most common sizes are 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 and 26 LPI. Very rarely 32LPI is used, but is certainly a possibility.

View the photos below to see examples of Louie’s chequering.