Originally Posted by
Peter Laidler
Regarding the fit of the butt and the gap between the buitt and the butt socket, then there SHOULD be a gap. This is to prevent the butt socket picking up on that shoulder of the butt and splitting off a chunk of the wood. We used to say that there should be a distinct gap that as a handy reference, you could wiggle in the BACK of a hacksaw blade but not the toothed front edge of the blade.
Don't forget that the butt fits and it locked in place not by the front surface meeting up with the inside of the socket or the shouldered edge contacting the rim of the butt socket but via the tapered nore of the butt engaging the internal taper of the butt socket, locked by the bolt of course
