Any Gunstock Wood experts here?

[stringcheese]

My neighbor just cut down (with a little of my help) a huge old maple tree that had a ton of branches. I got it down to stubs and a trunk now and I want to slice it into pieces worthy of making rifle stock blanks out of. I have already seen a ton of curly and some fiddle back when I was cutting it into firewood. I am even going to pull the roots out and try to salvage the birdseye out of that.

My question is,

Which direction do I cut the tree at to make rifle stocks?

Do I follow the trunk grain or the branch stub's grain?

Any advice is appreciated. Plan on doing the cutting next weekend.

thanks

[BigGabe]

Not sure if the direction makes a real big difference. It will determine the look of the stock though. You will want to make sure you cut it oversize though to allow for shrinkage. I would cut the wood a minimum of 3inches thick. Also get something to seal the ends good to minimize the wood checking. It will probably take a couple years before the wood is dried enough to work. Hope that helps. Gabe

[Kevin G.]

I've done a little reading on selecting blanks for rifle stocks and one recurring bit of advise was to be sure that the grain structure in the wrist and action bedding area run in line with the stock for strength. the forearm and majority of the butt is where you want the figure. I would think cutting where the branch and/or root junctions flowed through the butt and the more uniform grains of the trunk flowed through the wrist would be ideal. Then again, this seems to be an art form and the best still produce some junk blanks. I couldn't imagine trying to do this myself. Good luck, I'm interested to see some pics of what you come up with.

[stringcheese]

I've done a little reading on selecting blanks for rifle stocks and one recurring bit of advise was to be sure that the grain structure in the wrist and action bedding area run in line with the stock for strength. the forearm and majority of the butt is where you want the figure. I would think cutting where the branch and/or root junctions flowed through the butt and the more uniform grains of the trunk flowed through the wrist would be ideal. Then again, this seems to be an art form and the best still produce some junk blanks. I couldn't imagine trying to do this myself. Good luck, I'm interested to see some pics of what you come up with.

I'll take pictures.

[Too_Slow]

I recall reading that the major stock makers would put the trunks aside and let them dry for 6 to 8 years before cutting to prevent cracking of the wood when cutting.

Brian

[-JQ-]

I have some standing dead persimmon trees. Any good for anything?

[stringcheese]

I still have not cut. talked to a couple stock makers. Most of them buy their wood. One got me going in the right direction. You season the wood covered in a special wax that seals but does not penetrate. I will probably cut it soon.

[larry weeks]

Just make sure you cut some long blanks for the muzzle loading folks, they use a lot of maple. If you find "curl" or stripes they'll be all over you for that. Maple isn't as common in the centerfire world. Although I saw a new Win 70, apparently a special run, 10 to 15 years ago with maple stock, diamond inlays, contrasting forend tip, and rollover Monte Carlo comb that I now wish I had bought. Real throwback design, unique look.

[stringcheese]

I love curley maple with a stainless action in it! IMO the only way to make a purdy stainless rifle

[stringcheese]

I started into it yesterday. I cut and cut on one of the crotches and nothing looked fancy. So I got online and really started to look at the grain on a gunstock as to what direction it is cut. I was cutting the wrong way! So, as the sun set, I took a surface cut and just shaved the bark away. And there it was, QUILTED MAPLE!

Now I have some curl in front of me and no idea how to get it cut into a gunstock blank?

I need some help here!

I also called a few stock builders. They could not (or would not) tell me how to cut, they just buy blanks.

I still have a huge amount of wood to work with.

Edited May 15, 2011 by stringcheese

[BigGabe]

You might give Rimrock Gunstocks a call. He cuts his own wood and might be able to give you some insight. He's in Idaho and his number is 208-549-4037. Hope he can help you. Gabe

[stringcheese]

Thank you!

[isleman75]

Thank you!

You are heading in the right direction. You will definitely have to cut it into blanks a few inches larger for every dimension, wax seal it, then store it for a few years. Good walnut takes at LEAST two years to rid itself of most of its moisture. Cracking can sometimes occur with no rhyme or reason, but the wax will help that. I'm not sure exactly what sort of wax is used, and I'm not sure of any makers that will tell you, but you can ask around. Check out macongunstocks.com

Look at how they have TONS of stocks being stored...Good wood takes years to cure, especially when some AAA blanks can fetch nearly $1000 before they're even touched by a 'smith...

[Chills1994]

I would suggest going to woodcraft.com to see what the large wooden bowl and vessel lathe turners use to keep their bowl blanks from drying too quickly. I have seen plenty of exotic turning blanks sealed in a wax.

the wood turners will turn the majority of the bowl, vessel, or plater while it is still green and sopping wet. then they will put the bowl in a plastic bag with sawdust...I think...the same shavings that came off the lathe and let it dry that way.

typically the rule of thumb for air drying lumber is 6 months to a year for every inch of thickness.

I have seen some figured maple blanks fetch some high prices through grizzly.com . I think they were meant to be electric guitar body blanks.

[stringcheese]

At this point of my quest I still am having problems determining the direction of my cuts relative to the trunk and crotch.

Good tip on consulating woodcraft, I forgot all about them. I was on the road for business this week and I am off to Brazil this Sunday for a week for business. I will be back to cutting around june 1st.

[isleman75]

At this point of my quest I still am having problems determining the direction of my cuts relative to the trunk and crotch.

Good tip on consulating woodcraft, I forgot all about them. I was on the road for business this week and I am off to Brazil this Sunday for a week for business. I will be back to cutting around june 1st.

The direction of the grain should follow the direction of the stock. Say you see a band (not verticle figure) of light and dark wood, this should generally begin at the buttstock and flow forward toward the fore end of the stock. This is maximum strength for the stock to absorb recoil. Avoid knots at critical points like grip or where an action would sit for inletting. Keep the crazy good figure in the butt stock area and fore ends..