doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com stock blank from dead-center in the log--good/bad?

I was just given an entire log of black walnut. It's been sitting in this guys basement for years, and appears quite dry. He said someone cut it intending to make a stock out of it and gave it to him, and he said he'll never use it...so he made me take it home with me. I used my chainsaw mill to cut a couple thin planks off one side to see what I'm working with...looks nice, not fancy but it will yield decent wood for something. My question is about the SIZE of this wood...the trunk is only about 15 inches, and when you cut off the sap wood there definitely isn't room for a good blank unless it was cut from the middle of the log and encompassed both sides and the center of the log...essentially cutting the one biggest piece of heartwood from the middle of the trunk. Hope that makes sense.

Is this asking for trouble, is this "ok but not ideal" or is this just fine?

The center of the log has a pith in heart area that needs to be avoided. Best blanks are quarter sawn which you do not have enough wood to do. So you are left with a blank that will be rift sawn or part quarter and part rift sawn. Unless you see some real nice grain and figure I would find other uses for this wood.

dido. Bad idea.

Thanks Guys--that's what I suspected, just wanted confirmation before I cut any further, as it'll determine whether I cut a blank or thinner planks.

If anyone else has any feedback good or bad I'm all ears, I'm in no hurry to chop this up.

Thanks,
DF

Agree with the above. Make something else. Lotta work in a gunstock, so use only good wood.

Hi Dave:

Pass on this piece of wood. I have done stocks from local trees and it is not worth the effort. Spend the money on a great piece of wood then you will have a great end product.

Remember, your labour is what is the biggest factor and it is the same for plain wood as it is for great wood. I speak from experience!

Good luck,

Franchi

I have a georgeous piece of walnut that I made into a sporting rifle stock for a M52C Winchester target rifle. I cut the barrel to sporter dimensions. As it turned out the stock after it was cut to shape had the "hole" that was the center of the log come out in the side of the butt. I inlaid a piece of the blank to cover the "hole" and it came out fine. However, if you look closely, the inlay can be detected. If you can arrange it so the "hole" comes out in the butt plate area, it's no big deal since it will be covered by a butt plate or a recoil pad.

Johnpe

Thanks guys--I appreciate the responses. A few of them I could not really tell if the posters were discouraging due to aesthetics or strength. I am not worried about labor vs whether the wood is "nice" or not, the only thing I was wondering is whether a blank cut in this manner (with the core of the log included in the blank) will be structurally sound. The rest is aesthetics--this is not a money-saving excercise, it's simply a piece of wood that an old man wanted to someday see turned into a gunstock...unless there's a good reason not to do that I aim to make him happy. It sounds like some say it's not sound, and at least one person has done it before...anyone have additional thoughts or clarification?
Thanks,
Dave

Common practice in Screwbean Mesquite, but it is a much better gunstock wood than walnut. Walnut isn't strong enough.

I have been involved in the production of millions of board feet of softwood lumber. In softwood lumber, it is my experience that a 2x4 with the pith (heart center) usually is less stable than lumber cut from the outer part of the log. Knowledgable lumber buyers stay away from lumber manufactured from small logs because a high percentage of the lumber will end up warped. Bending strength is also typically lower in lumber that includes the pith. I don't know if the pith would cause a decrease in the compression strength which is probably the most important issue in a gunstock.

I agree with the Franchi's opinion to pass on making a stock out of this piece of walnut. I have made quite a few stocks. I learned the hard way to pay attention to the grain flow in a stock when a rifle stock I made broke through the wrist because of cross grain. It is best to start with a good quality blank that has no apparent defects from the outside.

Forester