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General discussion => Gun Building => Topic started by: WadePatton on October 25, 2013, 05:33:23 PM

Title: Buckeye wood useless for gunstocks
Post by: WadePatton on October 25, 2013, 05:33:23 PM

Is buckeye timber/lumber/wood totally useless?

I found a busted stump yesterday that shows the tightest curl I've seen.  It's about 8 per inch.

But the lumber company won't buy buckeye logs.  I have some giant buckeye trees, but have never cut any up to see if the wood was any count for any thing.  Since my neighbors cattle started getting sick on the nuts, he's dropping all of his and letting them rot.  So there's plenty of it on the ground to experiment with, just don't see any references to it for gunwood.

And that curl got me stirred up.

further research reveals:

ahhh, these guys: Neelands, R. W. 1979. Important trees of eastern forests. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Southeastern Area State and Private Forestry, Atlanta, GA. 111 p.

say this: The wood is light and soft and is used for pulpwood, woodenware, and occasionally for lumber.  ::)

And from Purdue: http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-299-W.pdf

Short, end of story:  It's worthless, except for producing squirrel-favored but cattle toxic mast.

Title: Re: Buckeye wood for stock?
Post by: heinz on October 25, 2013, 06:49:25 PM

Too soft for gun wood.  Excellent for bowls, spoons and trenchers.  Probably make and interesting horn plug

Title: Re: Buckeye wood for stock?
Post by: rich pierce on October 25, 2013, 09:22:33 PM

Not worth burning.  About as good as willow or box elder as firewood.

Title: Re: Buckeye wood for stock?
Post by: WadePatton on October 26, 2013, 02:47:41 AM

Yes, that's what the research i quoted at the end of my original post says in more "scholarly" words.

If the squirrels weren't so thrilled by the mast, then I'd cut 'em to make room for trees of substance...

odd how they poison domestic animals and wild ones don't appear to suffer.

I still have a lot of cherry and walnut and maple and ash to sort out anyway.  It's sawing season again.  ;D

Title: Re: Buckeye wood for stock?
Post by: Kermit on October 26, 2013, 06:29:40 AM

We used to refer to wood like that as "summer wood." Burns hot and fast, and then goes out. Good for the cookstove when you need a fast cook fire but don't need to heat the kitchen. Cooking on a cast iron range is mostly a lost art. My mother and grandmother discovered bottled propane, and the cookstove stayed idle until cooler weather.

Title: Re: Buckeye wood for stock?
Post by: axelp on October 27, 2013, 12:22:38 AM

In my area the buckeye is a smallish tree, but one of my favorites, because its the first tree to green up in the spring and the first one to go dormant in winter. I set my calendar to it. Also the bark is kind of smooth and spongy and I used to like to climb them as a kid. And i have heard its a good wood to whittle because it is soft. But they are never very big in the Sierra foothills of central CA.

Title: Re: Buckeye wood for stock?
Post by: dannylj on October 27, 2013, 04:32:55 AM

Here in North Louisiana I've never seen one bigger than a big bush.

Title: Re: Buckeye wood for stock?
Post by: David R. Pennington on October 29, 2013, 05:01:11 AM

I remember reading in some of the old original documents about using buckeye for tableware. It is nice for whittling and carving. Makes excellent kindling. Burns like its got kerosene in it. Would not make a good gunstock.