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General discussion => Gun Building => Topic started by: recurve on July 31, 2025, 04:47:24 PM

Title: spalted maple for rifle stock
Post by: recurve on July 31, 2025, 04:47:24 PM

I know spalted maple is a very good recurve/long bow veneers, but is it good for rifle builds ?( yes I saw Shane's rifle at Kempton)

So other than Shane has anyone else built with spalted maple what's the best way to stabilize the wood/ what stains work to enhance the wood pattern of the spalted wood(reminds me of old school mossy oak camo)in wood

Lasty who has some for sale for rifle 38 inch barrel, lancaster build?

Title: Re: spalted maple for rifle stock
Post by: B Kauffman on July 31, 2025, 05:38:25 PM

Call Alderfer Lumber in Mount Pleasnt Mills. My wife's uncle started it in 1996 and recently sold it. I worked there a few years, we burried logs to create spalting, its nothing more than a half rotten log. We sawed hard and soft maple slabs there for gun stocks at 10/4 mostly. Nothing spalted though. They very well may have spalted slab there big enough you can get several stocks from.

I built some good looking longbows using it as veneers.
I personally would not use it for a gun because unless your going to clear coat it it'll dissappear with stain.

Title: Re: spalted maple for rifle stock
Post by: Daryl on July 31, 2025, 06:30:35 PM

As I understand Spalting, it is mineral inclusions absorbed into the wood and mostly exists as the first or second stage of rot.
I would not trust it in a rifle stock and especially one with some recoil.

Title: Re: spalted maple for rifle stock
Post by: Scota4570 on July 31, 2025, 08:05:25 PM

Spalting is caused by fungus. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spalting

Title: Re: spalted maple for rifle stock
Post by: Bob Gerard on July 31, 2025, 08:13:29 PM

Spalted Maple was all the rage for some Mountain Dulcimers. I never saw the reason why. I always assumed it was sapwood. That’s what it looks like, anyway.

Title: Re: spalted maple for rifle stock
Post by: recurve on July 31, 2025, 08:46:44 PM

yup  by fungus ,boards  cut from a dead tree (standing or on the ground)

Title: Re: spalted maple for rifle stock
Post by: Wingshot on August 01, 2025, 12:37:23 AM

I have stack of spalted maple..in my woodpile. Burns ok.

Title: Re: spalted maple for rifle stock
Post by: recurve on August 01, 2025, 02:21:55 AM

so do my broken sugar /red maple stocks  :o

Title: Re: spalted maple for rifle stock
Post by: Eric Krewson on August 03, 2025, 04:15:59 PM

I make a small bow tillering tool out of various woods to auction off for a St Jude donation. One guy gave me a pile of spalted mystery wood, this stuff is so fragile that I can break a 1X1 piece of it with light hand pressure. At first, I would soak the wood with super glue to toughen it up but it took several tubes per piece, it soaked up superglue like a sponge. Now I use a thin layer laminated to sound wood to stabilize it.

Pretty wood but not gunstock material.

(https://i.ibb.co/XZv4Q487/roys-spalted.jpg) (https://ibb.co/TBFTfTL4)