Author Topic: Oak, Pecan, Hickory, Chestnut: Were they ever used? (Read 26042 times)

wormey · « **Reply #25 on:** January 16, 2011, 07:06:09 AM »

I beg to differ a little on the use of chestnut. I know we are primarily talking about longrifle stocks, but we often get into fowlers and occasionally Rev. war muskets. There are surviving muskets from the period stocked in chestnut. I know I have seen pictures of at least one Committee of Safety musket so stocked and I believe Neuman has pictures of others. Wormey

Dan'l 1946 · « **Reply #26 on:** January 16, 2011, 08:30:26 AM »

There used to be a very large antique fowler at the Fort at Number 4 in Charlestown, N.H. that was stocked in chestnut and was in fine shape. Looked a lot like oak, but tighter grained.
It does seem like a lot of filler would be needed on an oak stock if appearance is of concern. Probably why they didn't use it much.

Stophel · « **Reply #27 on:** January 16, 2011, 10:04:23 AM »

Sometimes guns are stocked in an unusual wood and the "expert" at the museum or auction house will guess at what it is....often he is wrong. I have an auction catalog showing a wheel lock rifle with a "birch" stock...when it is painfully obvious it is ash.

caliber45 · « **Reply #28 on:** January 16, 2011, 06:22:39 PM »

Built my first half-stock with African sedgua -- the only "colorful" wood I could find at the local hardwood store. It had a quilted figure. A bit too soft, but it worked. -- paulallen, tucson az

Rasch Chronicles · « **Reply #29 on:** January 16, 2011, 06:48:19 PM »

Thanks fellows!

I really appreciate everyone sharing all of the out of the ordinary woods used. I remember back in the 70s, a fellow who was stocking Weatherby MarkV in Weatherby 300 Magnums in all sorts of exotic woods. The two I remember distinctly was Pink Ivory and Olive. I believe that he had about 50 of them...

I order my Chambers Fowler in two weeks! After that, I really think I'm going to try my hand at a flintlock chunkgun. I'll have to think about what kind of wood I will be trying. Something exotic and heavy I'm sure!

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch In Afghanistan™
Scouting for Hogs, Chronicles Style!

northmn · « **Reply #30 on:** January 16, 2011, 06:57:01 PM »

I use what I can locally because it can be kind of fun to cut your own. My birch stock was chewed out of a tree with a chainsaw and wedges, then shaped on my bandsaw. I have a sister stock that is probably going into a halfstock percussion. Feels kind of satisfying to save that cost even if labor wise you worked for about $1 per hour. One thing I learned about birch is that it is pretty thirsty and it pays to wait a bit after staining to see if it needs another coat. When you use other woods you may find each has its own personality in regards to working and finishing. First time experiences tend to teach us what we should have done.

DP

Herb · « **Reply #31 on:** January 16, 2011, 10:24:02 PM »

Arn, who has that Chinese elm-stocked rifle, also makes furniture out of cottonwood, in the Populus family. Big logs and crotches can have some fantastic grain and be quite hard. Don't know how it would be for a full stock, but you could get half-stocks. I bought an old under-lever 12 gauge French shotgun (forget the make) from a farmer in North Dakota. There was no forend, just the lever to turn to the side to open the action, but the buttstock was chopped out of a piece of cottonwood with an axe, and looked like it too!

California Kid · « **Reply #32 on:** January 16, 2011, 10:27:21 PM »

Maybe a Darne?

satwel · « **Reply #33 on:** January 17, 2011, 03:29:56 AM »

I have an acquaintance who built a New England fowler with a piece of locally cut apple.

Rasch Chronicles · « **Reply #34 on:** January 17, 2011, 04:02:02 AM »

At the rate we're going, I may end up makeing one out of an Orange or Grapefruit tree!

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch In Afghanistan™
Scouting for Hogs, Chronicles Style!

David R. Pennington · « **Reply #35 on:** February 07, 2011, 05:46:15 AM »

I built my house out of yellow poplar and I can promise you it is not soft. I defy you to go into my attic and drive a nail into one of the seasoned rafters. It is very strong for structural purposes and lasts a long time if protected. There are some covered bridges built of it in our state that were built before the civil war.
The problem with it is it's stability. My house "moves" with the humidity changes between winter and summer. I had a half inch gap that would open along my ceiling in winter when the roof structure dried out over the winter and would close up when the humidity returned in summer. I cured this with a 2 part crown moulding that is attached to the ceiling only on the top section so it "floats". Its not a very pretty grained would typically either.
I have a friend who built a plain southern mtn. type rifle out of osage orange and it is an interesting piece.

BrentD · « **Reply #36 on:** February 07, 2011, 05:47:55 AM »

Quote from: David R. on February 07, 2011, 05:46:15 AM

I have a friend who built a plain southern mtn. type rifle out of osage orange and it is an interesting piece.

Must be quite the guy, just to lift it! That stuff isn't light.

jeager58 · « **Reply #37 on:** February 07, 2011, 06:08:15 AM »

I really get a kick out of the guys that say it can never be done. like putting a finish on oak. furniture makers have been using oak and even putting a finish on it for many years. as for chestnut, they used it to build everything when the blight was killing it. flooring, barns, houses, furniture, bowls, and most likely gun stocks...Phil

pathfinder · « **Reply #38 on:** February 07, 2011, 04:35:40 PM »

I use Maple,Cherry Walnut,and Ash,what are ya sayin'? $:-\$

Levy · « **Reply #39 on:** February 07, 2011, 06:57:03 PM »

Rich Pouncey (woodsrunner) cut down some crate myrtle (sp?) in his yard that was about 23 years old (he'd planted it) and it had some amazing curly figure in it. I don't know if it would ever get big enough for a long gun, but maybe a pistol and surely for knife handles. I gave some to some of the knife makers at the CLA Show and Wicke Ellerbe used some of it to handle one of is boucheron knives for me. I stained it with some aquafortis and rubbed in some linseed oil and it really looked good. Some of you may have seen the piece we had on our table at the CLA Show.

James Levy

T*O*F · « **Reply #40 on:** February 07, 2011, 07:32:43 PM »

Gunstocks were traditionally made from the wood of fruit and nut trees.
Therefore, it seems only logical that we should stock our guns in wood that comes from California, the land of fruits and nuts.

Roger Fisher · « **Reply #41 on:** February 08, 2011, 12:18:24 AM »

Quote from: TOF on February 07, 2011, 07:32:43 PM

Gunstocks were traditionally made from the wood of fruit and nut trees.
Therefore, it seems only logical that we should stock our guns in wood that comes from California, the land of fruits and nuts.

Good one 'T'

California Kid · « **Reply #42 on:** February 08, 2011, 05:25:34 AM »

I use hard curly maple which doesn't grow here that I know of. There are fruits and nuts everywhere however!

Glenn · « **Reply #43 on:** February 20, 2011, 04:40:46 PM »

Quote from: California Kid on February 08, 2011, 05:25:34 AM

I use hard curly maple which doesn't grow here that I know of. There are fruits and nuts everywhere however!

R-O-F-L-M-A-O ... !!!

Glenn · « **Reply #44 on:** February 20, 2011, 04:49:54 PM »

Quote from: Dave B on January 15, 2011, 06:37:37 PM

I had to remove a Dog wood tree and thought it would make interesting project wood. It was cut up into planks an let cure in the shop. This stuff was a lot more dense than I thought. It could be used I would think to make a pistol out of. It reminds me of pear wood, having a very close grain and responding well to the blades of my planer. It would be a dream to carve.

Interesting post. Down here in Gulf Coast Texas we've got pear trees, Dogwood, and of course, pecan. I have often wondred how these woods would work for firearms. Please keep us informed of how the Dogwood works out.

Glenn · « **Reply #45 on:** February 20, 2011, 04:55:08 PM »

Quote from: hoochiepapa on January 16, 2011, 01:08:01 AM

I used to have a rifle stock made by a well known gunsmith in the '50s (CF) that was mesquite. In my ignorance I threw it in the trash.

I've thought about Mesquite. Down here in Texas we've got plenty of it. Now that I think about it, I think pommegranites grow here too.

Longknife · « **Reply #46 on:** February 20, 2011, 06:25:41 PM »

Quote from: Daniel Russell on January 15, 2011, 09:45:16 PM

Has anyone seen an original stocked in Mahogany? It was certainly available in the 18th century - used on high-end furniture - and could be had with an outstanding figure. Pattern makers used it in recent years because it was quite stable.

I have an original half stock English export fowler. I posted here a while back. It was suggested that the wood may be mahogany, anyway it has a very red looking cast to it and is finer grained than walnut---so it may be?...Ed

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=449.0

38_Cal · « **Reply #47 on:** February 21, 2011, 02:21:03 AM »

If you can find a copy, there's a book by Virgil M. Davis that's now out of print: Gunstock Woods and Other Fine Timbers, that discusses the suitability of many hardwoods as potential stock material. Lots of good information in it.

David

Glenn · « **Reply #48 on:** February 21, 2011, 03:06:26 PM »

Thanks .38 for the reply and suggestion. I just checked Amazon.com and the cheapest copy available was going for around $50+. I did order a couple others (early American tools, Appalachian gunsmith tools) and they were cheap. I'll do a search on E-bay and see what comes up.

warmutt · « **Reply #49 on:** February 22, 2011, 02:30:46 AM »

I'm no expert on the subject, but like all things I think there was the best wood for a project and then there was what ever was at hand that would work for a project.

Could a stock be made out of oak? Heck ya! Could it even be made pretty. Ever seen quarter sawed white oak furniture? Is it the "Best choice?" Probably not, but I doubt its the worst choice either. Same goes for any wood out there. Heck I've seen modern centerfire stocks made out of spalted Sycamore. Interesting patterns and when seasoned hard as a rock.

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Author Topic: Oak, Pecan, Hickory, Chestnut: Were they ever used? (Read 26042 times)

caliber45

Rasch Chronicles

northmn

California Kid

Rasch Chronicles

jeager58

Levy

California Kid

38_Cal

warmutt