Red Oak - Split from Ron Borron's Southern on the Blogspot

[flintman-tx]

If I found the right one, it says that it is red oak. Who out there has used red oak for stock wood? What has your out come been?

[Ken G]

Flintman,
I've used a lot of red oak for hawk handles.  It's a pain to work with, very open grained but stains up beautiful.  It seems to be very dense wood.  I suspect that is a heavy gun but solid. 

[flintman-tx]

Ken...I have had primitive bows made out of oak.  Who out there sells stock wood out of oak?  How does it compare with ash?

[woodsrunner]

Couple of weeks ago at Mel Hankla's Lake Cumberland Show I looked at a couple of stock blanks that were curly red oak that blew my mind! At first glance I thought it was curly ash and even commented to someone that it was a beautiful chunk of ash wood. Being in the timber business I took a closer look and it jumped out at me immediately that it was a highly unusual piece of red oak. I came close to buying it for a future project, and may do so anyhow just to have it.

The fellow who had these stock blanks is Ed Price, and he lives up very close to Ed Rayl, and you can contact him either through Ed or let me know and I'll pass his phone number on to you. If anyone is serious about trying a piece of oak, I highly highly suggest this chunk of wood!! I may beat you to it, however

[Ken G]

Flintman,
What I've got was from Wayne at Dunlap Wood Craft.  You might try giving him a call and have him on the lookout. 

http://www.dunlapwoodcrafts.com/

This is a piece of curly red oak to give you an idea of the looks.

[Gary Tucker]

KEN, That is one nice looking hawk!!

[Ken G]

Thanks G.T. 
Ken

[Mike R]

I was in Old Washington, Ark. on Saturday and ran into a friend up there who had an old 'original' southern rifle found in the Ouachitas, probably, which he was restoring.  It had a RED OAK half stock.  The barrel was an old forge welded octagonal one with a bore ~.32 after he freshed it out a bit.  Had a Goulcher lock on it and mixed brass and steel hardware.  The barrel looked as though it had been cut back a few inches and the red oak half stock may have been a restock of an original longrifle, but done some time ago, maybe late 1800s. Anyway the red oak looked good and felt good.  He has shot the rifle and hunts squirrels with it. I wish I had my camera with me but did not.