Rose wood for gun stock?

[hogtracer]

Dear sir
I have a rose wood log.it is 5 feet in length, 5.8 feet in girth. The log is out of a minimum 150 year old tree
(I have counted annual rings, they are more than 150) stood dry for 20 years, and now in my store room for 7 years. It have a really beautiful grains and colour. If I get it quarter sawn , can I use it for muzzle loader double gun stock? Some says that it will split, but our rose wood furniture's are fine even after 50 years.
Thank you sir

[Long John]

Mr. Hog,

If that log is Brazilian rosewood it is worth serious dollars!  You might want to contact one of the major luthiers before you cut it.  Taylor, Martin and Gibson all state that Brazilian rosewood is "no longer available".  You might be better off selling that log and using the proceeds to buy a stock blank of a species that is known to be suitable.

The limited experience I have had with rosewood is that it is prone to splitting along the grain.  It is an "oily" wood and must be treated with organic solvents to get good glue adhesion.  If I remember correctly, it is almost as dense as white oak.  The mechanical properties of rosewood are available from the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory.  It publishes data on all sorts of wood that is the "bible" in the forest products industries both here and in Canada.

Best Regards,

[Pete G.]

I had a set of Rosewood stocks for a handgun years ago. Very difficult to get any type of finish to adhere uniformly.

[Daryl]

I made the Reel Seat for my 15' double handed fly rod out of a piece of Rosewood that Taylor gave me.  It 'turned' like soft metal = very hard, sanded and polished up well though. It did not need to be finished as it's oily nature seems to take care of that.  About 20 years old, now and still going strong and still looks like new.

 NICE!!


I think it would be to quite heavy for a gun stock - valuable wood, when there are others more suitable.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

If you were to cut it into planks to make a gunstock or three, you would need to let it stabilize for some time before diving into it.  One of my longbows has a rosewood riser and has very fine longitudinal checks that you can feel more than see.  I think rosewood is too heavy for a longarm...might make a nice heavy target pistol though.  I would heed Long John's advice.

[Kermit]

Many things get called "rosewood." Can you be more specific?

[hogtracer]

Dear sir
This is from India.was once a choice of British scholars. It was a huge tree in our area , measuring at 13 feet of girth at chest level.branched at 15 feets. Twin branches measured at 5.8 feet each(all measures are of heart wood) in length of 20 feets. The colour and grains are just like chopped beetroot. really heart snatching.
Thank you

[tallbear]

Hogtracer

The main focus of this forum is the" American Longrifle ".I know of no American longrifles that are stocked in rosewood.I have used quite a bit of rosewood in another profession and I believe it would be unsuitable for gunstocks.Of course you are welcome to do as you please.....

Mitch Yates

[eddillon]

Hogtracer,
Welcome to the forum.  Always encouraging when new folks join in the conversation.  I have used rosewood for fore end tips on modern bolt guns and have used rosewood dowels a ramrods and cleaning rods.  I suggest that you don't use it as a long rifle stock for all the reasons mentioned by a lot of experienced folks who have chimed in.  I looked at your profile to see where you live.  No info.  If you are in India, it would be enlightening if you shared information about the interest in American long rifles that you and others in your country might have.  Also it would be interesting to learn about the laws governing gun building and the use of black powder in your country.
Cheers and welcome,
Ed

[Turtle]

 Some time ago when people were reworking cheap Indian rosewood stocked muzzleloaders I was told the dust is very unhealthy. Don't know if this is true, but be careful.
                                                          turtle

[JBJ]

You might want to check out the following before tackling the rosewood.
http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/

J.B.

[Mark Elliott]

My experience with Rosewood is that it is very hard, brittle,  and difficult to glue and finish.   It would be one of my last choices for a gun stock just from the stand point of inletting and/or carving it.  You might find it on a high end 19th C British gun just so that the gunmaker could show off to his colleagues.   

[davec2]

I have had considerable luck in working with Brazilian rosewood.  I am currently working on a half stock English rifle and a pair of pistols stocked in it.  Mark is correct, it is a difficult wood to work but I have had no difficulty in finishing it with an oil finish.  Even something as simple as several light applications of Watco Oil result in a beautiful low luster sheen.  It is a bear to inlet and it takes the edge off tools quickly, but it can be carved and worked.  The pistols are .54 caliber with 13 inch barrels.  The rifle is .50 caliber.  All the mounts for these guns will be sterling silver.  These stocks were cut from a plank I bought some 40 years ago......

[Blacktail]

Unless I'm mistaken there are quite a number of trees commonly referred to as "rosewood", which could result in a number of opinions, all correct more or less. Sugar maple/silver maple sort of thing.

[westerner]

I have a rifle stocked in Bolivian Rosewood.  Cut the blanks from a plank imported in 1957.  After cutting the blanks it shrank quite a bit.  Has turned almost black.  The sun brings out wine colored reds.  Very oily wood. Was never able to get any sort of finish to dry on the wood.  The best feature is that it's different.   

       Joe.