stock layout question

[tom coffey]

I have, at least I hope it's still there, an apple tree trunk laid up in my father-in-law's barn loft waiting to be made into a gun stock. I put it there approximately 30 years ago. I plan to retrieve it this coming week. That will be a task as I am now partially disabled and am not sure how I will reach it. My question(s)... How to check to see if it is sound enough to use, aside from obvious insect damage,
                                                     How to lay out a pattern that I have available, to best use the grain structure, etc,
                                                     If it is plenty big in diameter, like me, but not quite long enough, how to join two lengths,
Thanks all and be patient and gentle if I ask dumb questions, please, Tom

[Dennis Glazener]

I have, at least I hope it's still there, an apple tree trunk laid up in my father-in-law's barn loft waiting to be made into a gun stock. I put it there approximately 30 years ago. I plan to retrieve it this coming week. That will be a task as I am now partially disabled and am not sure how I will reach it. My question(s)... How to check to see if it is sound enough to use, aside from obvious insect damage,
                                                     How to lay out a pattern that I have available, to best use the grain structure, etc,
                                                     If it is plenty big in diameter, like me, but not quite long enough, how to join two lengths,
Thanks all and be patient and gentle if I ask dumb questions, please, Tom

First off you need to cut it into the proper thickness for a gunstock and pray hard that the bugs haven't bored holes all through it! After cutting it into blanks you will need to rack and let it dry. Dry you say, after 30 years? Yep, I learned the hard way. My uncle gave me some 1 1/4" rough cut maple boards that had been in his barn loft for 30+ years. Long story short I planned them down and made a headboard for my daughter that had just graduated from college and was moving out on her on. I finished the head board and left it at my mothers for our daughter to pick up. She was about 3 weeks picking it up and when she did the board had warped so when laying on the floor one corner was a full 1.5" off the floor! I was told my experienced furniture maker that the wood was not fully dry and I should have racked the lumber and let it aculamate (sp) before using it for furniture! I have also been told that until a log is cut into lumber it never fully dries, have no experience with that so I can not comment on it.
Dennis

[Goo]

I would tell you to quarter saw that log or if you can only slab saw it use the very center cut.  2 1/2" thick at least then wait to see what happens the wood might have tension built up in it.   Could do something wierd after it's cut.