I can tell right off, just buy a blank or stock. If you want to fool with the log & cutting & etc., fine. But I can tell you there is allot that can go wrong in waiting the 3 years for it to dry & even then you may find flaws in it that render it useless for a gunstock & that is very disappointing. I have done this 3-4 times now. Never get out of them what I think I am going to. Main issue with me is I want grain curve thru the wrist, and if it don't have that, it is firewood or furniture wood, not a gunstock.
But you can buy good stock & have the rifle built long before the wood dries. Then if ya end up with a couple of stocks fine, and if not, you have some good dry firewood or furniture wood.
If you do cut the logs to planks. Cut them all at least 1' longer than you think you will want. (I go 2' longer)
Cut them 2.75 to 3" thick, this give you a little room for shrinkage & also room to move the pattern in the plank.
Buy real log sealer for the ends of the logs a & seal them as soon as you cut them. Then seal them 2-3 more times on the ends & all knots when you cut the planks.
Stack the wood on level concrete on 1" furing strips 1' apart & on each end & start on the furing strips.
Put a plank, row of strips over the other strips & then another plank, row of strips, etc, so when you look at it all the strips are directly over each other & you have support.
When you get to the top, stack a 4" x 8" x 16" concrete cap block over each place a furring strip is. So a 6' plank will take 7 blocks turned sideways. Then a piece of plastic over that but just over the top & down the sides loosely so it can breath.
Now when I do it, I spray each plank with termite spray all sides Before I stack them. Then I spray the whole stack each year.
Leave it sit in the dry for 3 years (1" per year in thickness)
Have done it this way for years & it has always worked out well. Really depends on the quality of the tree you cut. Just because it is maple or cherry or walnut, doesn't mean it will make a good gunstock.
Keith Lisle
