question on wood

[Daniel]

Been looking at wood for a rifle stock. Maple, cherry, walnut, ash.
A new one to me is red oak. Would that really make a good gun stock?
Any general or specific  area?  I'm wanting a early southern gun.

[Chris Treichel]

Not 100% on this but doesn't oak have a lot of tannin/acid in it that could cause rust? Also very open grain.

Decided to look that up...

Uses:
Red oak is largely cut into lumber, railroad ties, mine timbers, fence posts, veneer, pulpwood and fuel wood. It is re manufactured into flooring, furniture, general mill work, boxes, pallets and crates, caskets, wooden ware and handles.

Red oak is not suitable for tight cooperage or exterior work. Oak is full of tannic acid and in fact the tannic acid in the bark was used for tanning animal hides for centuries. When the tannic acid mixes with the iron in our water it creates a chemical blue dye. This is why red oak stains black when water is allowed to penetrate the surface.....and why you must be careful not to get water on your red oak flooring. It is its closely related cousin "white oak" that we associate with exterior usage and rot resistance..

[rich pierce]

Daniel, I'd start by identifying specific original Southern rifles you like and then working on assembling components that fit the style that appeals to you most, including the species of wood commonly used.  "Early Southern gun" covers a lot of ground!

[T*O*F]

Curly red oak was all the rage about 15 years ago.  I think Dunlap carried it.  Some nice guns were made using it.  Don't know if I'd recommend it for a novice builder or not.

The tannin is of no more consequence than walnut.  I've had walnut stocks that had so much tannin in them that you had to wipe it down with alcohol every morning before starting to work on it or it would turn your fingers black.

[Daniel]

It's been about 20 years since I built anything. Then it was 17th century guns.
I like walnut and ash.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Never having used oak for gun stocks, but have some experience with it in longbows and flooring, I would avoid it for guns.  It would be a very difficult wood in which to inlet gun parts, with its early and late growth rings which have a lot of very tough hard wood, and a similar amount of porous soft wood.  Hard maple, walnut, and cherry...my two pesos.

[Daniel]

for bows not too good. Thanks for the input.  I think walnut is what I'd like.
Not as stringy as some white woods.

[WadePatton]

Not 100% on this but doesn't oak have a lot of tannin/acid in it that could cause rust? Also very open grain.

Decided to look that up...
... Oak is full of tannic acid and in fact the tannic acid in the bark was used for tanning animal hides for centuries...

you don't cite a source, but I say they don't know much about tanning hides.  was...geez!  


Also, I'm trying Ash very soon, it's quite "oakey" (grainy) BUT methinks a better wood for stocking a gun.  

When it comes right down to it: Red Oak is best for Wine bbls and White Oak for Whiskey.  Used White Oak bbls go to Scotland to age the Scots Whiskey.  

hiccup

 

[Chris Treichel]

Www.thewoodbox.com is where I read up on red oak.

[JBJ]

Ouch! Only white oak is used for "tight" cooperage - whiskey or otherwise. The pores os red oak are quite open while the pores of white oak(s) are plugged with "tyloses". That said, the Angels still manage to get their share from white oak barrels. I forget what the annual loss is from white barrels but it is real. 

J.B.

[Kermit]

I grew weary of working red oak when it was the wood-du-jour for cabinetry. I still refuse to build anything with red oak. Now white oak and ash I like. Especially ash.

For wine...

"To make wine barrels, the wood needs to have certain desirable properties. For example, the wood should be straight grained, strong, resilient, and easy to work. It should be free of defects that may cause leaks, and should not contribute undesirable flavors. When these qualities are considered, very few woods seem suitable for cooperage. A large number have been tried for making wine barrels.

Certain woods are not suitable for cooperage because they are more porous than white oak. This includes red oak, ash, gum, and chestnut. Because of their porous nature, tanks made from these kinds of woods should be coated to prevent leakage. Of the many woods tried for cooperage, oak appears to be the most suitable since it possesses all the desirable qualities needed to make a barrel."