You never know what's inside

[David Rase]

Yesterday I was trimming down a stock blank I received from Dunlap Woodcraft's to fit into my stock duplicator for a barrel inlet.  I knew my blade was a bit on the dull side but the Scotch in me said I could cut out one more stock blank.  While rounding the transition on the underside of the stock between the lock panel and wrist I noticed that the cut was not transitioning as smoothly as expected.  I kept telling myself you should of changed out that blade.  After completing the cut I immediately checked out the curved area and to my surprise there was a lead projectile right smack dab in the middle of the cut.  I plucked out each half of the projectile and started digging around the cavity.  The wood is pretty punkie and there is a big crack running the direction of the stock blank.  I will start trimming off wood today and see if I can get to good wood before I run into my clients pattern.
Has anyone else ran into any weird stuff embedded in a blank that showed no signs of being there?  The last time I hit something it was a nail, and you guessed it, I had just changed out the blade in my bandsaw.
David
 

You can see the longitudinal crack as well as the embedded lead projectile in the above photo.

[rick/pa]

Looks like a .22.  Some squirrel hunter went home empty handed.

[n stephenson]

Trees must not get lead poisoning !

[Clowdis]

Found a fence staple in a block of walnut one time. Had to throw the blank away.

[bob in the woods]

I found a piece of barbed wire inside a beech tree I was cutting up for firewood .  Not fun !!!

[oldtravler61]

 David found a Two blade broadhead in a piece of wood. Curious how long that was there. Now I only use blades that cut metal an wood. Little more money but it sure saves in the long run..Oldtravler

[louieparker]

When I was a kid, I recall my dad talking about a stave mill.  They were sawing stave bolts cut  from an area along the Union Army's withdrawal route from the battle of Pilot Knob.  They sawed into a cannon ball with a the barrel saw. Needless to say it wiped out the teeth...LP

[Jim Kibler]

I recently found some lead shot in a big walnut tree I bought cut up.  Somebody must have been using it as target practice at one time or another.

[elk killer]

Few years ago was cutting out a stock blank and found a small iron wheel, looked like maybe from a toy, Sure did a job on the bandsaw blade

[Eric Krewson]

A friend gave me several locust logs to use for bow staves. I thought they looked suspicious so I split them before I put a bandsaw to them. Each was studded with about a half dozen large grown over nails and fence staples.  I learned to never take bow wood from people who have never made a bow because it will all be junk and end up as firewood.

[Dennis Glazener]

When I was a kid, I recall my dad talking about a stave mill.  They were sawing stave bolts cut  from an area along the Union Army's withdrawal route from the battle of Pilot Knob.  They sawed into a cannon ball with a the barrel saw. Needless to say it wiped out the teeth...LP

Good thing it wasn't a shell. A friend of mine came home from work one day and the kids next door were rolling a bowling ball down the street, or a least that's what he thought it was. Took and look and found it to be a live shell from Chickahonimy swamp which was nearby!
Dennis

[Tim Crosby]

David found a Two blade broadhead in a piece of wood.

  I killed a nice Buck back in the '60 behind the house in Central Va., weren't a lot around then. I was probably 14 or 15, we butchered it. When my Mom soaked a piece she noticed a dark spot in it so she cut into it, it was a piece of a broad head!

   Tim C.

[Daryl]

David found a Two blade broadhead in a piece of wood.

  I killed a nice Buck back in the '60 behind the house in Central Va., weren't a lot around then. I was probably 14 or 15, we butchered it. When my Mom soaked a piece she noticed a dark spot in it so she cut into it, it was a piece of a broad head!

   Tim C.

It is totally common for large game, especially moose and elk, if poorly hit, to not only survive an arrow wound, but within a week or two- back to normal feeding, breeding, etc.
Read many years ago, of a modern bow hunter breaking an arrow that bounced out from a high spine shot on a Roosevelt Elk in Oregon.  Yes - a misjudge of range.  The next hear he shot a really nice bull elk, same area and it had the 5-blade broadhead stuck in the side of the spine. The point stopped shy of the centre and the shank of the breadhead was encased in cartilaginous, white material.

[Turtle]

 Old steel sap spigots really do damage!

[acorn20]

Back in the late '80's, I purchased a curly walnut blank from Dunlap for my shorty Jaeger.  Keith Casteel band-sawed the pattern and walked into his shop and stated "Dan, I don't think we should spend any more time on this piece of wood."  Two checks made themselves visible on an otherwise great looking piece of wood...one through the lock area and one through the wrist.  I had a wood stove at home and I can't believe I didn't burn the darn thing.

It wasn't until 1994, that I mentioned this to Danny up at Dixon's Gunmakers Faire and he stated that they, (Dunlap), guarantee their wood.  I've never heard such a thing but he said if they could tell that it was their wood, they'd replace it.  About a week later, I took that cut-out blank down to Dunlap's and Wayne took one look at the butt and agreed it was his wood. It still had the lacquer he coats the butts with to prevent checking from the butt end.  He waved his arms and said I had the entire warehouse to find a suitable replacement.  So Dave, don't pitch that blank if you're unable to use it. 

[Dphariss]

Fortunately I have only found bullets in firewood. Found a piece of pipe, when splitting, not with the saw thank goodness.

Dan

[Mike Brooks]

David found a Two blade broadhead in a piece of wood.

  I killed a nice Buck back in the '60 behind the house in Central Va., weren't a lot around then. I was probably 14 or 15, we butchered it. When my Mom soaked a piece she noticed a dark spot in it so she cut into it, it was a piece of a broad head!

   Tim C.

The big buck my neighbor shot last year had 4 slugs in it plus his. They were all healed over and the deer was healthy....up until John shot him.

[ericxvi]

 I've found several bullets while duplicating stocks . The worst thing I hit was a rock, had to buy a new cutter.

[BOB HILL]

I have worked on the woodyard at IPC's Georgetown mill most of my life. I have seen all manner of trash in pulp wood. There was a WWll bombing area in Georgetown Co. 46 yrs. ago it was a common thing to find steel jacketed bullets on the magnets over the chip belts. Shells were often found in the bombing area by logging crews In yrs. past. The most unusual thing I can think of finding in wood was the axle of an old log cart that had grown into a tree. When it went through the debarking drum the axle broke at one of the spindles. Anyone familiar with these old ox carts will know what a massive piece of wrought iron this is.      Bob

[WKevinD]

Last year I was given a tri axle load of logs for firewood. They had been rejected by the lumber mill for "hardware inclusions" by their metal detectors in a very automated mill.
A friend had a firewood processor and he bucked and split nine full cords in about two hours. Wire, bullets and nails showed up but nothing slowed down the huge round saw blade...would have killed my chainsaw chains.
Kevin
 

[n stephenson]

There were Civil War skirmishes and battles fought around . When I was a kid we used to play "army" on a big hill where there was some action. We used to rub a cannon ball that was  growing in a large tree , you could see about a 4 inch circle of the ball sticking out of the bark . I have walked the area a few times over the last few years and, can`t find the tree for the life of me.

[Natureboy]

  A friend of mine grew up in Mississippi, and as kids they made money by digging the Minnie balls out of trees, to sell for the lead.  If there was enough lead in those trees to actually make money grubbing it out, then I wouldn't want to try to saw any of them.

[FALout]

Having milled lots of lumber for cabinet making, it's not uncommon to find bullets, mostly 22cal. 

[turtleman]

I found two very large horse shoes in two separate oak trees that I cut for firewood on my place. They were nailed to the trees and the tree grew around them. Messed up my chain bad on the first one. I just missed the second one but found it when splitting. I have been wondering why someone would nail horse shoes to trees.

[WKevinD]

I have been wondering why someone would nail horse shoes to trees.

It shows where the buried treasure is.

Kevin