Blank with crack

[Top Jaw]

Purchased some blanks from a friend. One particularly nice one has a significant crack in the butt that appears on both sides of the stock, although more so on the lock side.  Not a wide crack, but the lock side is slightly uneven there, so that you can feel a little ridge where the crack runs.  There is enough excess length in the blank to get in front of the crack on the cheek piece side, however about 3” or 4”  of it would remain on the lock side.  I have considered a captured patchbox on the lock side to cover it, and assume I could cover the remaining end of it with the  butt plate.  Stock seems dry and stable at this point. 

My Q-  Have any of you tried this?  Perhaps stabilizing a crack with super glue and covering it in the build with a box and buttplate?  How has it held up?  Or am I at the beginning of a fools errand and time to make hawk handles out of this blank.  🤔

[577SXS]

I wouldn't use super glue. A really high strength epoxy that is thin viscosity would be the strongest or a good wood glue with sanding dust mixed in. If there is a way to hide a long screw under toe plate and trigger guard I'd use a deck screw or drywall type to pull crack together and keep stock from cracking more. I've done this on several guns and never had a problem with crack reopening.

[oldtravler61]

   Topjaw. first an foremost I am no expert. But I had a stock that had a  rack in the butt stock area also. Not bad but noticeable. Beautiful  curly maple so I couldn't not use it. I did everything that people advised how to fix it. UNFORTUNATELY after shooting it for two year's the crack reappeared and spread it's ugliness. Now I am making a new stock. So not sure if this is good advice or NOT. But this is what happened to me. I used accura glass to fix the crack. Which I thought would contain it.
So good luck with whatever you decide to do.
  Oldtravler.

[msellers]

I think I would try gluing it up with a quality thin glue to saturate the crack. Clamp it together to draw the crack all together. Then figure out how to use some long screws hidden to keep held together. Or drill and dowel the stock to keep everything tight. Never tried on a stock, but have fixed furniture like this.
Mike

[KentSmith]

Had a real nice walnut blank with a similar situation.  I was able to drill and put a long wood screw at the toe were it would be covered by the toe plate  up through the crack. I was able to get some thin viscosity epoxy in the crack and tightened it down with the screw.  A captured lid patchbox covered the lock side and between carving and the check piece the crack was hidden on the cheek side. I used a longer than normal toe plate so I could put the screw farther up the stock.  I have never had a problem with it opening up. I even dripped the gun out of my tree stand once with it landing square on the butt - 15 foot drop and no problems. I still hunt with the gun and have had the patchbox off a number of times and the fix has held well.

The main problem I see with a maple stock is using iron nitrate stain and blushing the stock with heat might loosen the epoxy so I would definitely reinforce the fix with a dowel or a screw.

[JPK]

Consider the cost of the blank compared to the labor of making a stock. Unless it’s a very expensive piece of wood the work is worth more then the wood.

[alex e.]

Myself, I'd consider finding a new piece of wood.

[Top Jaw]

I’ll cut some more off the butt and investigate it further.  But the crack does go up farther than I thought it did.  I appreciate all the experiences and thoughts.  I’m gonna have an experienced builder friend of mine look at it and give me some honest feedback.  And as nice as this blank is, I may have to face some reality that it might not be worth trying to salvage as a rifle stock.  At the least, I can take some comfort in the fact that there is at least one primo pistol blank there, and some nice handles. 

[Eric Kettenburg]

I'd definitely use that for a "very aged"  type of rifle, as the crack could be used to advantage!

Definitely!

[Top Jaw]

Hadn’t considered incorporating the crack “into” the build process as part of a heavy aged finish.  Things that make you go Hmmm.  🤔.   I’ve seen some of your “new originals”, Eric.  Not sure most of us can pull that off like you can, however.  👍

[Metalshaper]

If ya go the pistol route?? there is a huge amount of knife scales left in the fore end!!!

Respect Always
Metalshaper/Jonathan

[WadePatton]

I'd definitely use that for a "very aged"  type of rifle, as the crack could be used to advantage!

Definitely!

winner winner pinto dinner

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

One of the first rifles by Earl Lanning that I saw had a wonderful crack running up the butt about 2 1/2".  It didn't take away from the gun's beauty in the slightest.

[577SXS]

I'd sure take a chance on that blank as pretty as it is. I wouldn't chop it up. Heck sell it to me if you are scared of it!

[Scota4570]

The crack runs lengthwise in the but?  I suppose you could make the stock.  Then install all-thread epoxied across the crack.  Drill vertically from the toe line between the but plate and trigger guard.  Do not break out the comb.  Epoxy the all thread in place.  Then hide it with inlays.  You could hide all thread under the trigger guard too.  If the epoxy shows dye it black with lamp black or iron oxide powder. 

Me?  I'd scrap the blank. 

[Waksupi]

I've done quite a bit of restoration work. Best way on a plank build, do the stock, and get rid of the excess wood to see what you are actually dealing with. Cut and thin shims to fit down into the crack at least a quarter inch. Use Titebond II to glue it in place,  gently tapping to act as clamping. From there you can carefully trim it down closer to surface, and rough sand the patch to level to the wood. Excess glue will help fill and voids, that may be there. You shouldn't have any if the patch is properly done. Alternate method is to let the glue set up, then rasp or sand down to surface. If done well, the crack pretty well disappears.

[Jerry V Lape]

I have seen a couple of very expensive shotgun with buttstocks broken repaired by inletting (with a milling machine) a large cavity into which a matching relatively large piece of high quality plywood was glued filling most of the cavity.  Then a matching piece of walnut was place in the surface of the cavity.  Doesn't change the gun's balance and is virtually invisible.  Might be something you could do with careful inletting using drill and chisels.
The repaired wrist was actually stronger than original wood.  If I understand where the crack is from your description you could come up from the bottom of the stock where matching the wood and contour would be easiest.  .