How to deal with this Chestnut rifle finished 3-20-22

[mountainman70]

Hello everyone.  The Chestnut stock and barrel I got from moodyholler needs a repar before I proceed to do anything.  Pics show knot /inclusion just ahead of lock area.
What are your thoughts.
Thanks  Dave

[P.W.Berkuta]

That looks NASTY --  I do not have any suggestions that you want to hear -

[Robby]

Hard to tell from the picture but if you sink the barrel deeper than your pencil line indicates you might lose the knot. the channel should tell you what you need to know.
Robby

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I would need more and better pictures before I could make an accurate diagnosis.  But I think you could inlet the barrel, remove the top half of the forestock down to the midway of the barrel, and get rid of most of the damage.  Then cut away the split wood and install new wood in the void.  Lots of European stocks are spliced and filled with new wood.

[577SXS]

I would fill it with high strength epoxy with fine saw dust and glass flock. There just isn't much to work with as its cracking all the way across. You might also inlet and epoxy a key type support in barrel channel.

[Percy]

Sorry to say but in looks like fire wood to me. If you are looking for a challenge you've found one.

Percy

[mountainman70]

Thanks all. I am between  filling with epoxy,etc, and most likely will cut it out and fit piece from end of buttstock and work it down as usual.

Percy, I really like challenges. This is a piece of not wormy American Chestnut, probably cut before 1930,so, yes, I am going to go for it.
Besides, swamped Rayle barrel is as deep as it can be.
I will post pics as progressing. Thanks for the input guys. Best regards, Dave F  aka Junkman,jr

[Dennis Glazener]

Thanks all. I am between  filling with epoxy,etc, and most likely will cut it out and fit piece from end of buttstock and work it down as usual.

Percy, I really like challenges. This is a piece of not wormy American Chestnut, probably cut before 1930,so, yes, I am going to go for it.
Besides, swamped Rayle barrel is as deep as it can be.
I will post pics as progressing. Thanks for the input guys. Best regards, Dave F  aka Junkman,jr

Good for you Dave, that American Chestnut needs to be saved. However I am glad it's you and not me tackling making a gun stock out of it! Pretty much like making one out of pecan or hickory!
Dennis

[Clint]

I had a worm hole with punky wood right in front of the frizzen on my last rifle. I cut the bad wood out, with a long taper and glued a piece of wood sawn from under the fore stock. Cleaned up the affected barrel channel and re inlet the toe of the lock. Sanded, stained and finished, it is very hard to find the flaw even when you know where it is.

[redheart]

Dave,
Are you ever really going to be happy with a rifle made out of this wood?
Just askin. 

[alex e.]

I've fixed worse,  recently..

[Cherrybow]

Looking forward to seeing how this one progresses. I like learning from others “challenges” 👀

[Cory Joe Stewart]

I would like to see the knot stay.  I like knots and would ignore this if it is only cosmetic.  Maybe check out some woodworking sites. There is a whole trend in woodworking of using wood like this. The knots and cracks are left but stabalized using adhesives.  I just dont know what they are specifically.

Cory Joe Stewart

[alacran]

Having worked  with chestnut in the past, I would not have used it for building a rifle. That being said repairing that stock seems pretty straight forward if you have enough wood from another part of the blank. Orient the dutchman with the grain of the fore arm. You can use   epoxy  to attach it. It is far from insurmountable.

[T*O*F]

I am between  filling with epoxy,etc, and most likely will cut it out and fit piece from end of buttstock and work it down as usual.

Don't do anything until the stock is worked down to almost its final dimensions.  Most of it will disappear.  I filled this with black-dyed acraglas and after it was checkered, it wasn't even noticeable.  It looks to me that you have some good wood between the barrel and the knot.

[577SXS]

After looking at this again I think I would cut it out at the angle of the cracks. I'd cut a rectangle slot and not go all the way to the barrel channel. I'd do this before shaping the forend down. Then you can get another piece of wood with the grain running same way as your forend wood. Glue this in with high strength epoxy. I'd use either 24 hour or 72 hour.  I would try the stain you are going to use on both forend and wood repair before gluing it in to make sure it matches. If you don't get grain running right it will stick out like a sore thumb. Good luck with it. Chestnut is definitely worth trying to save. I think it would make a really pretty stock.

[Scota4570]

I'd be in the find other wood camp.  I have bad luck with this, the flaw usually gets worse inside.  Perhaps the remaining wood will be useful for other stocks? 

[Ric Carter]

If you are going to fix it, use a fitted wood patch. If done correctly, it will pretty much disappear. I would remove as much of the wood as possible before making the fit, to be sure you have good contact. The wood that is there may be sound enough to use for your patch. When you go to patch it, make your epoxy totally black. Trust me, it will work better than trying to make it any other color.

[Panzerschwein]

I say never mind the naysayers and go for it. You’ll never know until you try, and that is the American spirit in action.

[mountainman70]

Pretty much what I am gonna do, when I get to it. May be a while, I have several others to get caught up on. I will update this when I have new stuff to report.
Thanks for all the support y'al. Have a great evening. Dave F

[mountainman70]

Helloooooo. Back on this project for a while.
Took stock to Bob Ws yesterday for a session with the bandsaw. Slimming down the unnecessary wood,forend ,cut in buttplate.
Worked inclusion out and squared up the area for patch that will be coming from butt leftover.
Nothing like the smell of old chestnut wood being worked. Going to be a Southern Gal. 58 swamped Ed Rayle barrel,1 1/8 at the breech, 7/8 at the muzzle. 46" longgggg . Gouing to use one of the cast buttplates and a modified Bean style guard. Flint of course. Will keep posted. Have a Blessed New Year. Lord knows we can use one. Dave F

[GANGGREEN]

Believe it or not, the American chestnut really isn't that hard and it's nice enough to work.  I haven't made a rifle out of it yet (thinking about doing one this year), but I have made turkey calls, picture frames and some furniture and it's really easy to work and fairly stable. 

Thanks all. I am between  filling with epoxy,etc, and most likely will cut it out and fit piece from end of buttstock and work it down as usual.

Percy, I really like challenges. This is a piece of not wormy American Chestnut, probably cut before 1930,so, yes, I am going to go for it.
Besides, swamped Rayle barrel is as deep as it can be.
I will post pics as progressing. Thanks for the input guys. Best regards, Dave F  aka Junkman,jr

Good for you Dave, that American Chestnut needs to be saved. However I am glad it's you and not me tackling making a gun stock out of it! Pretty much like making one out of pecan or hickory!
Dennis

[mountainman70]

Good evening all. I am reopening this topic to update as I have finished this project.
Specs are OAL 62"
LOP 13 1/4"
Drop 4"
Wt 8lbs
Barrel-Ed Rayle custom for J Parker-moodyholler on here. This is my prize for getting all moodys stuff and selling to y;all.
Breech-1",muzzle 7/8", waist 3/4"
Muzzle coned to 58 cal. Easy to load 530 and patch.
Gotta get to range soon.
I amundecided as to finish on barrel and lock.
Lock is L&R rpl and triggers are mr Rollers smr set dst. Pipes and nosecap Ted Cash,entry pipe and lock screw plates by me.
All in all this was a challenging build.
Stain is minwax english chestnut, metal is lmf cold brown worked back
Mr Parker told me this wood is from New Growth american chestnut, from a guy near Wytheville,Va that is regrowing them.
I started this in Dec 20,and have built 4 rifles and a pistol since.
The front sight is another one of my quirky things.
When I got to that project, I was fresh in the shop, full of ,something,haha, and after 1st base made, oh, what the heck, 2 more aint nothin.
The blade is pinned and soldered to center base, and once I get it sighted in, then I probably gonna solder other two.
But,ya know, there IS room for one more base. hmmmmmmmm
Hope y'all enjoy this as much as i did building it.
I want to thank my brother Greg for the precision saw work making the dutchman, and my mentor Bob W for his coaching
Best regards to all. Dave F
  WITH A BIG SHOUT OUT TO BRO MOODYHOLLER!!!


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[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  .. Made a great stock, Dave,... !!! ... gotta love the King of the Mountains for any wood project, and you did a great job.... VERY well done,.. !!! .. regards,... CCF

[mountainman70]

Thanks Dana. Im gonna buy a new set o Bibs,and put my bike boots and old fedora on, go to our range to the primittive shelter made from sawn slabs, and get some pics of me and this Long Tom in one o your poses, maybe even in brown tone .haha, be rite sportin these days my brother. best regards to ye! Dave/RedBear