Wood for those...

19 January 2016, 08:50

npd345

quote:
Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
Wood for those who can't appreciate the beauty of tupperware.

Put them here NPD345.

At ISS's request.....

direct your responses to him I am just the picture poster person

19 January 2016, 09:18

CHIPKING3220

Very nice Rich I will assume that both came from Walnutgrove & that one is slated for a 425 and the other an 8x68S

19 January 2016, 09:44

Idaho Sharpshooter

Yes, both from Walnut Grove. His stash is amazing. You are close on the calibers. The top one will be a 6,5x68S, and the bottom one the 8x68S.

I have a pretty nice piece Chris is getting ready to pantagraph for the 425WR. Not quite as fancy, but the grain structure is a bit better for a real kicker like the 425.

It is interesting to compare the 425 to either the 404 Jefferys or the 416 Rigby. All three shoot a nominal 400gr bullet at 2300 or thereabouts. Using 404 J brass trimmed to 2.64" and the bolt opened up to take the 404J elilminates all the horror stories about problems getting one to feed.

19 January 2016, 12:18

CHIPKING3220

6.5x68S & 8x68S that basically means ,264 Win Mag and .338 Win Mag at about 85% power level from a ballistics standpoint right? All be it with a European flair.

20 January 2016, 05:09

Idaho Sharpshooter

the box of 6,5 RWS I have lists the 127gr load at 3150fps. The 87gr load lists velocity at3750fps.
The 6,5 case has 85gr capacity, and the 8mm half a grain more. The factory load is a 170gr semi-spitzer at a bit over 3000fps. But, NO stinking belt to complicate reloading.

20 January 2016, 05:21

faraim

That wood makes my heart skip a beat. Did you pick them out in person?

20 January 2016, 07:20

sjr

Great looking wood not sure about the recoil pad though !!!!!

20 January 2016, 07:23

richj

mmm Marble cake

20 January 2016, 07:25

richj

PLEASE don't kill them with alkanet root

20 January 2016, 09:15

Idaho Sharpshooter

Yes I did. Two years ago NPD345 and I drove the 45 minutes to Walnut Grove in Weiser. Chris yanks this blank out of a pile, and says "you asked about what I would consider a thousand-dollar blank? It would look like this.".

It was the most gorgeous blank I had ever seen. But, it had come off the saw just a couple days before and was pretty green. The one under it was the opposite side of the quarter sawn blank.
Wood can go from fencepost to wow or the other way. A lot of blanks are a crapshoot to pantagraph. In September it was almost ready to pantagraph, and still looked great. So, I put a deposit on it, pending the pantagraph results. A month ago he showed me the fraternal twin. It looked as good. So, we cut a deal based on the pantagraph results. When I saw them Monday, I just thought "Wow!".

He is getting ready to put the blank for the 425WR on the machine this week. It is about 90% of either one of these, but a bit better grain flow for a hard kicker.

You see blanks like these two, from the same crotch part of one tree; and you don't care how much, because you will not likely ever see their match again. I would have gone down to the plasma place in Boise and sold blood to afford them.

20 January 2016, 09:16

Idaho Sharpshooter

sjr,

yes, I will be replacing those "recoil pads" you asked about...

Richj,

no alkanet, the natural color is going to shine thru about 20+ coats of hand rubbed oil.

20 January 2016, 20:30

dave wesbrook

Two years from tree to turned stock???

20 January 2016, 21:09

Logger2

best thing to do now is take the dog leash off the laassi poo bear hound and tie those stocks up IF NOT THEIR GOING TO CRAWL ALL OVER

20 January 2016, 21:29

Idaho Sharpshooter

Dave,

He brings huge stumps home on his semi. They sit around for a year before he saws them.

About 8% moisture content. We have about zero humidity here in the SW part of the state.

20 January 2016, 22:39

npd345

Rich
you better step outside. It is 58% right now and the average last August was 23%!

20 January 2016, 22:58

dave wesbrook

Rich,
Time in the stump doesn't count.

Steve Heilmann has similar drying conditions as you and he considers five years for the blank to dry and cure as minimum.

I live in a more humid climate and will not use a blank that hasn't been in my possession for less than eight years.

Good Luck--those are very pretty stocks.

I wish you well.

Dave

21 January 2016, 03:44

slivers

quote:
Originally posted by slivers:
Where's the "Like" button? The two posts above are worth heeding. Stock wood needs time to 'season', not just dry. Can save a lot of heart ache in the long run.

21 January 2016, 05:30

Atkinson

I agree, 5 years works best, 10 years is better, and then turn them and give them another year before you grab the cabinet file.

I'm presently down to 3 blanks that are about 7 years old, and I think they are ready, so I'll take the black one with dark brown marble cake, and build myself a stock, its about time I made one for myself and not sell it, and this one has been destined for myself for a coons age...

21 January 2016, 10:27

npd345

they were sprayed with rubbing alcohol prior to the pictures by Chris.

quote:
Originally posted by Duane Wiebe (CG&R):
Agree with Dave...Rich..is that a finish of some sort on the wood? If so, I'd remove it to give the wood some chance of further drying and seasoning.

21 January 2016, 13:04

slivers

quote:
Originally posted by Atkinson:
I agree, 5 years works best, 10 years is better, and then turn them and give them another year before you grab the cabinet file.

I'm presently down to 3 blanks that are about 7 years old, and I think they are ready, so I'll take the black one with dark brown marble cake, and build myself a stock, its about time I made one for myself and not sell it, and this one has been destined for myself for a coons age...

I've got a couple that I know were cut into blanks in the late '50s. They've been on my "drying rack" for about 6 yrs now. Thinking about it, I don't think I've got a blank (or a pre-inlet) in the shop that hasn't been there for at least 5yrs, most of them longer than that.

21 January 2016, 16:57

theback40

That must be why I take years to finish a stock

I'll get a stock almost done, shoot it, see how it feels, start on another, then another. Finally I think about the final sand and finish on the earliest one...... and so it goes!

21 January 2016, 19:15

ramrod340

quote:
I'll get a stock almost done, shoot it, see how it feels, start on another, then another. Finally I think about the final sand and finish on the earliest one...... and so it goes!

Thought I was the only one. Hunted with one for 10+ years waiting for it's checkering. Also used one with about 2 coats of finish for a couple years because I wanted to hunt with it and had too many other projects.

Those stock just have something on them to show the grain. If you look the bottoms are dry wood.

23 January 2016, 00:19

sjr

quote:
Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
sjr,

yes, I will be replacing those "recoil pads" you asked about...

Richj,

no alkanet, the natural color is going to shine thru about 20+ coats of hand rubbed oil.

Glad to hear Rich and no "white line types " please !!

23 January 2016, 00:35

Atkinson

Its probabl a good idea to test the moisture content once a year, then date it and write the content on the stock..keeps a good record, if you go two years with the same content, your probably good to start I suppose...

I would have the wood turned at that point then let it hang for another year and test it again, before I finished the stock. The three stocks I have left are dry and cured properly I'm sure as I have had them forever it seems..I sure don't have time to buy any wet wood these days.

23 January 2016, 01:33

Logger2

English and Bastogne will not stabilize in two years

23 January 2016, 02:16

Idaho Sharpshooter

what you say may be true, but you have all seen pictures of my 404J and 460 G&A. Those blanks were sawed a year before I bought them, sat as blanks for six months, pantagraphed, sat another six months, then off to be fitted and finished.

I guess that means I have been lucky. I shot three rounds with the 404J and the group was still 2" high at a hundred, and measured a bit under an inch.

I brought Agent Orange home with me from RVN. I don't make long range plans since the 4th surgery.

23 January 2016, 03:19

mete

Put a little salt on it to cure faster !

Assuming made in AZ or similar place dried to proper moisture , Then brought to a more humid area how much moisture is gained.
When in gunsmithing school I saw many rifles unfinished on the inside .I always cringed at that. The forend of my rifle moved despite inside poly finish when I went home to NY.!

23 January 2016, 03:24

ramrod340

quote:
what you say may be true, but you have all seen pictures of my 404J and 460 G&A. Those blanks were sawed a year before I bought them, sat as blanks for six months, pantagraphed, sat another six months, then off to be fitted and finished.

If they haven't moved you have been lucky in my opinion.

23 January 2016, 03:36

theback40

Very lucky at that!
Winter with the heat on for months in cold parts of the US is a bitch on wood.

23 January 2016, 06:03

Idaho Sharpshooter

true, but they live in an upright position from the day I choose them; and in a fairly closely regulated temperature.

I called a friend at Ruger to get a second opinion. He says trees go from alive to to slabbed and kiln dried and ready to carve in less than six months.

23 January 2016, 08:05

ramrod340

quote:
kiln dried

Far cry from air dry. Last thing I would use is a piece of kiln dried wood in a stock.

Hey if you are happy go for it.

23 January 2016, 13:39

Logger2

I love the way ruger dries wood
keeps us in business
we have sold 1000s of ruger stocks because of their drying methods
when you burn the center out of a blank it crumbles like a cracker

23 January 2016, 15:33

slivers

What the "factories" do to their wood and custom are two very different things. I've been looking for a particular inlet and pattern and e-mailed Walnutgrove. They have the pattern and inlet I seek, but after reading this thread they're not on my list, anymore. I don't care what position they're 'dried' in. There's just too many hours in fitting and finishing to use wood that is so 'young',,,,, besides the potential waste of what could have been.....

23 January 2016, 20:27

theback40

Kiln dried is not stabilized wood.
Just look at how much a hardwood floor moves (that's nailed down) if put in right from the supplier.

23 January 2016, 21:21

npd345

I would strongly suggest you get ahold of Chris, at Walnutgrove before you rule them out.

He can better explain how dry the wood is and how long it has been drying.

I have gotten approx. 10 semi inletted stocks from him and have had no issues at all.

You might also check with member ramrod340 I know he has also used many blanks from Walnutgrove.

shane

quote:
Originally posted by slivers:
What the "factories" do to their wood and custom are two very different things. I've been looking for a particular inlet and pattern and e-mailed Walnutgrove. They have the pattern and inlet I seek, but after reading this thread they're not on my list, anymore. I don't care what position they're 'dried' in. There's just too many hours in fitting and finishing to use wood that is so 'young',,,,, besides the potential waste of what could have been.....

23 January 2016, 22:08

ramrod340

quote:
You might also check with member ramrod340 I know he has also used many blanks from Walnutgrove

Who me???

I also agree you should contact Chris. I bought a number of blanks from Chris over the last few years. Found him very easy to talk to. I have not bought anything from him since late 2015. I was only looking for pattern or square sawn blanks and his new mega duplicator was using everything he had. So I simply went to another supplier.

When I talked to him I didn't get the impression it was kiln dried. But, I don't remember the question being asked either. What I got from him was the wood was cut into slabs and left to dry. Then blanks were cut when they had an order. How they were dried I have no clue. I "assumed" air dry but key is "assumed"

As I said I bought (or had customers buy and dropped shipped) a number of pattern blanks and usually quarter sawn. Nothing remotely like the two blanks above. I've never had an issue nor have heard of one from people I have cut a Walnut Groove stock for.

Maybe I'm naïve but I see the time to dry and stabilize for a simple straight quarter sawn blank as far less than something like the beautiful ones above.

23 January 2016, 22:25

Logger2

I bought several stocks from walnut grove and sold to my customers all were rejected
I had to EAT them WALNUT GROVE would not make good on them TRUE FACTSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
nobody will make me believe wood will stabilize in two years ----NOBODY