Anyone use zebrawood for a gunstock? Any pictures? Getting a good blank will not be easy however I've got someone who's interested. Suspect it would be on the heavy side as the wood is hard and dense...at least my experience working with small pieces for grips/caps. Any idea what sometime like this would cost? And a source? Thanks, Ron

i carved out a stock for a ruger #1 from zebrawood. was a pretty stock and not really that much heavier on the gun. made a shorter style forend and deep hole drilled the butt stock some to lighten it up. i got the blank from ernie paulson a real long time ago. it was just barely 2 inches wide so there wasn't enough wood for a cheek piece so it was patterned after the factory stock.

I have worked with a little of it and I find it almost impossible to sand smooth and finish, but then again I am no master wooodworker. I have used it for knife scales and it does ok there. I really wonder how it would feel under some moderate recoil as a rifle stock.

Joe

If you can't find Zebrawood you could try tiger Myrtle.

I've done two, .....swore I'd never do another after the first, and know I won't do a third! The light wood is like balsa, the dark like ebony. Sanding isn't easy to keep smooth, .....scrapers work best.
It's also oily, so several acetone baths are necessary to get a finish to adhere well over time.
Otherwise, they look great and do stand up, weight's not a problem and it's a stable wood.

~Arcttic~

Zebrawood is not a real grand choice for Rifle Stocks IMO !. Pistol Grips nice enough .

Perhaps you would be best served choosing a more suitable timber species .

The wood of Microberlinia is imported from West Africa, (Gabon, Cameroon, and Congo). The heartwood is a pale golden yellow, distinct from the very pale colour of the sapwood and features narrow streaks of dark brown to black. Zebrawood can also be a pale brown with regular or irregular marks of dark brown in varying widths. It is almost always quartersawn to get the exciting alternating color pattern.

It is a heavy and hard wood with a somewhat coarse texture, often with an interlocked or wavy grain. The interlocked grain of this wood, like that of many tropical woods, can make it difficult to work.

When a tropical timber species relates interlocked grain and difficult , it generally equates too Fuzzy

finish or Tearing when machining .

Appreciate the responses todate.

Does anybody have a source and an approximate price for a rifle blank. I expect it to be pricey as I've purchased a number of small pieces for cap/tip kits.

The handgrips I finished took an oil finish and came up exceptional well.

Thanks, Ron

A small local saw mill carries or did carry (haven't checked lately) zebra wood, whether they would have the 2 inch or plus thickness you need I don't know, but it is fairly cheap. I don't want to quote prices but as a guess under $10/bd ft. If you want me to look into it for you, PM me.

I've bought wood from woodply but not gunstock size.

http://www.woodply.com/p_hardwood.htm

or

http://www.gilmerwood.com/giantmenu.html

a piece 6"x36"x2" is three board feet. eisenbrand lists it at 16.50 a board foot so a blank will be less than 50.00. they have a web site but i didn't check if they had it in stock.

Give this a look be sure and explore all the access buttons at the top of the page .

Turnings ,Slabs , price list , Etc. Want something special E mail him and tell him what your after

he'll do his level best in helping you find it whether he carries it or not !.

http://www.anexotichardwood.com/slabs.html

I am a guitar builder and use zebra wood quite often. It can be difficult to fill but no more so than say swamp ash or other open grained wood. For tough to fill wood, I generally use epoxy, other wise any oil based grain filler will work.

I have gotten VERY good quality zebra wood from Bristol Valley Hardwoods in NY - great people and great prices!

I do find zebra wood to be VERY hard and dense, similar in hardness to maple and dense like african mahogany.