I picked up a used Parker-Hale stock as a temporary .This winter I will do a stock from a blank for my 338.06. This is the California style one,so I am going to put on new cocobolo end caps. Any tips on working with this wood.thx

From "Gunstock Woods and Other Fine Timbers" by Virgil Davis.

quote:

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Caution; Dust from the Cocobols wood is toxic, especially to those allergic to poison ivy

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Downwind.... here at home I have quite a bit of cocobolo in stock. I use it for tool/knife handles and a custom handgun grip or two. It is a wood that is dense with resin/oil ? I guess you would call it.
It takes to a good finish with poly or wax, but other finishes I am not sure of. You can "draw" some of the resin out, but it realy isnt ness.
I am not sure of your peice but many of them are quite orange in tint and can be tinted more red with toners if thats a concern.
Other then that I dont know squat about it... scrapes, chisles, gouges well with my tools, and has a close grain to it.
just my two cents

[ 06-11-2003, 09:50: Message edited by: smallfry ]

I've used it for about a half dozen knife handles, and I have a suggestion. I roughen up the surface to be bonded and wipe it down with denatured alcohol to at least somewhat degrease it. I only use a two ton epoxy to attach the scales to the tang, so I have no experience with using a wood glue. It is a nice wood to work with.
FWIW, I seem to get poison ivy if I even look at a three leafed plant, and Cocobolo dust gives me no trouble.

Howdy,

What ever you do, DO NOT run your saw so hard that the wood burns. Its the smoke from this wood and fumes from the leaching oils and resins that is toxic. I use a mask and work outdoors.

The other posts have given good advice about how to glue it. I would not try to stain it in any way. I would seal the wood with de-waxed shellac before I tried to finish it with Poly.

Good luck with it and good shooting.

Coach

downwindtracker2,

This is a dense sometimes oily wood that you may need to bath in mineral spirits or denatured alcohol to clean-up before doing any work.` Closely inspect the pieces for grain and possible cracks that may expand before working with any tools.

Here is a link you may find helpful:

http://www.cocobolo.net/news.htm

Watch your tool speed as other posts notes, or you could inhale some nasty fumes.

Good luck.