G'Day All,

I am wondering whether there are any owners of stock duplicators out there who can give me advice on what they have found the best in the way of steadies to control vibration/flex when machining?

Any input would be most appreciated.

I have two friends with double spindle duplicators. Both just use wooden blocks that they adjust and move as needed.

I can't remember for sure, but I believe this is GUNMAKER'S duplicator. You can see his "steadies". Cheers!

Just to be clear, that is a single spindle setup in the picture. Both of my friend's can duplicate two stocks at a time with the pattern in the middle. Both men just wedge wood under and between the stocks to steady them. The wood spacers must be moved around to complete the duplicating.

Juglansregia is English Walnut A Clever duplicator .

What is French Walnut? I have a nice French Walnut stock that a friend gave me a month or so ago?

English walnut grown in Frence.

The duplicator in the above picute is a Hoenig or a close copy of it. It uses the rotary clamps and they are the most user friendly in my opinion. They are quick to install, allow access to nearly all of the stock, and allow you to tilt the stock/pattern side to side for cutting draft. You can also just spread them out a little more for a Mannlicher length stock.

The steadies on a Don Allen/Dakota machine require taking the stock out of the machine and then reinstalling it once the steadies are in place. This system also covers more area of the stock as it runs full length along both sides of the stock. This isn't usually a problem but if a forend wedge escucheon cut needs to be made then it is in the way. You also have to add an extension to it if a Mannlicher stock is being cut.

I don't think I have pictures of both systems or I would post them.

Shane Thompson

Thanks All,

Very informative, I think the rotary idea will do what I need best.

AirGun 1 FYI ; Walnut is neither English or French or Persian .

It's ( Genus Juglans ) Juglans Regia ,Nigra ,Hindsii , belonging too the family Juglandaceae.

In other words " Jupiter's Nut or Acorn " !

So many names are given to Walnut it's actually pathetic . Gun Stock and cabinet makers should concern

themselves with these species of Juglans . Juglans Regia is English French Royal and several other

idiotic names , Claro is Juglans hindsii which also has more confusing names like California Black

,Hinds. Then there is Juglans Nigra Black Walnut . Claro , Hindsii is a graft of Nigra on Regia

root stock . When cross pollination of the above species occurs it produces

Bastogne Walnut a Paradox known as

"Juglans regia x hindsii"



In order to develop Claro root stock, nuts of a Claro Walnut tree are planted and raised to proper size for setting out.
At an early date, it was discovered that once in perhaps one hundred times, strange looking rootlings appeared, different in all respects. Old timers promptly called these peculiar looking strangers, Paradox Trees. The famous botanist, Luther Burbank, determined that Paradox was a hybrid result of a cross-pollination between English and Claro. The resultant tree is like neither parent. Bastogne is a low umbrella shaped tree of healthy vigorous growth. The wood is somewhat heavier and denser than either parent, about midway between English and Claro in color, and often of magnificent figure and contrast.




All or some of these variety's grow nearly everywhere in the world . ( Hence the name game crap ! )


North America, Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, Europe, Eurasia .

The majority of English walnut (Juglans regia L.) varieties are contaminated by a nepovirus, the Cherry leaf roll virus (CLRV), but since they do not show severe symptoms of infection, they may considered to be tolerant to CLRV. The other Juglans spp. are hypersensitive and so therefore do not allow virus multiplication. Thus, a black line develops at the graft-union, whenever J. regia grafted onto another Juglans spp. is contaminated by CLRV. In this study, the behaviour of F1 interspecific hybrids (J. nigra x J. regia), (J. major x J. regia) and their progeny BC1 was examined. All F1 and BC1 hybrids with J. nigra and J. major were found to be hypersensitive, including 50% of BC1 with J. regia. These results indicate that the character of hypersensitivity to CLRV is monogenic and dominant over the character of tolerance. Some BC1 hybrids with J. regia which were very vigorous and tolerant to CLRV, were selected as potential rootstocks.

If any of you would ever like a question answered in regards to most any wood species in the world

just ask me . I not only have more years experience in harvesting said woods and drying them .

I also have most every known Foresters handbook along with K' of actual samples of species and the

Forrest products Labs manuals complete editions . If it isn't listed it more than likely doesn't

exist ,unless it's a " New Hybrid " or experimental grafting .

I am on my way to build a duplicater for making the inletting esier, i have an old Zuckermann copy carver for carving the outside of the stocks but ned a good duplicater for the rest !

Which modells are the best ? and is there something special i should think of ?

ante

Doc224/375

I agree that the name game for walnut gets a little out of control. I have travelled the world in search of good blanks and harvested quite a few trees myself. I prefer to refer to all J. regia as thin-shelled walnut or European. The growing region does not affect the actual species, but there are definite characteristics from some of the areas (genetics and environmental influences) and I like to see some distinction made here.

The trouble is, at least where I have been, is that due to wide variation in the character of wood there is sometimes considerable overlap - good and bad walnut grows in all locations (I am talking about seedling trees here). Not much of it makes really fine stock blanks.

A combination of misinformation and cunning marketing ploys over the decades adds to this confusion. Those people wise to it all know where they stand but it must sometimes be confusing for others. Always judge walnut blanks on the merits of the individual blank - and an opinion from a good stockmaker is even better.

I have seen that black line at the root grafts many a time and wondered what it was - I was told it was a virus.

All the best

Juglansregia ; IMO environmental influences are the key to Walnut's Stock blank appeal .

Mineral soil composition with rainfall or irrigation ,is really what makes most species of woods

desirable with respect to their properties of course .

I have seen some beautiful Bastonge or regia x hindsii blanks as well as Old Turkish cut Regia

That are impossible to tell apart just by looking . Some fine old English Dbl. Rifles and Drillings

used some of the finest " Non French Walnut " ever cut but marketed as French Walnut

from nearly every where but France !. Marketing ploys for high $ ,is the name game !.