So, everyone uses walnut of different varieties, I've seen some maple.
What are other good woods for stocks? Any hardwood? I'd like something dense, so sa to make a small but weighty stock.
Thanks.

Birch, Ash, Osage Orange (really dense and heavy), Mahogany, just about any of the fruit tree woods, Mesquite, Teak...those are a few.

Do people really use mahogany? I have a fantastic peice of Honduran [genuine] mahogany that is 12/4 6 feet long and 11 inches wide. Dry as a bone. It shimmers with a copper and gold tone.

Mr. 333_OKH:

As a matter of fact, Remington's original 1100 LT 20 gauge shotgun had a mahogany stock. They were only used for the first year or two, but I have a friend that has one. Apparently the mahogany made for a lighter gun.

Glenn

Not only rifle stocks...the Higgins boats of WWII had Mahogany frames.

to be honest..

walnut (my preferences are turkish, english, bastogne, french, black THEN claro)

mesquite

want to do a pecan, then hicory (both with walnut stain)

then everything else

jeffe

Other than walnut, what do the Australian's use?


Also, if anyone has pictures or informaiton on custom mahogany stocks I would be interested. This is really a neat idea. Honduran mohagany can be spectacular.

Thanks guys. I'm particularly interested in heavy wood. Hickory can be pretty freakin' heavy; might go with that. Cherry wouldn't need a stain, but the wood I've hefted seemed about as dense as walnut.

Bwana-b: Have a browse through the data in the following, and it will give you some insight to the weights and strength properties of a number of commercial hardwoods.

http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr113/ch04.pdf

If you would like to make a stock of a REALLY heavy, strong and stable timber (and one that would sure LOOK different) try purpleheart! Inletting would likely be a cuss of a job, but probably no worse than with mesquite, which is reputed to be as hard as the hobs of hades, and all twisted grain and knots.

One property not included in the link above is how much the timbers 'move' with changes in humidity, and hence the moisture content in the timber. (even if the timber is supposedly completely sealed)

A book which does provide such data, as well as mechanical properties, is 'Handbook of Hardwoods' produced by the Forest Products Research Laboratory in the UK, and published by Her Majesty's Stationary Office.

If you can locate a copy of that book, you would, I'm sure, find much in it to interest you. You will see that there are some timbers - beech would be a good example - that possess a combination of good strength properties and reasonable weight, but are rated very poorly for 'movement in service'. In other words, they have high rates of expansion and contraction with changes in moisture content, and are therefore poor choices for the stocks of a rifles which might be subjected to a wide range of climatic conditions.

The actual strength properties numbers in the publications referenced above probably don't mean a lot to all those of us who are not trained materials engineers.

However, taking the figures for walnut as a baseline and comparing the figures for other timbers with these will give a fair indication if they are suitable for gunstocks or not.

Finding that "Handbook of Hardwoods" may not be easy. I have only seen one listing for a used copy and they are not giving it away. See following link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/offer-listing/01147054...g=UTF8&condition=all

redrover, if you have the "Handbook of Hardwoods" can you tell me what relevant information it has on an African wood normally called African Padauk (and not bubinga as I originally posted)? I have seen this wood on several occassions in Central Africa. It is sometimes so red that it looks unnatural and I think it might make for an excellent looking rifle if it is appropriate for a stock.

I knew someone who made a stock for his 338 mag from purpleheart - a very striking look ! and appropriate weight for the 338.

Wink: Sorry, I can’t help you on this one. I have a copy of the 1969 edition of Handbook of Hardwoods, and copies of some parts of the 1972 edition, but neither contain very much info on African padauk. Less than in the link you provided in the other thread running on this subject, and unfortunately, no data on ‘movement in service’. Bubinga is not covered at all.

This publication is somewhat variable in the amount of detail given for the timbers referenced. For many of the more widely used hardwoods, there is a considerable amount of detail on mechanical properties, shrinkage in seasoning, movement in service, working properties, drying schedules, and so forth. For those timbers given less comprehensive coverage, movement in service seems to be one of the first items to be omitted. For a few timbers at the ‘lower end of the scale’ there are only general descriptions, with very little technical info at all. No publication ever seems to provide everything one wants to know …

Garrett: Making a whole stock out of cocobolo must have been quite a job!

I recently acquired a couple of small pieces of it to use for fore end tips and grip caps. I have read somewhere – can’t remember where, now - that there are two slightly differing species of it, and I think I must have one piece of each. One is a dark, brown/orange sort of colour, with prominent, almost black streaks in it, while the other is nearly jet black with thin, lighter coloured streaks through it. The latter piece is so hard that it is only JUST possible to plane it – and not very well at that - and chiselling it is extremely difficult. The other piece is slightly softer, but not much.

Both pieces of wood sink in water, so if I remember my school science lessons correctly, they must weight well over 62.5 pounds per cubic foot. At least 50% heavier than walnut.

quote:

Originally posted by mete:
I knew someone who made a stock for his 338 mag from purpleheart - a very striking look ! and appropriate weight for the 338.

I wouldn't have turned it for my normal fee... purpleheart is a toxic wood, required a tyvex suit, head bag, gloves, etc...

respritory and skin irritation...

think poison ivy IN the lungs

African Padauk is also known as Vermillion. It is brown when oxidized, turns hot orange when sanded and finished, turns purple in time and brown again in a LONG time.

Cocobolla is also toxic. A friend did one of these one time. He was sanding on it with it on his lap in a 100 degree day. His VITAL region became and STAYED inflammed for 3 weeks. Made a nice stock though.

Some are even allergic to walnut.

Screwbean Mesquite has twice the stability of walnut. Remember it is NOT the Texas Flatbean Mesquite stuff. That stuff has no color variation and you cannot see the beautiful patterns unless you torch it.

quote:

Cocobolla is also toxic. A friend did one of these one time. He was sanding on it with it on his lap in a 100 degree day. His VITAL region became and STAYED inflammed for 3 weeks. Made a nice stock though.

Ho-hum. I've cut up both the pieces of cocobolo I mentioned having, and roughed out three fore end tips and two grip caps from them.

I wonder when I am going to burst out in boils or something?

Walnut sap will leave open wounds on my skin like poison oak.

Be careful with the lead-xotics! I have a lot of these species of wood in my shop and the weight factor will be crazy. A bubinga block is 15 pound per cubic foot heavier than black walnut. Cocobolo is 28 pounds heavier. Unless this is going to be a stationary target rifle, be careful what you ask for.

Zebrawood is an option


and so is Koa



But what does everyone know about Peruvian Walnut (Juglans neotropica)

I've seen a beautiful stock made from Queensland Maple(not a true maple)and pretty but soft stocks out of Silky Oak. The best is Australian grown Walnut.

Don't forget African Lace (Sycamore).

I really am interested in this Peruvian Wlanut. It is a true walnut as the Juglans denotes, but I have not seen this a sa riflestock, maybe due to supply.

Has anyone worked it, or seen a rifle stock in it?

MAPLE
Makes a heavy strong stock, can be stained any way you want, many flint and purcussion rifles were and are made of it. Several grain types, birds eye, tiger stripe fiddle back. very stable. does not warpe as bad a walnut. Hard to split. Butcher blocks are made of it. Cheap enough to practice on.
Judge Sharpe

quote:

Originally posted by 333_OKH:
Zebrawood is an option


and so is Koa



But what does everyone know about Peruvian Walnut (Juglans neotropica)

Unless you already have some you had better be prepared to fork over some big bucks if you want to use Koa wood. Beautiful stuff, but very expensive since much of it is now considered endangered.

Well I am starting to feel like Bwana-be. I wanted to use cherry, but it is as rare as hen's teeth in the grade and density that I want. Most of it, and almost all of the figured wood, goes to the furniture industry and is already cut too thin for a stock. One stock maker will use it to make laminates. I am told he will take the thin slices rip them into 1/4 inch pieces and them laminate all of them together for a stock. I was one and it was very nice looking, but it is half way between a laminate and natural wood stock.

I am looking for wood that is about 35-40 lbs/sq.ft and has a hardness of 650-1000 pounds. I would prefer a fine texture like cherry; stable when dry, and colors from red to black.

Who has this perfect wood? Yeah, I know most of you will tell me just to buy English walnut, but I am hoping to stay away from walnut.

Toxicity ?? That whole subject is confusing since there is often no distinction between a wood being TOXIC and being ALLERGIC !!! The fellow who did the purpleheart had no protection at all and was still alive and well when finished !! There are woods that are toxic and some that are allergenic.If you are allergic to it stay away from it !

quote:

Originally posted by 333_OKH:
Well I am starting to feel like Bwana-be. I wanted to use cherry, but it is as rare as hen's teeth in the grade and density that I want. Most of it, and almost all of the figured wood, goes to the furniture industry and is already cut too thin for a stock. One stock maker will use it to make laminates. I am told he will take the thin slices rip them into 1/4 inch pieces and them laminate all of them together for a stock. I was one and it was very nice looking, but it is half way between a laminate and natural wood stock.

I am looking for wood that is about 35-40 lbs/sq.ft and has a hardness of 650-1000 pounds. I would prefer a fine texture like cherry; stable when dry, and colors from red to black.

Who has this perfect wood? Yeah, I know most of you will tell me just to buy English walnut, but I am hoping to stay away from walnut.

I would consider Mahogany, Osage Orange.

"Gunstock woods and other fine timbers." By Virgil Davis.

Have you read this anyone? I was looking at comments about it on another site, but most places do not have it available.

Is it worth chasing down?

Tarara is a very dense wood. I made some longbow risers out of it. Very hard too.

quote:

Originally posted by 333_OKH:
"Gunstock woods and other fine timbers." By Virgil Davis.

Have you read this anyone? I was looking at comments about it on another site, but most places do not have it available.

Is it worth chasing down?

Gunstock Finishing and Care by Don Newell is also very good.

Thanks everyone for the info. I'll lok into some literature.
Are stocks generally made from 10/4 or will 8/4 do?
I can get 8/4 much easier than 10/4.

The toxicity or allergic properties of certain woods are highly individual as to people. I always use a respirator, so that is not an issue for me. But for contact, purpleheart has no effect on my skin. I work with it all the time. Cocobolo also has not had an effect so far and I have used it a lot lately. Part of it is probably hereditary, my father has no issues with either of those as well.

I know some people that can not even be in the room with cocobolo.

the onluy problem I see with purpleheart, is that it has an open grain, that has been difficult for me to achieve a good fill in, with out it looking like white streaks. Any suggestions for cures? I tried potassium permangante, but the white still remained

Sapele, considered a type of African Mahogany (Khaya). This is very similar to the mahogany species, but not the same. This is a piece from my collection. The wood is amazing, but I always see it in 8/4 and thinner. This piece is 15/16" thick. I can only imagine the gunstock it would make if thicker.

Here is another piece of this wood in crotch figure.



and the pomelle figure

Problem with Mahagony it that it is a short grain wood, more likely to snapping across the grain, just the opposite of Oak which is long grain and more likely to spliting.

I'd like to try myrtlewood.

Myrtle (or as we know it pepperwood) grows locally around my house and comes in a lot of different figures. Try splitting it for firewood! The grain crosses and interlock and is aweful to split. I do not like the color of the wood, nor the smell, but I have seen some stocks that came out nice. The one I have on memory was a grey to blonde wood with red and black streaks in the figure. Some burl on the butt and fiddle on the forend.

Typically, I do not like the color of this wood when finished or raw.

333_OKH: There is no reason NOT to use sapele for a stock if you like the appearance of it. According to data in the Forest Products Laboratory publication I supplied a link to earlier in this thread, and data in 'Handbook of Hardwoods', sapele is slightly superior to black walnut in all its strength properties, and in 'movement in service'.

Sapele is very popular as a furniture timber in many countries, probably including the US. Things like large cabriole table legs often require timber of a fair thickness to start from (more than 2 inches) so it shouldn't be too difficult to find some of it which is thick enough for a stock.

The only real problem in working with sapele is that the grain can be anything from moderately to quite severely interlocked. SHARP tools are a 'must'. A good planed finish can usually be obtained if the plane mouth is closed right up, and the back iron is set well down. You would do less of the exterior shaping of a sapele stock with chisels and more with rasps than you would on a walnut stock, but that is not a huge problem.

I'm curently making a stock - my second - out of afrormosia, a hard, strong, African timber which is as severely interlocked as any sapele I have ever encountered. It cuts very cleanly when chiselling straight across the grain, but when going with the grain, and around curves, it is all too easy to start tearing chunks out. My rasps and scrapers are working a bit of overtime ...

I found an wondefully figure Honduran Mahongany board [2 3/8 x 6 7/8 x 55 ½â€] today that would make a nice stock I think. It is the middle board.

That one on the right looks blazingly amazing. Put the "top" to the right and the butt to the bottom and it would be beautiful.

I have seen pistachio blanks for sale, but never seen a finished product. Wouldnt spend a grand for a blank, either.

http://www.cantwellwood.com/menu_item_10.htm

Tiger Myrtle looks pretty cool with the sporadic black streaks.

http://www.cantwellwood.com/Myrtle/pages/400_OM1a_OM92a.htm
look at the one thats sold, it has the streaks.