Has anyone used/seen a stock made out of oak? I was thinking about a thumbhole for my Savage 112 .223 rem. It will be a heavy target style used to shoot dogs off of a bench so the extra weightis not a problem. I like the looks of oak and I believe it's very durable as I have 350 Sq. ft. of it in my house. Is it a pain to work into shape? What's the deal. I can get some cheap from a woodshop in town.
Elk Country

great idea, but.. like bodart (sp)
it cracks, splits, dies when you dry it out. I TRIED postoak about 3 different ways, in the attic (remember, this is texas) was one of them.
all split, just like the books say... thought the postoak would be the ULTIMATE in straight grain,.
try screwbean mesquite if you really want a nice piece.
just my 2�
jeffe

Oak is a very stong wood, but seems to be subject to splits along the grain. I have often wondered about laminating a stock out of oak, by careful attention to grain flow and direction, using 1/4 thick layers, and really good action bedding. Oak is an attractive wood when finished correctly, all wood pores filled, etc., but I don't think it would take checkering to well. I have made furniture with oak, these problems are ones you will likely run into. If you do go that direction, I for one would like to see it.

Oak is a great cabinet and millwork wood but would be poor for a gun stock. To begin with it is not dence enough, it would be subject to splitting,and be heavey to boot. If slice thin (1/32 across grain) you can see right through it. It is hard and strong, I use 4 or 5 thousand board feet every year but would have a hard time thinking of a worst wood for gunstocks. Pete

All the above posts are correct. Oak is great on furniture or flooring but don't even think about it for a gunstock. It warps & bends, cracks and won't hold checkering. If you want something that looks similar to oak, try maple or myrtlewood.

What do you guys think about hickory? It looks alot like oak and is used for hammer and axle handles and such.

Casey

Casey,
The woods for gunstocks have been well established over the last 100 or so years..they are Walnut, Maple, Mesquite, Myrtle and a few others but the bottom line is Walnut is hands down winner and walnut from across the big pond is the best...I prefer Turkish today as the last of the great trees. Hickory splits and has no color, and its too heavy, same for oak.

Dear Ray ?
I do wonder a bit about your list. In military usage, beech is number one, followed by birch where suitable birch species grow. Also well-established are/were ash and elm. Elm is often mistaken for oak.

In civilian usage, cherry certainly makes for nice stocks (while apple and pear seem to be rarely used, though I believe they might be suitable - pear has wonderful grain). My own favourite (but HEAVY, and not easy to work) would be Australian Jarrah.

Best regards,
Carcano

[ 06-29-2002, 13:12: Message edited by: carcano91 ]

Casey,

Even though it's in a different family, I find hickory has the same qualities as oak that would make it unsuitable for gunstocks. It is very splintery when you are shaping it, and tends to split longitudinally. I found the splintering, and many long, sharp slivers, to be so annoying that I only used it for woodworking once. I do find it quite beautiful as a cabinet wood, especially with the contrasting light and dark areas.

My grandfather once set me to splitting some wood, as a joke, that was almost impossible to split due to the grain structure -- it was either willow or elm. Whatever it was, I'm thinking it might be a good wood to use on heavy recoiling rifles, to resist cracking.

Todd

Carcano,
You are correct, in that birch is used... as it has nil for character, i would look it over..
there's been several articales written on denisty, suitability, and usage... heck, some woods (dust) is poisonious...
that being said, the fruit woods make great pistol grips, or inlays, but not very dense, the oaks and hick's and ash, too... dries and spplits.
however, I think the only reason wild cherry isnt used is that is DETROYS tools. if you don't have carbide, and the wood is cured cherry, just light it on fire and enjoy the smell.
I passed on a huge cherry section... on family land, even... as it had been down for 4 months, and hard are my head!!!

cheers
jeffe

anyone got any awesome blanks from turkey?

Jeffe,

I have never had problems with cherry wood destroying tools. Cherry has a beautiful almond smell when worked. Know why? It has a high cyanide concentration!

I have little practical experience with elm. As I recall it is a medium dark wood structured somewhere between cherry and walnut. What does it look like, really. I mean does it have the warmth and character of walnut.

Hickory and oak are both much denser than any walnut on the average. I would agree that they are both splintery somewhat nasty wood species to work with. I do not know if they split any easier than walnut. The absolutely most difficult wood I have ever split for firewood was black locust. That stuff was impossible to split with maul and wedge and had to be literally cut off of the power splitter wedge!

New name still under construction

I have built some very stong and good looking furniture by laminating oak, paying careful attention to grain patterns and directions. For example, a 1 1\2 inch lathe turned leg made by lamination 4 pieces of oak cut and milled from the same board and built up with the grain patterns opposing each other for strength and looks, then turned with the lathe centers imbedded on the common axis of the laminations. By very careful pore filling and staining, it makes some good looking furniture. I just don't think it would ever lend itself to checkering well. Of course, laminated stocks are just plain UUUgly to some.

There may be more then one kind of cherry? The stuff I get for cabinet and millwork is expensive but soft, just about like alder. Hickory is hard but as someone mentioned above it is splintery and prone to chip and string when shaping it. Still I get alot of requests for cabinets made of it.
Actually one of my favorite woods is walnut/walnut laminate. A three or four ply blank is far more stable then a one piece blank and sometimes you can cut out defects and use wood that otherwise be unuseable.