i like cocobolo...how would it do for a stock? it is heavy and strong so i am thinking it could be good for a gun stock. wadaya think?

never seen an entire stock in cocobolo. Might be interesting....typically it's used for forend tips and pistol grip caps and it's a bit loud for that too.

I have a 2" X 2" X 12" stick and it's heavy and dense. It will be a heavy stock if you can find a piece big enough.

I'd guess it'll handle the strength needs as I suspect it's a lot stronger than american walnut.

Do a search on Google for the toxic effects of cocobolo before for you get too carried away using some of these pretty woods. It can be dangerous to health!!!

It makes beautiful pistol grips...but I think you might not want to know what a chunk big enough for a rifle stock will cost you.

i wont turn coco.. it kills people!!!

jeffe

FYI:

“Commonly referred to as Cocobolo, the Dalbergia Retusa is a mid-sized, sub-canopy tree belonging to the Papilionaceae family, reaching 45 to 60 feet in height in the natural rainforest, with trunk diameters up to 3 feet, usually of irregular form. The heartwood is surrounded by white sap wood. The sapwood which is as dense as the heartwood will vary in amount depending on the age of the tree and the conditions of its habitat. The poorly formed stems yield the most uniquely figured and highly-prized wood. Cocobolo is leguminous, or nitrogen-fixing.

Cocobolo is so rare, very little of it reaches the world market. Because of its great beauty and high value, Cocobolo has been heavily exploited and is now mainly harvested from private finca's where the 80 to 100 year old trees have been able to mature.

One of the true tropical rosewoods, Cocobolo is probably the most beautiful exotic wood worldwide, ranging from a beautiful rich dark brick red, to reddish or dark brown, with a figuring of darker irregular traces weaving through the wood. The amount of figure and contrasting color varies widely from tree to tree. In this respect it is quite similar to Claro Walnut found in the Sacramento Valley of California. Cocobolo is fine textured and oily in look and feel. The wood has excellent working characteristics and the natural oils give the wood a natural luster. Cocobolo is highly durable and strong, it can be turned, planed, drilled and milled without chipping. It is twice the weight of Walnut, and is so dense it does not absorb water (it will not float!). Because of its scarcity and high value, it is used for its rare beauty rather than for its extreme strength or durability.

Cocobolo is highly favored for fine furniture and cabinetry, fine inlay work, brush backs, knife handles, guitars and other musical instruments, pool cues, fine fountain pens, decorative and figured veneers, parquet floors, hunting bows, automobile dashboards, bowls, jewelry boxes, and other expensive specialty items.“

IIRC I paid $40 for this stick

ive got the wood, i guess i should find out about how not to make it toxic.

jeffeosso...how much to turn some figufed black walnut? myrtle?

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
ive got the wood, i guess i should find out about how not to make it toxic.

You gonna eat it or make a rifle stock out of it? I’ve had a set of cocobolo grips on a hand gun for about 40 years and haven’t noticed any ill effects, ill effects, ill effects, ill effects, ill effects......

quote:

i guess i should find out about how not to make it toxic.

I was told the same thing about ebony. I used a simple face mask when working it on my stock for my .404. I suspect the same would be true for cocobolo. Maybe someone will comment

FWIW walnut is also not good to breath in. I love the smell of walnut and have worked it for thirty years without knowing it and used no respiratory restraints. and so far no complications.

it turns out the oil in the wood is "mildly toxic" just quoting, i guess the issue is the dust from the turning getting into the lungs. will the occasional handling of a waxed or oiled stock be an issue? if it is varnished or coated would this not eliminate the issue?

vapo...hows the 375?

Many custom recurve bows are made with cocobolo. I have worked with it a bit. It is a chore to work and hard to glue. You have to get the oil out. If you breath the dust it is hard on you. Not as bad as cedar that knocks me on my ass. It would make a heavy dense strong stock( that is why along with its beauty it is used in high dollar bows) but I think you would look hard for a piece with good grain and big enough.
Dean

i already have the wood

I look forward to seeing the finished stock zebrawood and cocobolo are my favorites.
Dean
serengeti turned one out of purpleheart they might do the coco.

tonto...do you know what they charge for someone who supplies the wood?

I have an entire cocobolo stock on my Dakota Model 10.

Looks beautiful, and it is dense and stable.

It is toxic, so you have to wear a respirator/filter mask when sawing, sanding or using high speed tools.

Garrett

I had a stock routed by Dennis Olson for $140 and I sent him the wood. It was beautifully done and I suspect others are relatively the same.

I'll ask Jeffe to do the next one some day.

Many trees have small amounts of a substance that resists fungal infestation and thus "rot". Some woods have a lot of this. In this country the notable examples are cyprus, cedar and redwood. The substance is one of the "Plithic acids". This is an intensily irritating acid, and if the wood is in fine particles so it will get down in the lungs, it can cause severe bronchospasm (asthma) and even resipratory arrest. Partical size is the key, so an effective filter will help. Many carpenters have had to quit using cedar and redwood because of pulmonary problems.

I don'tfind cocobola in my reference source, but I suspect the "oil" in the exotics that cause respiratory problems is a similar substance.

Roger

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:
I had a stock routed by Dennis Olson for $140 and I sent him the wood. It was beautifully done and I suspect others are relatively the same.

I'll ask Jeffe to do the next one some day.

thanks vapo...that info would be great

If you take ordinary precautions, mask, dust vacuum, or even a fan across the work away from you, you will PROBABLY have no problems with cocobolo. However, some people are more sensitive to various woods than others. In fact, I think you should sell that blank to me.

Here's a summary I found of some common (and uncommon) woods. Note Walnut is on there, but one step below Coco which is more or less tied with spalted maple. PS: Don't eat Oleander.

"If you are uncertain about the health risk of a wood you are using, please check its toxicity level before you start working with it. Wood dust is dangerous. (See Dust Collection.) Some people are allergic to the wood itself. Cocobolo dust frequently causes a reaction like poison ivy. The dust from Chakte Kok and Aromatic Cedar can irritate the sinuses. Use the following chart on Wood Toxicity. Below the chart are links to articles and more charts on the toxicity of wood. Keep your woodworking hobby enjoyable by staying healthy.




The following chart appeared in American Woodturner June 1990,

Originally posted to rec.woodworking by Bruce Taylor taylor@tpwosf.tay1.dec.com


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wood Reaction Site Potency Source Incidence
---- -------- ---- ------- ------ ---------
Bald Cypress S R + D R
Balsam Fir S E,S + LB C
Beech S,C E,S,R ++ LB,D C
Birch S R ++ W,D C
Black Locust I,N E,S +++ LB C
Blackwood S E,S ++ W,D C
Boxwood S E,S ++ W,D C
Cashew S E,S + W,D R
Cocobolo I,S E,S,R +++ W,D C
Dahoma I E,S ++ W,D C
Ebony I,S E,S ++ W,D C
Elm I E,S + D R
Goncalo Alves S E,S ++ W,D R
Greenheart S E,S +++ W,D C
Hemlock C R ? D U
Iroko I,S,P E,S,R +++ W,D C
Mahogany S,P S,R + D U
Mansonia I,S E,S +++ W,D C
N + D
Maple (Spalted) S,P R +++ D C
Mimosa N ? LB U
Myrtle S R ++ LB,D C
Oak S E,S ++ LB,D R
C ? D U
Obeche I,S E,S,R +++ W,D C
Oleander DT N,C ++++ D,W,LB C
Olivewood I,S E,S,R +++ W,D C
Opepe S R + D R
Padauk S E,S,R + W,D R
Pau Ferro S E,S + W,D R
Peroba Rosa I R,N ++ W,D U
Purpleheart N ++ W,D C
Quebracho I R,N ++ LB,D C
C ? D U
Redwood S,P E,S,R ++ D R
C ? D U
Rosewoods I,S E,S,R ++++ W,D U
Satinwood I E,S,R +++ W,D C
Sassafras S R + D C
DT N + D,W,LB R
C ? D U
Sequoia I R + D R
Snakewood I R ++ W,D R
Spruce S R + W,D R
Walnut, Black S E,S ++ W,D C
Wenge S E,S,R + W,D C
Willow S R,N + D,W,LB U
West. Red Cedar S R +++ D,LB C
Teak S,P E,S,R ++ D C
Yew I E,S ++ D C
DT N,C ++++ W,D C
Zebrawood S E,S ++ W,D


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

REACTION: SITE: SOURCE: INCIDENCE:
I - irritant S - skin D - dust R - rare
S - sensitizer E - eyes LB - leaves,bark C - common
C - nasopharyngeal R - respiratory W - wood U - uncommon
cancer
P - pheumonitis, C - cardiac
alveolitis
(hypersensitivity
pneumonia)
DT - direct toxin
N - nausea, malaise"

good stuff gatogordo (fatcat)

If I'm not mistaken, Bill Soversn did a rifle on cocobolo, also remember it sent him to the hospital.

Hey Jeffe, I was going to ask you to turn one for me.........all you need is a fresh air mask..........no big deal

quote:

I was told the same thing about ebony. I used a simple face mask when working it on my stock for my .404. I suspect the same would be true for cocobolo. Maybe someone will comment

Face masks and safety glasses are never a bad idea in IMHO. I've gotten in the habit of wearing safety gear and often find myself thankful for it.

Also wearing a long sleeve shirt when working on wood may not be a bad idea either. I was sanding on a milsurp stock a few weeks ago and for some reason the dust irritated my skin - gave me a little rash on my forearms. Didn't really bother me, just a little dermatitis for a day or two.

I'd love to hear what Mr. Worthington's or Soverns' comments on this topic. They both do some great things with wood!

Tex

Here's a link to an article that explains quite a bit about the topic of woodworking hazards posed specifically by the wood itself. There are specific references to cocobolo and many other native and exotic woods.

http://www.woodworkersclub.com/woodhazards.htm

I've used Cokobolo on several knife handles and find it similar to other tropical hardwoods in density and working chacteristics. It's dense, rather heavy and has enough natural oil to take an attractive satin polish without needing an applied finish.

The Cokobolo I am familar with has fairly tight cream and soft coco patterns that look good on smaller work. My impression is that even though it is much heavier, cocobolo is rather brittle and it probably isn't as strong in bending as walnut. Personally, I wouldn't select it for a gun stock.

I'm just a hobbist so probably don't see enough exposure to notice problems. But after too many years without taking sensible precautions, I now do use a well fitted mask and wash up soon after any sawing or sanding activity. I have a couple of cocobolo slabs that came from wood that would have clearly been sufficently large to make a stock blank if they had been cut thicker.

Regards, Emory

I've used lots of Cocobola for knife handles. The only problem I see with making a stock out of it is weight. It will be heavy. IIRC, Walnut is around 35 pounds per cubic foot, and Cocobola
is between 60 and 75 pounds per cubic foot. So, we're talking about a stock that weighs twice as much as one made of Walnut.
I've never had a problem working Cocobola from a health point of view.
Don

quote:

Originally posted by Gringo Cazador:
If I'm not mistaken, Bill Soversn did a rifle on cocobolo, also remember it sent him to the hospital.

Hey Jeffe, I was going to ask you to turn one for me.........all you need is a fresh air mask..........no big deal

Gee's, It's easy to know who your friends are!!

Billy, I might would think about working it, with a sand blasting freah air hood and a tyvek one-sie, and a great big ole fan blowing from my back to over the wood...


Will cocobolla kill me? Not if I don't work it!!

jeffe

jeffeosso...

in the name of keeping it in the a.r. family, what do you charge for turning a stock out of supplied blank?

I've made a bunch of stuff from cocobolo & sanding on it really does get you. I still work with it, but do it outside preferably with a bit of a wind blowing, then it seems OK. I'd love to see an entire stock made out of it, but wouldn't do it myself

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
i like cocobolo...how would it do for a stock? it is heavy and strong so i am thinking it could be good for a gun stock. wadaya think?

Would make for a VERY heavy stock!

boomstick,
my website has the details on the pricing.. I sent you a PM on it...

prices range from $100 to "whatever" you want done.
jeffe

quote:

Originally posted by El Deguello:

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
i like cocobolo...how would it do for a stock? it is heavy and strong so i am thinking it could be good for a gun stock. wadaya think?

Would make for a VERY heavy stock!

was thinking about using it on a big bore.

The idea of gunstock wood is that it must be strong and light weight to start with...I have never found any wood to compare with thin shelled walnut for this...if I have to pack it, I want it light.

The rest is for forend tips (Ebony only for me) and pistol grips...

i am not looking for a date but i am relatively big fit guy six one and 220 lbs so weight is no biggie for me. i often drag lots of gear beit photography or snowshoeing i usualy pack around 30 lbs