Yes, I want it all!.....,color,contrast,streaks,layout, hard,dense,dry....& somewhere genuine to buy.

The gettin place

I was gonna say out of a tree ,,,,,but, Turkey would be a good place to start your search.

Terry

Check Denli - he has had some nice sticks in the past - the Silver Lining Rifle used one of his blanks, and the rifle for my son's project is matched pair to that one.

The biggest problem I've encountered with wood (and hardest lesson learned) has been the moisture content.

I'm currently looking at 4, expensive, "dry" blanks that all meter about 12%.

I now own a moisture meter and test any blank before I accept it... buyer beware.

I have, however, purchased two blanks from old world walnut www.oldworldwalnut.com and both of those measure 8-9%.

I beleive that rifle is the .500 Jeffery Steve Heilmann had at his table in Reno last January. I have two similar blanks I bought from him so he would be a good place to start.

Isn't the moisture content of a blank going to stabilize at whatever your environment dictates once it arrives? I'm not a expert by any means but it seems moisture content alone may be over rated as the sole means of judging a blank "ready".

I have gotten three Black Walnut blanks from Watts Walnut.

I have been very pleased with the results.

quote:

Originally posted by dempsey:
Isn't the moisture content of a blank going to stabilize at whatever your environment dictates once it arrives? I'm not a expert by any means but it seems moisture content alone may be over rated as the sole means of judging a blank "ready".

dempsey - here is a good thread to read.

DArcy_Echols_Co's comments are good.

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/...=324109487#324109487

dresslers

Thanks for the link NG. D'Arcy's comments are always worth reading.

new_guy, thanks, I missed that one. I'm still curious though if I received a blank, regardless of drying method, that is 8% upon arrival, and held onto to it for awhile if it may not read 12% later due to local conditions. Say I buy a blank from a dealer in Vegas and live on the coast in Oregon will it hold it's moisture reading or go up? I really don't know what is best. I generally try to buy a blank that is sold as dry and let it hang for a few years before I use it and cross my fingers.

Wood is ALIVE in terms of absorbing moisture until an equilibrium point is found which people often and mistakenly refer to as AIR DRIED !.

Unless the wood is completely sealed wood never stops the process . Wet damp hot Humid it absorbs dry cold or hotter than the desert dry it loses . Any species of wood is considered Kiln Dry at 6.5% and will gain back between 1-3% moisture under Normal circumstances .

Any blank which is 12% or under is 98% of the time safe to purchase . Using it for a stock I would like it dried down to 8% or under.

I know some professional stock makers are probably going to slam me on this .

I've only got near 40 years in purveying fine hardwoods from the world over . ALL shapes and configurations Logs too Veneers and everything in between .

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

I have always done business with Adam Freeman at Luxus Walnut. he is more than fair and a AR member.

Ed

quote:

Originally posted by dempsey:
new_guy, thanks, I missed that one. I'm still curious though if I received a blank, regardless of drying method, that is 8% upon arrival, and held onto to it for awhile if it may not read 12% later due to local conditions. Say I buy a blank from a dealer in Vegas and live on the coast in Oregon will it hold it's moisture reading or go up? I really don't know what is best. I generally try to buy a blank that is sold as dry and let it hang for a few years before I use it and cross my fingers.

dempsey - Dr. K can provide a better answer than I can.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr.K:
Any blank which is 12% or under is 98% of the time safe to purchase . Using it for a stock I would like it dried down to 8% or under.

Dr. K - your experience and posts are always appreciated.

Buying wood that is represented at 12% is one scenario. Buying wood that is represented as "8-9%", and actually turns out to be 12% (or more), is something else.

Here's one example of a "dry" blank:


Here's a finished stock:


Here's another blank for refrence:


Here are 3 other "dry" blanks:
17.5%


25%


22%


I've received one PM requesting it, but I will not tell anyone where any of these blanks came from.

Sorry for highjacking the thread. Just want others to learn from my "hard lessons."

quote:

Originally posted by new_guy:

I've received one PM requesting it, but I will not tell anyone where any of these blanks came from.

From really big trees

Seriously though, can you calibrate that moisture meter for English walnut?

Where can you get a meter like that

quote:

Originally posted by gunmaker:
Seriously though, can you calibrate that moisture meter for English walnut?

James - it is calibrated to Juglans regia, with a specific gravity of .47. It is supposed to read 1" deep and cost me about $300.

The last three blanks shown were measured with a much more expensive prong type meter.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by new_guy:
...Sorry for highjacking the thread. Just want others to learn from my "hard lessons."[QUOTE]

Not a highjack at all, its what folk need to be made well aware of.

Woodjack:

You might look at Luxus Walnut blanks 1-1500, 1-1510, or 1-1530, they have a similar look to what you've pictured and are reasonably priced.