Polyethylene glycol-1000 (PEG)in this publication "HOW PEG HELPS THE HOBBYIST WHO WORKS WITH WOOD" describes the how to on the process. The USDA publication is dated 1972. Does it work? They turn green wood blank treat it with PEG and achieve a stable product, after drying.

I have never heard of it but just read most of the article. A common mistake many people make it to assume that what works and is acceptable in common wood working is applicable to gunstocks. It rarely is. I know of no other wood product that demands the accuracy of work, long term stabilty, and resistance to so much environmental variation.

Gunstocks are really the only pieces of wood required to perform in a consitent manner in the varied contiditions and maitain dimensional accuracy measured in thousandths. Woodworkers operate in sixteenths when they are doing their "precision" work. Gunstocks are within a very few thousandths, and then required to stay at that dimension.

Even if you do not believe me, beleive that if this were a good idea for stock blank, then sometime in the 35 years since the paper was written, someone would have used it on stocks. God only knows how many millions of dollars have been spent on R&D for finishing woods and stocks in those 35 years. But from what I read, it would be a very poor choice and unsuitable for a gunstock.

PEG slows down the drying process, and works great for preventing splitting, cracking, and checking that occurs when really green wood that has been turned or carved dries quickly. I would not call that "stabilizing". Walnut planks are sealed on the ends with wax or some other sealer to prevent splitting. It is not used when creating furiniture or other "stable" products.

I sure wouldn't go to the effort of creating a stock with "green" wood and rely on PEG to prevent movement. Best to let them hang and do all the moving and twisting they are going to do before carving. There are even those who will not use force dried blanks because of the risk of movement.