how do you orient the blank when cutting stock blanks from logs. I know that the grain must run fore and aft but what I am wondering is if the bottom of the stock(trigger guard side) goes towards the center of the tree or the bark side of the tree or can it be that one of the sides of the stock goes towards the center or does it all not matter that much? I am wondering these things in relation to stock strength and also looks. Also how long does a blank have to dry before being shaped into the actual stock. I realize that different woods probably require different cure times but some basic guidelines would be helpful. I doubt that I will ever cut or shape a stock from scratch but I am curious about stuff like this just the same. Anyone up on this stuff?


Thanks, Drakeslayer

I am sure that some of the professional stockmakers will chime in with their knowledge on this subject, but to take a stab at your questions, which way the grain runs depends considerable on whether your blank has been quarter sawn or slab sawn. Generally speaking, I would rather have a quarter sawn blank than a flat sawn blank, and would prefer that the grain patter ran upwards through the grip and action area.

As for how long a stock must dry, I do not believe that the length of time matters so much as does what happens during that drying time. Generally speaking, what you care about most is the mositure content of the blank rather than the length of time it has been drying. there are mositure meters that are used to test for this. I believe that most stockmakers would prefer a blank that has less than 9 percent moisture before they work on it. HOwever, unless that blank is totally sealed, moisture can get inside of the woods after it has been shaped into a stock, and that is why many stocks warp in the thinner barrel area and cause pressure on the barrel which in turns causes poor accuracy from shot to shot.

Hello Blue,

Thanks. What you said about the thinner part of the stock warping is something I've always wondered
about. Good post and best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

I sent a blank to Fajens a long time ago to have them rout it into a sporter. The blank was sawed in 1957 and had sat in a barn with a lot of other blanks (3" thick) for almost 15 years.....Fajen's wrote back and said they had to dry it because it was too wet.....



Today when I'm lucky enough to have a good tree to saw, I air dry the wood inside for a year and then take it to a kiln for drying.



When I saw a limb or trunk I simply saw lumber until I find pretty grain...I then set the band saw down three inches and see what I get...you can saw an entire tree and never find any pretty wood.



Here's one I sawed a couple years ago. I splashed some water on it to show the grain better