Been looking around the Internet for reasonably priced stock blanks in anticipation of Jeffe getting his duplicator up and running. I'm looking for a few decent blanks that aren't too expensive (Jeffe's still learning the duplicator and I'm reading a book about stock building ). I ran across this place, Goby walnut, it looks like he has some nice pieces of black walnut at some great prices. Any one ever use these people before?

Thanks,

Terry

Terry,
I am looking at his wood... some of it is nice, some aint..

this is a fair price



this is aint



Like most folks with wood, high grade has a very subjective view... or at least the value of high grade...

I like the first one i posted

jeffe

Here are the two I've picked out.

and

I don't think either one would be used by the gun makers guild , but for the money I think they represent value. When I talked to the guy, he said all the blanks are aged at least 3 years and some of the ugly ones a little longer.

Terry

TC1,
I have met Gary Goby and been in his shop. I was a bit shocked when I drove in and thought I was in the wrong place. It is located in an orchard outside of Albany Oregon and the home is a two story stucco and it is enormous. The shop is behind it is two story and looks just like the house. Gary is a very nice guy and is one of those instantly likeable guys. Whenever I have been there, his selection of English walnut was very sparse. Most of his stock blanks as you might notice were cut for muzzle loaders. His prices for black walnut are very good. If I were in the market for black walnut, I would buy it from him.

When I saw him the first time he came out of the house and looked just like he did in the picture of that big slab. He is a very big man, was wearing tin pants with logger suspenders, the aluminum hard had and short sleeved shirt and a very warm smile. He told me he only did the wood work part time, Wednesdays and weekends. He is a surgeon when he isnt cutting wood. He said he just loves doing this and really enjoys the wood. Most of his wood is sold to the music industry for instruments.

I have had some friends get blanks sight unseen and not be happy with them and Gary had no problem replacing them or returning the money. You of course have to pay the shipping.

Thanks Chic.

I also stopped in a Goby's and while he didn't have a lot of English he did have a hell of a pile of black. I thought his prices were good and his grading was more than fair. For myself, i prefer fairly dense straight grained wood for my own stocks so I am well served with his selection. It would be difficult to say how many thousands of board feet of blanks he had stacked up in the shed. Regards, Bill.

Is Black walnut about the same as Claro as far as dense and porous, Or is it more dense?

GSP7,
Black walnut is around 38 pounds per cubic foot and Claro is 35 pounds per cubic foot, making Black a bit more dense. Those figures of course are averages and the densities will vary from blank to blank. Generally though it will hold true.