Some seriously nice hunks of wood!

[Tom Dunn]

I'm toying with the idea of building a muzzleloader from scratch, and have be perusing the various outfits that offer stock blanks.
While I'm surely on a "plain maple" budget, I can't help but admire some of the absolutely stunning pieces available.
In example, check out some of the stuff at: http://www.oldtreegunblanks.com/

http://www.wrightsguns.com/

It was pointed out to me that while many men gawk at girley(sp) pics on the net, it's considerably less common for a man to oogle chunks of wood on-line!

 

[woodArtz]

Purrty wood! :icon_thum:icon_thum:icon_thum

 

[CrealBilly]

I'm in the wrong business :roll: I would gladly cut approx 8.5 BF of crotch feather black walnut for 100.00 a BF - question would anyone buy it?

 

[JackLeg]

When I was taking the solar kiln class last year, I met a fellow who lives between Albemarle and Lexington off Hwy 8 and all he does is gun stocks. He told me he has several hundred blanks in his inventory. I'll see if I can find his info and send it to you.

I'm pretty sure you can get something nice for less than those on the links posted.

I'm with jeff---I'm in the wrong business! :dontknow:

 

[Kyle]

A lot of that wood is Franquette walnut planted in the 1800's in california. It has some serious figure in the Bastogne. I spoke to him a while back because he wanted to sell me some logs but he said i couldn't cut them into gun blanks..if I pay 20K for a load of Franquette I want to be able to make anything i want out of the wood including toothpicks.

That wood takes a MINIMUM of 5-7 years to air dry and the crotch needs to be coated with anchor seal and sawn to 3" thick the end pieces need to be anchor sealed as well. those pieces do NOT get kiln dried.


I have been sawing a lot of crotch walnut similar and have been babying the blanks.. I may have around 20 at this point with a goal of couple of hundred.

I have also sawn some crotch white oak to be made into 1 piece rifle blanks as well as some highly figured Claro and English walnut.

 

[CrealBilly]

A lot of that wood is Franquette walnut planted in the 1800's in california. It has some serious figure in the Bastogne. I spoke to him a while back because he wanted to sell me some logs but he said i couldn't cut them into gun blanks..if I pay 20K for a load of Franquette I want to be able to make anything i want out of the wood including toothpicks.

That wood takes a MINIMUM of 5-7 years to air dry and the crotch needs to be coated with anchor seal and sawn to 3" thick the end pieces need to be anchor sealed as well. those pieces do NOT get kiln dried.


I have been sawing a lot of crotch walnut similar and have been babying the blanks.. I may have around 20 at this point with a goal of couple of hundred.

I have also sawn some crotch white oak to be made into 1 piece rifle blanks as well as some highly figured Claro and English walnut.

Ok Kyle you made a point with that exotic walnut - but black walnut for 100.00 a BF?

 

[CaptnA]

wow that is some awesome wood but can't understand the price.
Sounds like a fun project. Combines most of my favorite things -
wood, guns, hunting, dogs, loml, and good corn bread (not necessarily in that order). Hey I get hungry~ :rotflm:
Made me think of a NRA magazine I saw years ago. Fellow bought 100 actions I think Remington 700 bdl. He intended to stock each one in a different wood. He had maybe 1/2 of them done in the pictures in the article. Sound familiar to anyone?

 

[steviegwood]

That is some beautiful wood though I don't believe I would pay those prices. If they get regular sales maybe we are all in the wrong business. Steve

 

[Kyle]

Ok Kyle you made a point with that exotic walnut - but black walnut for 100.00 a BF?

Try getting a decent high quality blank for a Weatherby or an English made Purdy SxS ($50K shotgun) thats not Turkish and boiled to death. A super high quality blank without internal checks and air dried that long carves like butter and for what you pay someone to custom carve a stock.. well the cost of the blank is minimal.

Another fine example is David McKay Brown

http://www.mckaybrown.com/wood.html

now take a look at the price..

http://www.mckaybrown.com/toplaceanorder.html

yes that 40K-50K to us..tell me now that 100/bf is minimal for the perfect stock

 

[CrealBilly]

Try getting a decent high quality blank for a Weatherby or an English made Purdy SxS ($50K shotgun) thats not Turkish and boiled to death. A super high quality blank without internal checks and air dried that long carves like butter and for what you pay someone to custom carve a stock.. well the cost of the blank is minimal.

Another fine example is David McKay Brown

http://www.mckaybrown.com/wood.html

now take a look at the price..

http://www.mckaybrown.com/toplaceanorder.html

yes that 40K-50K to us..tell me now that 100/bf is minimal for the perfect stock

Thanks for setting me straight there Kyle

 

[Kyle]

Not trying to set you straight Jeff..It took me a while to understand what the devil regarding the prices on those things until i researched the costs of final products..I said holy mackeral!

 

[CrealBilly]

Not trying to set you straight Jeff..It took me a while to understand what the devil regarding the prices on those things until i researched the costs of final products..I said holy mackeral!

Well I can tell you from experience if you going to slice up any walnut rootball, your gonna spend more time at the sharpener and setter than you will at the mill, no matter how many time you power wash the ball.

 

[Kyle]

none of that wood is from the root.. that is actually from the log.

 

[Tom Dunn]

I have also sawn some crotch white oak to be made into 1 piece rifle blanks

If I have ever seen a gunstock of oak, I can't say I recall it.....

Buddy of mine, while in school for gunsmithing, stocked a Mauser in a piece of mesquite. Rare, apparantly, to get a piece large enough to do that, it's the only such example I have seen. Foreend and pistol grip caps were, IIRC, holly. Was a beautiful gun!