Black Walnut stock blank

[pdog06]

I got this Black Walnut blank over the weekend with the thoughts of having a stock made out of it. I'm sure it would make a nice stock, but Im just not sure if I want something fancier or not.

Does this look like a decent pc of wood, or what grade do you think it is considered?

Anything look bad on it that I should not use?

What is a blank like this valued at? The dimensions are 5" x 8" x 48".

 

[shortgrass]

She's a pretty "Plain Jane" piece. Got 'feather', but, not positioned well for a stock. Besides the dimentions you gave, thickness is very important. Especially if you want a cheek piece. American Black Walnut (dried) like the piece you have will generally sell for in the $60 to $80 dollar range (+ shipping). As important as the wood, is the person/company who will 'turn' it to a pre-inlet. Not all do a good job. I see some that are advertised as "90 percent inletted", but many times not inletted on the center line. I have several different sources for stock blanks and know a good pre-inletter. PM for more info if you'd like. I see some knots that will be problematic on your blank. There's a good chance you'll find voids in them, somewhere.

 

[pdog06]

thanks for the info. I knew it was a pretty plain pc of wood with the exception of the feathering in the one corner. I didnt know if it was in a spot where it could be used or not. Sure it would make a nice stock though. Didnt know if it was worth investing lots of time and money into.

I do have a hardwood place only 6 miles from me that will cut me almost any type of wood I want. Just gotta pay for it.

I have a couple great gunsmiths in mind to do this when Im ready. Both are members/sponsors here and within driving distance.

Thanks again for the info.

 

[Joel Russo]

Mike~ Shortgrass gave you good information. I would be leary of the visable inclusions. There is a small area of compression, feather crotch figure, but it's not in a good place to allow the correct positioning of a stock.
You are going to invest the same amount of money into the labor to make a stock whether the blank is a good one or not. May as well start with a good blank.

 

[pdog06]

Thanks for the advice Joel. I woulda been calling you for it anyway. The guy gave me the wood for free so I just threw it in the truck, then was looking at it when I got home and thought it was too plain.

I'll most likely just give it back to him and just talk to you about a complete stock job. I'm looking at doing one for a Savage target action in either a A3 or A5 style, or a Manners T2 style.

I've wanted a custom wood one for a while, but seeing your work at last years Savageshoot in Mainville has had me chomping to get one. Ive managed to put it off till now due to being slow at work, but I think I will be getting one real soon.

 

[Joel Russo]

Sounds good Mike. You know how to get ahold of me..

 

[ken snyder]

looks like it will make a decent piece of wood for a commercial duplicator stock manufacturing process. ( this process does make nice stocks) and very affordable. For a traditional hand inleted stock ( spendy) the answer is no for quite a few suspected reasons.

 

[nfhjr62]

Mike why not a trade with Joel for something better OR have a nice plane jane hunting carry stock made

 

[shortgrass]

Mike why not a trade with Joel for something better OR have a nice plane jane hunting carry stock made

With the knots I can see in the pics and the poor layout of the wood I wouldn't put it on a duplicator. Like Joel said, even if the piece is junk, has voids or other hidden defects, ya' still gotta' pay for the inletters time. Not every sizable chunk of wood is a stock blank. The one shown in the pics would be better suited for a piece of furniture. Maybe I'm just too picky about which blank I'll work with, but my time, as a stockmaker, is worth something. Why waste ones time and effort with an "iffy' chunk of wood (this ones not a blank, just a sizable piece of wood). If it was intended to be a stock blank, it appears to have been cut and processed by someone not familiar with cutting a processing wood for stocks. Labor is the same for a 'nice' blank as it is for a plain one.

 

[pdog06]

Shortgrass, thanks for your honest answers. This "chunk" was not cut out to be a stock blank. It was just something the guy had laying around(he is a cabinet/furniture maker) and told me to take it and see if it would work for me. I honestly didnt know anything other than it wasnt as nice as I had hoped, so that is why I posted the questions for the experts.

Like I said, I have no money in this and was just wondering if it was worth putting any into. Now I know thanks to you and Joel, and respect your knowledge.