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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 15,457 Likes: 88
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 15,457 Likes: 88 |
What does one look for in a blank? An art dealer on the Normandy coast of France once said to me, "If a painting speaks to you, buy it."
As has been said, it can be like taste in women or any number of personal choices. If it speaks to you, then you move to the technical, objective considerations:
What species? Juglans Regia is the king of walnut for a number of reasons (color, figure, density, elasticity, tensile strength, etc.) . What region? France is considered by a number of stockers the most desirable, but war is not tree friendly, so it is not easily obtained. NorCal often has feather and fine mineral lines, with some of the best known as "honey and smoke." When you see an exquisite example you will never forget it. Turkish can be dark, a hint of red, with broad mineral lines and a more mottled, muddy figure. But if a blank speaks to you, the region will be secondary. Slow growth is usually best, with the tightly spaced growth rings it exhibits. Quarter sawn (especially in the head) is highly esteemed, with its superior resistance to the pounding of repeated recoil. Age is important (4-6 years off the stump before many stockers will touch it), but how and where it was dried can be just as critical. Many stockers eschew kiln dried wood, as it can introduce stresses into the blank that don't show up until it's turned. Case hardening can be beautiful with metal, but is disastrous with wood.
Avoid defects such as checks, voids, inclusions and the like, but they are not necessarily deal killers in the hands of a competent stocker. And don't fall for the ole wive's tale that any figure in the wrist is to be avoided. The rhythmic undulations of fiddleback have no significant affect on strength, and are very sensuous.
Finally, much wisdom flows from those who counsel against putting too fine a stock on an average gun- fitting the grade of wood to the value of the gun: much like overbuilding for a neighborhood. But at the end of the day, it is your house and yours to enjoy. So why not put a beautiful stick on an everyday shooter? Nice sound, paint, and interior on an everyday driver? Not every return on investment is monetary or quantifiable. The most stunning blank I ever had turned went on a 5k Beretta O/U. At the time of the restocking I never intended to sell it. But a friend introduced me to side by sides, and I never looked back. But neither did I regret losing money on the Beretta, for I held in my hands and put to use for a while some of the most beautiful juglans regia to ever grace a gun.
That's how I choose a blank. Sound advice.
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 13,880 Likes: 16
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 13,880 Likes: 16 |
A couple things about your particular stock job comes to my mind. The Beretta O/U stocks usually have at least a decently thick wrist if not overly thick on the later clays models, so strength issues in the wrist get some help here, as opposed to a thin wristed sxs. Secondly, if you're stock will be a long LOP and you want a lightweight stock, you might consider looking at "Claro" walnut blanks. These will run lighter in weight than english walnut by a lot. They can have some of the prettiest colors and figure of all the walnuts. Your gun being a 20g and a stout wrist size, should handle Claro fine. Alternatively, black walnut from the central U.S. will be heavier than Claro, but lighter than English walnut. Black walnut has the highest strength/weight ratio (generally).
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 100
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 100 |
wingshooter I like the way you think. From a monetary stand point if I keep the blank below $1000 I am way ahead in this gun. If I can get away with spending $400,I am that much further ahead. I dont have to have expensive but I do have to have nice. When blanks get compared to women that creates a small problem in that I havent seen many that I didnt like. Chuck this Beretta is nothing like current production. It was made in the SO shop in the 50's. Wrist is quite slender. The stockmaker that I have been talking to described it as dainty. So I think strength in the wrist area is imperitive.
The best hunting is between now and dark.
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 14
Boxlock
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Boxlock
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 14 |
I may have missed this in the responses, but you might try looking at Goby Walnut's selection of West coast Black Walnut. There are around 20 pages 2 piece blanks. Good luck!
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 333 Likes: 11
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 333 Likes: 11 |
As much as I hate to mention it as I've been looking at a couple of blanks, you might look herfe for blanks: http://acgg.com/foundation/wood-sales . The proceeds from these benefit the American Custom Gunmakers Guild scholarship fund. There are some nice blanke here and they are definitely priced to sell. And they might help ensure another generation of fine gunmaking.
Last edited by Tom Bryant; 11/06/11 11:45 AM.
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 631
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 631 |
Despite my name and with all due respect to Chuck, I personally avoid Claro, no matter how beautiful-especially on a double, even more so a sidelock; been there myself and even as a rank amateur with inletting tools, there is a big difference in workability which also equates to strength; Juglans regia (English) is my choice.
Best,
C.
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,800 Likes: 567
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,800 Likes: 567 |
If it were me and I was that concerned with getting the best blank I would go to Cecil Fredi in Las Vegas and look at blanks in person. Not that much money to fly to Vegas, Southwest fares BWI to Vegas are $199 each way. Then you can see fifty blanks in a few hours. His in put will make it much easier. The man knows wood and will steer you in the right direction. Buying wood over the internet is a very hard thing to do. Much easier to hold the blank in person and see the full potential and most of the flaws as well. I have bought 250 plus blanks over the internet and ended up reselling 200 of those later. Most looked decent in pictures but were not that great in real hand. Getting ready to sell 25 more on Ebay as I am paring down my wood pile. I do not advise going to Ebay for wood. Most of the wood on Ebay is what I think of as second tier grade even when very fancy. Poor layout and often less than ideal drying of wood. the one I am selling will be OK for thru bolt guns but not for doubles. Maybe you need to decide on type of wood first. English, Black or Claro as a start. Crotch, fiddleback or fancy grained next. Then the choices get easier. My first choice would be English crotch with dark mineral lines and some fiddle. Then you would have it all in one blank. Do not forget to have your stocker look at the wood. He may see problems you will have missed and his input may save you a lot of money in the end.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 15,457 Likes: 88
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 15,457 Likes: 88 |
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,405 Likes: 16
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,405 Likes: 16 |
Don't ever listen to a wood seller tell you, "the one I am selling will be OK for thru bolt guns but not for doubles".
Does the hole down the middle somehow make the wood stock stronger? (I know, you are an engineer and your book says...)
Thru-bolt gun stocks break easier than any other. Stocks don't break from recoil, they break from dropping. A genuinely sound piece of advise would be, "Don't drop your gun with a thru-bolt stock as it will break easier than your double gun stock. But please don't drop that one either."
<For anyone that doesn't have it, I will send my book Fine Gunmaking: Double Shotguns with Chapter 1 titled "Good Wood" (a truly comprehensive treatice on selecting a blank for a shotgun stock) For $25 +5 postage. Please PM for the book before you buy any gunstock blank.>
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 121
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 121 |
Don't ever listen to a wood seller tell you, "the one I am selling will be OK for thru bolt guns but not for doubles".
Does the hole down the middle somehow make the wood stock stronger? (I know, you are an engineer and your book says...)
Thru-bolt gun stocks break easier than any other. Stocks don't break from recoil, they break from dropping. A genuinely sound piece of advise would be, "Don't drop your gun with a thru-bolt stock as it will break easier than your double gun stock. But please don't drop that one either. Through bolt stocks are much stronger if you epoxy the through bolt, although that creates an interesting situation should you ever need to take the gun apart Otherwise, the engineering principle (one of two that I know); You cannot make something stronger by removing material from it remains in effect. Jim
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