The problem with too many stock layout by sellers is that they are laid out to catch the eye, not withstand normal, or worse, abnormal use. Do not just look at the fancy grain in the side of the stock and not look at minor fact that both ends are a crack waiting to happen.
When I buy a stock I want to see all six views. Often what looks like a good stock from both faces will have very bad grain flow from above or below. If the grain flow is side to side in the grip area leave it alone. It just will crack later. The grain flow needs to be straight along the both faces and above an below. Do not fall in love with a pretty face. A stock with perfect face grain flow and bad grain flow on the top or bottom is still a bad blank.
I also want to see the end views to see if the nice grain goes all the way across the blank. I have seen many blanks with heavy marbling on the face with almost no marbling in the center. Might just be on the face or you could end up with a exhibition blank that gets very ordinary after shaping. Sometimes you find a blank that gets better in the center or if kept to one side.
Most stocks on EBay have a decent side and if lucky a slightly less than decent side in their layout. Guys, you need to remember that you are buying stocks that have been picked over by several others and this is the inventory that was left over. The best has been cherry picked, the next level has been bought if deemed workable at a reduced price. Most of what you see on EBay is the bottom third of what is cut. There may be a few exceptions but not many.
It took me about 50 stocks, bought over the net, before I learn what to buy and what to avoid. After my education I ended up with about a dozen keepers out of the lot. If you like you can come over to see my wood rack and see the mistakes and the non mistakes.
Another major mistake was buying green wood. Do not buy green wood and age it. Let the seller take the risk of all the checking, cracks and warping. Out of the ten crotch walnut blanks maybe two dried into stocks that can be used. Wax, paint, sealers, all lessen checking but it still happens. My best solution was to dip the entire stock in wax and let it dry two years, then remove the wax and let it dry two more years. Lot easier to buy a dry stock in the first place.
And last no stock is dry until you own it for years and keep it dry. "Dry" is not stable. Wood needs to be dried, then allowed to stabilize and remain stable before use. Sellers who dry wood in a kiln, or boil it to speed drying are not to be bought from. Air dried, left for several years after the wood has been dried and then kept in your local for a year or two.
Think this is over kill? No. Cut a blank in humid Oregon or out of a heavily irrigated area in CA, dry it it Vegas or some other desert climate, buy it and send it to a stocker in CA or PA, and then have it delivered to semi humid KY. I can tell you for a certain fact it will not be a perfect restock job after a few months or a year. I had a Smith restocked with just such wood. It had been cut, dried for several years, verified that moisture content was "perfect" by the stocker, then shaped and fit to my gun. After one year it had to be reinletted. The stocker figured the wood was in fact over dried along the way. I was never happy with the job and ended up selling it for a major loss. Lesson learned, good wood takes time and needs to age before use.
