doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DIY Gunsmithing @ doublegunshop.com Concerning stock bending . . . .

. . . .it has been written that black walnut is the hardest to get to bend, and to hold that bend if successfully done, compared to other species, such as the thin-shelled walnuts. It has also been written that there is always the chance of wrist breakage when attempting a bend in that area.

My questions concerning this are:

(1) Is Turkish considered one of the easier species to bend and not spring back?

(2) Have also read that when done properly forceful pressure is unnecessary to get the wood to move, and that finger pressure is usually all that is necessary. Indeed, in videos I watched of Jack Rowe this looked to be the case. That being said, my question is about breakage. If finger/hand pressure is all that is needed to get the thin-shell walnut to bend ...... is it possible for the wood to begin moving easily with hand pressure then suddenly, and without warning, fracture during the actual bending, or when there is a breakage is it usually preceded by a noticeable resistance to bending?

I'm considering having a straight gripped Turkish double bent to increase the drop, and I'm trying to understand the risks as much as possible before deciding to plunge in, or not.

Thanks in advance for information from those that are actually involved in doing this procedure.

Hi Stan,

1) yes, that has been my experience. All wood will spring back, it is the amount of spring back that is tricky to judge. I find that thin shell does stay put reasonably well most of the time.

2) I have not had a stock crack when it moves easily. When I get to a place where the wood really starts to resist movement and I need more, I then contact the client and let him know that if I push farther the risk of breakage increases. I have had a few that I had to push much harder than I wanted too, never had one crack once the jig is set though.

On drop, the heel will need to move about 3 times as far(after spring back) as the comb, so to get an 1/8" of drop at the comb the heel will come down about 3/8". Drop is more difficult to bend than cast.

If you approach the job with realistic goals and use a bit of caution, you should be just fine.

Good luck!

Steve

Thanks, Steve. Exactly the information I needed.

At this point I will settle for any extra drop I can get.