exotic hardwoods for use with rifle stocks
- Thread starter cody c
- Start date
deadeyes40
CGN Regular
- Location
- nova scotia
there was a truck driver who came into work a couple of times.he had some wood on his truck and for the life of me i cannot remember the name.it looks like mahogany but is lighter in weight and it doesn't float.i comes from south/central america.he was trying to get a supply of it for floors on the flatdeck trailers.there was place in halifax that was selling it.
Wrong Way
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Silvertip13
Regular
- Location
- Fort McMurray
Anyone use mesquite?
Wrong Way
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
OK.....as a pro woodworker specializing in exotics I gotta ask......What?
Purpleheart decking? Have you got a link or something I can look at? It just seems waaaay "out there"'considering what it costs.
Has anyone ever dealt with this company? http://www.exotic-woods.com/index.html
I'm thinking about making a new stock for my single shot 12 gauge, would this wood work?
http://www.exotic-woods.com/product.aspx?s=padauk
Has anyone made a gunstock out of teak before?
I'm thinking about making a new stock for my single shot 12 gauge, would this wood work?
http://www.exotic-woods.com/product.aspx?s=padauk
Has anyone made a gunstock out of teak before?
Teak would be a great stock. Didn't some of the LE from the asian theater have teak stocks? Find a old wooden water tower they are knocking down some of those were teak.
Wrong Way purpleheart was decking years ago when it was cheap garbage. Today it will be outta reach
Wrong Way purpleheart was decking years ago when it was cheap garbage. Today it will be outta reach
Wrong Way
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Padauk *STARTS* out that beautiful red/orange.....but within 6 months to a year (depending on UV exposure) it turns a muddy olive-brown. Avoid it (unless the brown is what you are after)
IMO if you want "Wow" factor for a stock, stop looking at exotics and start looking a figured domestics.
A stock made from Quilted Bigleaf Maple would be something else!
You can even take it a step further and dye it if you want to go super exotic looking.
Natural:
Light antique Cherry dye
Blue Dye
I too can't see purpleheart ipe or most other exotics being used as trailer decking. The cost of it would just be way out there.
More likely it is one of the new engineered wood products or "looks like" wood products. Especially if it won't float. There's only a couple or three natural woods that are so dense that they don't float.
Someone asked about mesquite. As I understand it mesquite is more of a bush than a tree and the pieces that can be harvested from it are not all that large. Fine for pistol grips and the like but not so great for a rifle stock.
Another thing to consider is that wood is never stable. It always moves with seasonal changes in humidity. Encasing it in "plastic" with a shiney multi coat varnish or lacquer finish can minimize this. But all finishes are pourous to some extent and so the wood moves a little. So a good rifle stock wood will be selected for reasonably straight grain around the action and barrel area so the stock does not warp with these seasonal changes enough or in the sort of direction that it would affect the rifle. This is one reason I gather that the serious bench rest guns have been done from fairly pedestrian straight grain maple then painted with quite non pourous automotive two part paints. And more recently I've seen benchrest guns with all metal aluminium stocks.
More likely it is one of the new engineered wood products or "looks like" wood products. Especially if it won't float. There's only a couple or three natural woods that are so dense that they don't float.
Someone asked about mesquite. As I understand it mesquite is more of a bush than a tree and the pieces that can be harvested from it are not all that large. Fine for pistol grips and the like but not so great for a rifle stock.
Another thing to consider is that wood is never stable. It always moves with seasonal changes in humidity. Encasing it in "plastic" with a shiney multi coat varnish or lacquer finish can minimize this. But all finishes are pourous to some extent and so the wood moves a little. So a good rifle stock wood will be selected for reasonably straight grain around the action and barrel area so the stock does not warp with these seasonal changes enough or in the sort of direction that it would affect the rifle. This is one reason I gather that the serious bench rest guns have been done from fairly pedestrian straight grain maple then painted with quite non pourous automotive two part paints. And more recently I've seen benchrest guns with all metal aluminium stocks.
reloader59
New member
- Location
- Coquitlam BC
You should watch that the wood you choose willl not make a very heavy stock. Also ,some woods like Cocobolo should not be inhaled while working with it . You can google more info about exotics .
I bumped into this old thread while doing some searches, I thought I would add some info to the thread as to my conclusion and what I learned with some of the wood I've worked with since starting this thread:
I ended up using zebra wood a couple years ago and Im happy with the results:
I am going to do a bit more shaping, I've taken enough criticism about the shape of the forend that Im going to make it a bit straighter, and I think Im gonna knock 3/8" length off at the butt and take some off the palm piece, it's a bit too much.
Anyways, here is what I learned:
The zebra wood turned out well, was fairly easy to work with, but you have to be aware of the grain when using a chisel, it really tends to gouge or chunk out material with the long grains, kind of like splitting cedar but its much harder. It's held up to safe dings and hasn't warped, it was also fairly good price wise, I would use it again, but I'm not sure I want two zebra wood stocked rifles.
Cocobolo: I used this for the palm and fore end, it's really hard, but fairly easy to work with, it seems to resist dents well, but the coating on it will tend to flake off where it was knocked, apparently because it is an oily wood, anyways, someone mentioned to give it a wipe down with acetone for a bit to pull the oils out before you coat it, otherwise it shows bangs as much as other woods.
Also, cocobolo is like working with cedar or green treated lumber, you will know when you get a splinter, and it's too heavy, and pricey, strong enough for end caps though.
Purple heart: Recently I did some shelving and countertop with a long purple heart plank I bought:
Purple heart is hard as heck, Im sure it would probably show less marks if I beat it with a hammer then our granite countertop, really, it's hard hard stuff and I honestly don't doubt that it would hold up to beating it with a hammer better then granite! It's also easily the worst wood I've ever worked with, building rifle stocks out of it may be some sort of punishment in hell, it is really that bad, and I will never suggest some build a stock out of it.
It is also heavy, it feels like twice as heavy as walnut, and the splinters are worse then cocobolo, cedar or green treated lumber, I spent many evenings running planks through the planer and quickly learned to wear welding gloves, went through many planer blades and that stuff would barely cut, had marginally more success with 36 grit and a belt sander, stay away from the stuff, and have some appreciation for those who work with it, it also chipped some end pieces kind of easily despite being so hard.
Finally: Box elder (Manitoba maple)
I cut a slab of this burl wood off a tree in the yard to clearance it for a fence and then realized what it was. Probably the prettiest wood I've had my hands on, it was as maple to work with, the only issue I had was that I didn't kiln or cure it long enough, and the butt stock warped a bit. It probably isn't as hard as walnut though not bad, but it is about the same weight or actually a bit lighter. Workability is fine and throw some tru oil on it and it is majestic to hold in your hands. If you can find some cured/dryed flame (or firey ) box elder to work with, it may be too pretty to take out of your safe, and although not as strong or common as maple or walnut, to me it is so much more interesting and fun to work with.
Have a search on the web for flame box elder, some really amazing stuff out there.
Currently I'm looking for more info on Baltic birch laminate, if it's fairly heavy and if there is a lighter alternative, any thoughts or input?
Regards,
Cody C.
I ended up using zebra wood a couple years ago and Im happy with the results:
I am going to do a bit more shaping, I've taken enough criticism about the shape of the forend that Im going to make it a bit straighter, and I think Im gonna knock 3/8" length off at the butt and take some off the palm piece, it's a bit too much.
Anyways, here is what I learned:
The zebra wood turned out well, was fairly easy to work with, but you have to be aware of the grain when using a chisel, it really tends to gouge or chunk out material with the long grains, kind of like splitting cedar but its much harder. It's held up to safe dings and hasn't warped, it was also fairly good price wise, I would use it again, but I'm not sure I want two zebra wood stocked rifles.
Cocobolo: I used this for the palm and fore end, it's really hard, but fairly easy to work with, it seems to resist dents well, but the coating on it will tend to flake off where it was knocked, apparently because it is an oily wood, anyways, someone mentioned to give it a wipe down with acetone for a bit to pull the oils out before you coat it, otherwise it shows bangs as much as other woods.
Also, cocobolo is like working with cedar or green treated lumber, you will know when you get a splinter, and it's too heavy, and pricey, strong enough for end caps though.
Purple heart: Recently I did some shelving and countertop with a long purple heart plank I bought:
Purple heart is hard as heck, Im sure it would probably show less marks if I beat it with a hammer then our granite countertop, really, it's hard hard stuff and I honestly don't doubt that it would hold up to beating it with a hammer better then granite! It's also easily the worst wood I've ever worked with, building rifle stocks out of it may be some sort of punishment in hell, it is really that bad, and I will never suggest some build a stock out of it.
It is also heavy, it feels like twice as heavy as walnut, and the splinters are worse then cocobolo, cedar or green treated lumber, I spent many evenings running planks through the planer and quickly learned to wear welding gloves, went through many planer blades and that stuff would barely cut, had marginally more success with 36 grit and a belt sander, stay away from the stuff, and have some appreciation for those who work with it, it also chipped some end pieces kind of easily despite being so hard.
Finally: Box elder (Manitoba maple)
I cut a slab of this burl wood off a tree in the yard to clearance it for a fence and then realized what it was. Probably the prettiest wood I've had my hands on, it was as maple to work with, the only issue I had was that I didn't kiln or cure it long enough, and the butt stock warped a bit. It probably isn't as hard as walnut though not bad, but it is about the same weight or actually a bit lighter. Workability is fine and throw some tru oil on it and it is majestic to hold in your hands. If you can find some cured/dryed flame (or firey ) box elder to work with, it may be too pretty to take out of your safe, and although not as strong or common as maple or walnut, to me it is so much more interesting and fun to work with.
Have a search on the web for flame box elder, some really amazing stuff out there.
Currently I'm looking for more info on Baltic birch laminate, if it's fairly heavy and if there is a lighter alternative, any thoughts or input?
Regards,
Cody C.
Last edited:
I've done a few gun related projects in zebrawood and the density is such that it is a great option for a rifle stock. It's in the same range of weight as maple or slightly lighter. It also works easily unlike your reported issues with the purpleheart.
