I can't recall ever having seen or heard of a stock made of oak. Is this because I dont get out much or is there something about oak that makes it less than desirable for stock wood. I am going to be making a stock for my buddie's contender, and I have oak and maple laying around, so I was wondering what to use. Have used walnut before and prefer to use it, but dont have any on hand.
Stock wood
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Wrong Way
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Oak has been used in the past....take a look in the general firearms discussion area for the thread titled "what is/was this?"
The main reasons oak is not used are these: Unlike maple, walnut, cherry, etc. which have a tight grain structure, oak has a VERY open pored grain structure. This makes it accept moisture more readily than the tight grained woods. It is also extremely difficult to get a smooth finish because it takes so much pore-filling. Red oak particularily is quite unstable as well, with seasonal expansion cycles nearing 1% (hard maple is about .05%)
Maple would be a much better choice, and if you colour it with an aneline dye you can make it mimic walnut very closely.
The main reasons oak is not used are these: Unlike maple, walnut, cherry, etc. which have a tight grain structure, oak has a VERY open pored grain structure. This makes it accept moisture more readily than the tight grained woods. It is also extremely difficult to get a smooth finish because it takes so much pore-filling. Red oak particularily is quite unstable as well, with seasonal expansion cycles nearing 1% (hard maple is about .05%)
Maple would be a much better choice, and if you colour it with an aneline dye you can make it mimic walnut very closely.
Wrong Way said:
And I was taught there are two maples... soft rock maple and hard rock maple... the soft rock is not as suitable for gunstocks as the hard rock... don't ask me how to tell the difference, I rely on a stock supplier not a lumberyard.
Wrong Way
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
guntech said:
Actually there are seven
But yes, the most common divisions are hard (or "rock") maple, most commonly known as "Sugar maple" (where maple syrup comes from) and "Soft" maple, the most commonly harvested variety being "Manitoba maple". Soft maple tends to be white, with little grain definition, but can show gret figure. Hard maple tends to be more cream coloured with defined brown grain lines.
Hard maple is the one to go with on a stock!
RifleDude said:
Yup, I will second that! Inletting was a real bear, to the point where I had it collecting dust on the bench long enough to sell the whole project as a parts gun.
If I can't win, I don't want to play!
I don't know what it is but I really like the look of the Olive wood, the grain is somewhat similar to the really exotic circassian walnuts.
Not sure of it's strength or cost.
"...what exactly is wrong with that?..." Picking up women with a firearm is called kidnapping. It's frowned upon.
"...a stock for my buddie's contender..." Oak is too heavy for anything but furniture and ships of the line. And one or the other of red and white oak, I can never remember which, splits as it dries. Use the maple if it's the right kind of maple and already seasoned.
"...a stock for my buddie's contender..." Oak is too heavy for anything but furniture and ships of the line. And one or the other of red and white oak, I can never remember which, splits as it dries. Use the maple if it's the right kind of maple and already seasoned.
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Wrong Way said:Actually there are seven
But yes, the most common divisions are hard (or "rock") maple, most commonly known as "Sugar maple" (where maple syrup comes from) and "Soft" maple, the most commonly harvested variety being "Manitoba maple". Soft maple tends to be white, with little grain definition, but can show gret figure. Hard maple tends to be more cream coloured with defined brown grain lines.
Hard maple is the one to go with on a stock!
actually there are a lot more then 7 types of maple. its just some are more common then others.
there are several different oaks as well but, maple, birch, beech, tend to make better stocks.
