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07-09-2013, 06:48 PM | #3 | ||||||
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Today I just cut a large burl (12" x 18") from a choke cherry tree. I've slabbed it to about 1" thick, and have wrapped the slabs in saran wrap prior to stickering them. Has anyone else ever done this to slow the drying and minimize cracking/checking?
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07-09-2013, 07:09 PM | #4 | ||||||
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John, I have never dealt with a burl cut into slabs, so I can't advise with any authority. I hope someone can. It seems to me you'd want the internal moisture to escape slowly. But you don't want to keep it trapped inside the plastic wrap. That's a sure path towards mold and other nasty stuff happening. I'd be more inclined to sticker UNwrapped slabs of your burl, and then maybe cover your stack with a large piece of plastic drop cloth, which I would remove for a couple of hours every day. Or maybe for a day every few days. The stickering is very important, because it lets air circulate all around the slabs. Then, pretty soon, I'd leave the stack uncovered but stickered in a sheltered environment--even if this was in a garage with wild temperature swings. If you can go right to a sheltered environment, I'd unwrap the slices and not even cover them at all. But I'd keep the stack stickered and weighed down. That's just what I would do. Other wood scroungers might have better methods. You've got a real potential treasure in that burl! I genuinely wish you the best with it.
I should also say that it's very important to look at your wood stash at least once a month for the first year, and re-stack it. When you do this, move your stickers slightly to one side or the other. The reason: If they are left in one place for a year, they can also trap moisture, and mold can begin to grow between the stickers and your prized wood burl. ...or your prized walnut gunstock blanks. You see what I mean. You don't want to unstack your stash five years from now and find cross-stripes of mold growing across your prized wood every ten inches. Monitor it faithfully and restack it once a month or so. The rule of thumb used to be one year of air drying for each inch of slab thickness. I frankly don't know how true this old axiom is. Drying environments are each so unique, I think we have to adjust our wood stashes according to our storage areas. You guys would not believe how much 30-year-old wood I have stacked up in the rafters of my garage, where it is subject to brutal temperature swings. It was thoroughly air dried before I stashed it there. I would NEVER have stashed green wood up there. I always bring it into the shop for a few weeks before using it. For that reason, I never have any problems with it. I should also state that I have re-inforced the roof trusses in my storage areas! |
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08-10-2013, 10:19 AM | #5 | ||||||
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here are some pictures of a 4 foot rough cut off the end of a 14 foo plank. dimensions are 2 1/2" X 7" x 4'. I want to verify what I have as I am no woodworker. My Father builds shutzen rifles etc and I may send some to him.
there is much more of this that may be available. I have yet to see the warehouse but am reliably told it is approx. seven years since cut and is sticker ed and in a dry place. I am going to go there and pick through it. I would aprreciate opinions. thanks |
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08-10-2013, 05:34 PM | #6 | ||||||
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Looks like you have some very nice figure in that one piece. That would be excellent in the buttons of a stock.
Anything that is highly figured, look for at least an area with some straight grain for the head and wrist area. Behind that, it doesn't matter. Quarter sawn is preferred over board sawn as it is stronger and less prone to warping as it dries. The larger the tree was to start with, the better off the blank will be. Looking at the grain on the ends will tell more.
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08-10-2013, 08:02 PM | #7 | ||||||
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Good layout trumps everything else. If it doesn't flow good through the wrist area it won't work. I prefer quartersawn because the figure is more consistent from side to side.
Here are some pictures of a circassian blank I sold on this forum not long ago. Notice the really nice grain flow on the top (3rd picture) and the flow on the bottom (4th picture) specifically in the wrist area. Also notice on the first two pictures (left and right sides) of the blank the grain flows directly into receiver dead on. From a structural standpoint this is about as good as it gets: PS. I bought a few nice looking blanks are few years ago that looked great from the sides (both sides). However it cut across the wrist at about a 30 degree angle. I ended up cutting them into forearm blanks. |
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08-10-2013, 08:24 PM | #8 | ||||||
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Thanks to both of you for your replys. I am learning a lot here. I used to send a lot of birds eye maple from vermont to my dad out west for stocks and still have a habit of keeping my eye out for nice wood. This cache caught my attention. I plan to go there in the coming weeks.
Thanks again. |
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08-11-2013, 06:54 AM | #9 | ||||||
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Depending on frame size, I think 2 1/2" thick is too thin for a Parker style double gun blank.
Last edited by ED J, MORGAN; 08-11-2013 at 06:56 AM.. Reason: add word |
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08-11-2013, 09:48 AM | #10 | ||||||
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2.5" thick is just fine for most any shotgun stock. As thin as 2" thick will usually work fine.
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