cutting cherry trees down, possible gun stock blanks?

[robwelsh 354]

Any info off you guys who have done this before, would this wood be suitable to do a stock ? An the outcome? I wouldn't mind having a go if its worth while

[Phantom 631]

Cherry is a lovely wood, but unless you have a kiln to dry it, it will take a hell of a long time to dry to about 7% moisture for working with.

 

I've been tempted to knock on a door each time I go to the shop's as someone has a pile of mahogany laid on the grass doing nowt, A couple of pieces with a good bonding agent would save a fortune!

 

Tony

[robwelsh 354]

Nice one ton,but how would you know if its 7%dry lol the grein isn't the far out from the middle if you get me lol where could I get a kiln from to dry it out etc..I know there's a thread about diy stocks..but it doesny go to in depth an its about 100pages long lol

[Phantom 631]

A kiln to dry wood, would probably bankrupt you, what I should have said was "Access to a kiln" :oops:

 

You would need a specialist moisture meter to work out the moisture content.

7% is the usual accepted level for making furnature, carvings etc....

The problem with working with fresh wood, is that as it dries it's likely to warp or twist as it dries out and a high possibility of it splitting. If you really want to make a diy stock from it, leave it somewhere flat and dry (shed or even in a cupboard in the house) , but off the ground for a year or so.

 

Tony

[kanny 20,740]

You would have to get i planked by your local saw mill then as tony says it will need seasoning about 8 years should do it somwhere dry stacked and latted to allow airflow if after that time its still sound and hasnt shook then you will have some cracking stuff much more stable than kiln dried even.... dont forget to post a thred on the finished stock

Edited May 21, 2012 by kanny

[robwelsh 354]

f**k me, I might just use it as fire wood..bloody ell! Lol thanks anyway

[Lewis Ste 245]

My girlfriends dad sells logs during the winter so I help out when I'm not busy doing the log processes. The woods he uses are softwoods but I have noticed if they arnt dried properly the wood will simply crack especiallly the smaller trees due to the moister in the wood evaporating to quickly. I've offtern thought about having a go at making a stock but taking a cutting from one of the larger logs but as I said its a soft wood so would just get battered by every knock. I've asked my dad before as he's a joiner about making a custom stock and he said he would be able to I just haven't had a gun nice enough to need to make one. Maybe if I get an s200 il do it.

 

And you can buy a wood dryness tester from maplin stores that what my girlfriends dad uses to test the dryness of his logs

 

Lewis

[stealthy1 3,964]

If you have the patience to season the wood, it would make a nice stock, dont know if it would be hard enough though, cut your self a couple of straight peices and bung them in your shed until next winter, should be dry by then

[StevoSmith 147]

You can dry wood in oven at home on lowest setting for about 3-4 hours depending on size...if you look about on the net it will tell you how

[secretagentmole 1,701]

I want to see the oven in your house tthat can make a stutzen stock! Whole hog roast time! LOL!

 

Thing is even the simplest stock is too big for the average oven, unless you are making one for an S200! Pistol grips are a possibility though. Thinking about kilns, it might be worth having a word with local schools and colleges. Why? Pottery kilns! Pay them a fiver to bung it in when they have turned it off at the end of the day etc as long as it is about 100 degrees celcius when it is bunged in it should retain the heat for a good 4-6 hours! Should dry it nicely, get an entire stock or 8 in one of those!

[StevoSmith 147]

True mike...but if you had an Aga then happy days....i dont however lol....dunno if i would like the idea of wood in my oven though..just saying it can be done

[secretagentmole 1,701]

The pottery kiln idea will work though, the school makes money and the OP gets dried wood!

[Lewis Ste 245]

Iv just been speaking to my dad and he said it would be possible to do if the cut the tree down when on a table saw while it was still damp into the piece you would want to use then put it in the garage a left it I would probably be fine after afew months just as long as its got plenty of air and away from all water

[Phantom 631]

I certainly wouldn't use a pottery kiln!!! Even pro wood kilns rarely go above 30-40'c

A Pottery kiln would carbonise the wood as they run in the 100's to 1000's

Even in a pro wood drying kiln it takes several days to several weeks to dry the wood

 

If you are going to cut a block then air dry it, cut it well over sized because it will twist And a few months I would say is about right as long as you know that a 'few months' in air drying times can be from 12 to 36 months.

 

I went down the road yesterday to ask if I could have the Mahogony the guy had lying in his garden

He still had it but it was now under tonnes of soil in a skip

 

Moral? = "Don't procrastinate" GO FOR IT!!!

 

Tony

[secretagentmole 1,701]

Tony, I said put it in whilst cooling down, not running flat out, sheesh, put it into one running at full tilt and it will come out as kit form wood, glue atom a into atom b job.....