Mango Wood For Pistol, Rifle, or Musket Stocks?

Gorloff said:

Hello All. We have been cutting down a few of the Mango trees on our property here in the Philippines that interfere with our house construction project. So far we have been chopping them up for cooking wood, or fence posts for barb wire fence. ( termites do not seem to care for it ). We are planting new Mango trees around our fencing to replace the old barren ones that are coming down. I had not really given it much thought but Mango is a hard wood with a very tight grain, and am wondering if it might be suitable for M/L stocks. I looked at some furniture built with it online. ( Photo's attached. ) Mango finishes out to a light brown with oil or varnish, but seems to take a dark stain quite well. I do not know if the Spanish ever used it for stocks here because there was / is a multitude of other woods available for stocks, however I hate to see the wood go to waste if it can be used. What are your thoughts on this please. Regards, Dave

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Gorloff said:

Thanks for all the reply's. I think I will have a go at it. My workers return tomorrow, and I will see if we can get the trunks cut, or dried whichever comes first. There are curved upper roots that look like they might make good pistol stocks. The size, and length of the main taproot going down is amazing on these. Thanks Rupert for the helmet compliment. I wear them a lot here. When they get broken or saggy, I just pull out my spare. They are very light to wear, protect my head from low doorways, falling objects, ect. They are very cool to wear in this heat, and if you wet the inside often during the day it really cools the head off. Our coconut trees here are very tall, and a falling coconut destroyed one when it hit me on top, but the helmet protected my head. My neck was another matter. It hurt for months.

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Gorloff said:

Thanks for all the reply's. I think I will have a go at it. My workers return tomorrow, and I will see if we can get the trunks cut, or dried whichever comes first. There are curved upper roots that look like they might make good pistol stocks. The size, and length of the main taproot going down is amazing on these. Thanks Rupert for the helmet compliment. I wear them a lot here. When they get broken or saggy, I just pull out my spare. They are very light to wear, protect my head from low doorways, falling objects, ect. They are very cool to wear in this heat, and if you wet the inside often during the day it really cools the head off. Our coconut trees here are very tall, and a falling coconut destroyed one when it hit me on top, but the helmet protected my head. My neck was another matter. It hurt for months.

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Clark Badgett said:

If it’s a normal fruit wood type of wood it should work fine for stocks.

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Loja man said:

It makes beautiful knife handles! But it is used in a stabilized form. You would probably work it more like walnut. Wood database on mango, sugar maple, and walnut. Food for thought.

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Color/Appearance: Because of the spalting that is commonly present, the wood can be a kaleidoscope of colors. Under normal circumstances, heartwood is a golden brown, while other colors such as yellow and streaks of pink and/or black can also occur. Paler sapwood is not always clearly defined. Curly or mottled grain patterns are also common.

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Grain/Texture: Grain can be straight or interlocked. With a medium to coarse texture and good natural luster.

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Rot Resistance: Mango is rated anywhere from moderately durable to perishable. However, Mango is also susceptible to both fungal and insect attack.

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Workability: If interlocked or wild grain is present, tearout is common when machining. Reaction wood may also be present, which can shift as it is being sawed, potentially causing binding on the blade. Has a fairly high silica content, and will readily dull cutting edges. Glues and finishes well.

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Odor: No characteristic odor.

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Allergies/Toxicity: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, mango has been reported to cause skin irritation. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity

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Gorloff said:

More great info. Many thanks for the input. my guys are delayed a couple of more days on their return from Manila. I do not know of a kiln around here, Looks like they just lean it at an angle, and rotate it a lot. Rudyard. I am very sorry that I called you Rupert. It just stuck in my head because 50 years ago I worked with a fellow named Rupert Dorey from the Isle of Guernsey. I understand your feelings about West Africa. I loved the countryside, deserts, jungles, and plains there, but the people were pretty unpredictable. One does well to keep his opinions to himself there, smile a lot, keep close to other people, and watch his back. Yes, people there still hack each other up for the slightest reason, even for having the wrong tribal cuts on their faces. I have seen 2 tribes destroy a hospital in the Nigerian Delta that was built for them because of a tribal dispute. I have sat under a mango tree and watched a village destroyed by soldiers killing anything that moved because a sniper killed their officer. I have been to a slave market in Maradi even though slavery had been supposedly banned. One of my guys from Udah returned from his home upset because his cousin was murdered for meat, and his head, When some of the cooked meat was taken to the police for proof a few of the police were snacking on it while doing the paperwork. I was offered an old U.S. 1816 Musket over there that was in very sad shape, but guns there are banned, and I feared problems with the police. They arrest animals sometimes there because they believe they are a crime suspect that changed himself into a critter to get away, then lock it up pending trial. No more Africa for me. I like Asia much better if I must be outside the U.S.. The only thing I miss was a woman in Lagos I saw one a month, and gave money to. She had no arms, and was trying to raise a baby. Her arms had been quickly removed during her rape. GOD BLESS AMERICA! God bless the U.K., God bless Austraila, New Zeeland, The Philippines, ect. We need to remember how blessed we are to live in the more free, and civilized countries of the world..... Amen.

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