Brazilian Hardwood Rifle Stock?

[Loja man]

I built a rifle with Bolivian Rosewood that was imported in 1957. While working it was a red color with black streaks running the length of the wood. I never found a finish that would harden on it so it's just bare polished wood now. After the first year it turned black. The color can be seen in direct sunlight. The rifle is heavy at sixteen pounds and that's what I wanted.

I love the color of Bolivian rosewood!!! This is a knife handle I used it on! The wood it will s sitting on is Bolivian Lignum Vitae wood.

 

[Brokennock]

I built a rifle with Bolivian Rosewood that was imported in 1957. While working it was a red color with black streaks running the length of the wood. I never found a finish that would harden on it so it's just bare polished wood now. After the first year it turned black. The color can be seen in direct sunlight. The rifle is heavy at sixteen pounds and that's what I wanted.

Yeah, it's too oily for most finishes. I've had some success with Goddard's Fine Furniture Wax.

 

[Ames]

I used Ipe leftover decking for the floor of my root cellar. P.T. sleepers leveled into the dirt, Ipe on top with stainless screws. Seems indestructible.
Years latter I found another use for it. I designed a bean thrashing machine for dry beans on my farm. A cedar cart with wooden wagon wheels, and a Jim Beam whiskey barrel let into the top. Powered by an electric motor is a go cart axle in pillow block bearings. On the axle are 8 Ipe propellers that beat the beans out of the pods. Trap door under the barrel releases the pods to buckets for winnowing.
The whole thing lives in the barn year round. With all the temp and humidity changes, and only 3/16ths clearances, nothing has ever warped to a noticeable point of having to go back into it for adjustments. Seems very stable once totaly dry.
I HAVE seen some real ******s that took shape before they were sold though.

 

[Colonial Boy]

Ames,
Now that’s a work of art, love the barn wall (around here it’d be corrugated iron) also the basket.

 

[Ames]

Thanks. Most are wood up here. Mine is 1840 and 8000 sq. feet. Good for hanging up the garlic and drying down the onions.
Its where I store the Ipe as well. That stuff is very heavy!

 

[Brokennock]

I used Ipe leftover decking for the floor of my root cellar. P.T. sleepers leveled into the dirt, Ipe on top with stainless screws. Seems indestructible.
Years latter I found another use for it. I designed a bean thrashing machine for dry beans on my farm. A cedar cart with wooden wagon wheels, and a Jim Beam whiskey barrel let into the top. Powered by an electric motor is a go cart axle in pillow block bearings. On the axle are 8 Ipe propellers that beat the beans out of the pods. Trap door under the barrel releases the pods to buckets for winnowing.
The whole thing lives in the barn year round. With all the temp and humidity changes, and only 3/16ths clearances, nothing has ever warped to a noticeable point of having to go back into it for adjustments. Seems very stable once totaly dry.
I HAVE seen some real ******s that took shape before they were sold though.

That is fantastic. Great ingenuity, and a piece of functional art.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I have a friend and fellow bow maker that tried IPE, this wood has toxicity that rivals walnut. My friend made one cut into the wood and passed out cold from breathing the dust, he had a high sensitivity to its toxic properties.

 

[Kmcmichael]

There are some regulations regarding Brazilian rosewood. Martin using it on standard guitars in the early 70s.

 

[toadboy65]

My first rifle build was a full stock long rifle that I built with a piece of lumber that I bought in Brazil. I don't know the species, which was not an issue at the time. I bought it because it was pretty, big enough, and had very straight grain, which was important since I was not going to use power tools.
I was working on a ship that went down the East coast of SA regularly, so I could bring back whatever I wanted to. I brought back what seemed at the time to be a lot of wood, but I wish I had brought ten times as much.
That was, I guess, 1986. I built it for my Dad, but it is mine now, and my favorite ML rifle. The wood is much darker than walnut, fairly heavy, and waxy enough that it polishes up nicely without needing an applied finish. Probably some type of rosewood.
The rifle I am referring to is pretty heavy, but it with a very long barrel, it was going to be so even if the stock was spruce. In fact, to get the balance point where I wanted it, the butt plate is 1/4" bronze.

Some of those exotic woods are sort of brittle, most are quite heavy, and as others here have mentioned, the dust can sometimes be very nasty.

 

[Rifleman1776]

There are some regulations regarding Brazilian rosewood. Martin using it on standard guitars in the early 70s.

You are right. BUT, from a good authority, I have learned the restrictions on exporting exotic woods from South America are violated constantly. Only experts can tell some woods from others.

 

[bldtrailer]

Ok NOT a flintlock stock but it is Brazilian rosewood

 

[Jim Wag]

I know
A guy
Who turns bowels from
Arizona Rosewood
He gets it from
Arizona

Anyone have experience working with
Arizona Rosewood?

Jim in La Luz

 

[Stykbow]

My first rifle build was a full stock long rifle that I built with a piece of lumber that I bought in Brazil. I don't know the species, which was not an issue at the time. I bought it because it was pretty, big enough, and had very straight grain, which was important since I was not going to use power tools.
I was working on a ship that went down the East coast of SA regularly, so I could bring back whatever I wanted to. I brought back what seemed at the time to be a lot of wood, but I wish I had brought ten times as much.
That was, I guess, 1986. I built it for my Dad, but it is mine now, and my favorite ML rifle. The wood is much darker than walnut, fairly heavy, and waxy enough that it polishes up nicely without needing an applied finish. Probably some type of rosewood.
The rifle I am referring to is pretty heavy, but it with a very long barrel, it was going to be so even if the stock was spruce. In fact, to get the balance point where I wanted it, the butt plate is 1/4" bronze.

Some of those exotic woods are sort of brittle, most are quite heavy, and as others here have mentioned, the dust can sometimes be very nasty.

Any chance we could get some pics of the rifle you built? I’d love to see it.

 

[thompson50]

An ipe stocked rifle would be WAY too heavy.
But, with the right piece of ipe, nearly indestructible.
The one ipe bow I managed to break, broke badly. All the others were very plain looking, this piece of wood had beautiful figure in one section, so tried to make that the handle and riser section of a slightly more modern style flat bow. During tillering that handle and riser just let go breaking into all sorts of funky shapes.

My bow and arrow building friend and hunting partner built me a ramrod out of some scrap ipe. Rugged is a understatement! I agree with you that a stock would weight to much for a hunting rifle.