Cherry Stock?

[Walks with fire]

I have a section of Black Cherry log that is about 18" diameter and long enough for a stock. Can this be air dried and then make a stock out of it? Is Black Cherry a good wood for a stock? How does the weight compare to other woods? Is Black Cherry easy or harder to work than other woods? Should a larger log be selected for use? Thanks mossie

 

[Swampman]

It makes a nice stock, it's normally very plain.

 

:grin: Cherry makes a very pretty stock, I have done several. Cherry is impregnated with oxolic acid crystals and dulls chisels like everything, it is quite brash and can break easily, so plan the wrist carefully.when staining use scraps to get your color first. The stock will be very plain but properly finished can be a thing of beauty. Bob

 

[LSU TIGER]

You had better give that thing to me so I can make sure it'll work for you! :rotf: :blah: :rotf:

 

[Swampman]

If it were quarter sawn, it might have some grain to it.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Some cherry has flames and swirls, also. It's not so much in the grain, but in the mineralization of the wood, I guess. Mine had greens and yellows and come curl/stripe to it.

 

[Stophel]

I am dubious as to whether an 18" dia. log is large enough to produce good enough quality wood for a gunstock...

 

[Ed Blake]

18" should be big enough, but you may not get as much usable wood as you might think because of sapwood. Cherry sometimes has thick sapwood making usable heartwood negligable. I have seen cured sapwood treated with a lye wash that darkened it so you could not tell the difference between it and heartwood. The downside is the sapwood is a bit softer, in my experience. Oh, and paint the ends of the logs before you have it milled. I just finished a cherry mountain rifle for my son and the lye water stain turned a beautiful red color.

 

[Walks with fire]

I also have a piece of hard maple in log form to be used for a stock. What I need to know is how to proceed to dry this wood to make a stock from it. Should I rough cut the log and let it air dry or air dry the whole log section or what? I just don't know how to proceed. I don't know where to find information on this subject. Should I dry it slowly in plasic wrap or paper or rough cut the stock pattern and kiln dry it? Any help is appreciated. I just want to make a muzzleloader from scratch with a piece of wood from my property. I just don't want the wood to crack because it was not done correctly. I will be doing some experimenting with green wood before I try to make the stock for the rifle. I need someone to point me in the right direction as far as how to prepare the wood. I don't care if I have to wait a couple of years for air drying it.

 

[theDuck]

Keep it away from a kiln for at least a year. I had some cherry cut into stock blank size planks. I took them to the kiln after a couple of months. They came out warped and split. The kiln guy said they must have been fresh cut and all fresh cut lumber doesn't take kindly to kiln drying. They have to be air dried at least a year. (Ever notice it's hard to get straight lumber to build with?)
I'd paint the log ends with latex paint a few times and then have it sawn. By having it sawn you at least know what you have to work with and it should speed up drying. You aren't drying wood that will be scrap. Air dry at least a year per inch of thickness. Or, after a year have it kiln dried if you are in a rush. I've heard of board ends dipped in wax to seal them but that may be unwieldy to do.
Just my limited experience and $.02 worth

 

[Cherokee]

I would put it in a shed or somewhere suitable like that and store it on a flat shelf with more flat lumber on it and maybe some weight let it set a year or more according tot he conditions of the shed.
I always liked fruit wood.
I never can find a cherry stock at a price I can afford. Usually they show it listed for a kit but its right hand and IM a lefty or its available but not inlet for a left handed lock.
I know I would screw that up haha

 

[Bolink654]

Were I work, we make 'striking' tool handles. Hammers, axes, picks, ect. All hickory. We spray some type of melted wax on the end of it all before it goes into the kiln. However, I dont know how long they are dried before we get them, and the wax surely isnt plain wax, I dont think.
Still, probably one out of 100 or so come out split, warped, ect. They are rough sawn, waxed, kilned, then lathed. Its somethin that a peice of wood on the bottom of a stack that weighs probably a few tons can warp and lift the weight of everything on top of it.

 

[benvenuto]

yeah, Johnson Wax make a spray on product for seasoning timber. forget the name but its pretty commonly available. friend of mine uses PVA glue mixed 50:50 with water.

 

[Bartek]

Cherry (and another fruit trees) was one of favorite woods for gun stocks in central Europe in XVI-XVIII centurys. The reason was - fruit woods take good stain. In XIX century in Germany, France and Poland many furniturs was made from pear wood for example. It was very easy to stain it and make imitation of exotic wood like ebony wood, what was most wanted in "Bieden-Mayer style" of furniture, very popular between German and French bourgeousie.
You will have great stock from that cherry.
bartek

 

[Ed Blake]

As others have said, paint the end with latex paint, and have it sawn at a mill at least 3" thick. It will shrink probably 1/8" to 1/4" at least. Wherever you store it, shed or otherwise, cover it with a tarp so it does not dry too quickly. The wood will have a tendency to warp, or check (split) if dried too quickly. If you have several to stack place spacers between the planks to ensure air circulation. I have also heard that quarter-sawn wood does not warp as easily, but I cannot comment on this personally.

 

[Russianblood]

well i cant believe how many armchair woodworkers are giving advice its great .just remember what one of the last responce said .you will only need 3to4 inches to work with so you should have enough wood for more than one stock! and you really shoul let your local mill cut and evaluate the grain before you do anything theirs always good and not so good sections of wood .

 

[Eric Krewson]

I cut a lot of osage wood for bows and start the drying process in a crawl space under my house which is enclosed with central heating ducts running through it. Wood placed there dries slowly and stops at 16%MC. I then move it to my shop for a few months and then to my drying box. I always coat the ends and sapwood side with 3 or 4 coats of shellac to prevent splitting.

Ironically, I just walked in from my 4 acres of woods and found a huge limb broken from the top of a very large cherry tree. It has the right bend just where the wrist should be so after lunch I am going to cut a stock size piece of it and drag it out with my 4 wheeler. I have a large enough bandsaw to reduce what I retrieve down to a stock blank.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Well, cut the limb up, might have made a stock blank if it hadn't been for that 6" long piece of rotten, punky limb that had been grown over by solid wood right in the bend.

 

[Roy]

Thats to bad Eric, maybe next time. :thumbsup: