Grade 1&2 hard maple blanks for projects.

[Eterry]

In a time of financial depression (mine) I bought 3 full length hard maple blanks from Dunlap's. Had them a few years.

The old man who guided me thru my Early Lancaster build says he wouldn't waste his time carving a stock from a plain blank.

Im wanting to build a LH Fowler, I have most of the pieces.

What say you builders about using a plain blank to build a nice piece. I understand it won't be museum quality, i'm looking for a working man's Fowler.

Thanks.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Plain wood is actually BETTER for guns that are getting extensive inlays and carving. First of all it's easier to work with. No pesky grain running this way and that. Secondly, the lack of grain will not distract from the embellishments, and the viewer's attention. If you want to later, you can put some faux stripes in there to simulate them. Thirdly, the lack of grain will probably make it stronger (if it's running the right way) and less likely to break. Maple being a closed grain wood doesn't soak up stains and show of the grain all that much anyway. It's the curl that everybody tends to go ga-ga over. That's what shows most.

Walnut on the other hand is a different story that way. It's a more open grained wood, so shows its' figure with stains. The English were't all that big on intricate carving after about 1770 or so, (engraving was their bag there) so their finer (walnut) guns depended on the figure in the wood for their "wow factors".

For a "working man's working gun", why not make it with what you have? In addition to that, Fowlers (generally) didn't get the embellishments (or fancy wood) that rifles seemed to get. Maybe because they got knocked around more than rifles (boats). I know my (modern) shotguns seem to take more hits than my (modern) rifles for that reason.

 

[Eterry]

That's a reasonable response, thanks Col.

Anyone else want to ring in?

 

[rich pierce]

My original Lancaster smooth rifle. Plain as oatmeal. But it seems to have lasted from about 1780 till now.

 

[martin9]

Some of the finest guns I've seen were from plain wood. Allen Martin has one of his site the swiss/lancaster of his is made of plain maple....also look up the Pratt/ Gahagan collaboration gun. Stunning gun but the wood is plain as can be. I just built a gun out of hickory....it's plain and kinda ugly wood honestly....I'm loving it.:>)

 

[Eterry]

My original Lancaster smooth rifle. Plain as oatmeal. But it seems to have lasted from about 1780 till now. View attachment 62593View attachment 62594View attachment 62595View attachment 62596

I like oatmeal with brown sugar and cinnamon... lol.
Rich, That's one of those guns you look at and say... if only it could tell of the hunts its seen and the times it's been called upon to defend home and hearth.

 

[solitare1340]

Judging by your avatar, not only will it be a working mans fowler, it will be a traveling mans Fowler as well. Good luck brother!

 

[Patch]

The grading system for wood is just a way to sucker new builders out of money. As somebody already mentioned, figure also makes the blank weaker and harder to work with.

The characteristics you want to look for in a blank are a hard, dense board with perfect grain flow* through the wrist. Tight inlets and proper architecture are what makes a rifle look nice, everything else is window dressing.


*For newer builders, you can look at a board and see lines that run generically down the length of the board. You want the lines to flow cleanly from the stock to lock mortise area, if those lines swoop up or down towards the edges of the wrist area then that is run out and since the wrist is the weakest part of the rifle it will cause a fracture later on down the road. In a ramrod, run out typically presents itself as half moon patterns running down the length, these should also be avoided as that is where they'll fracture in the future.