Great Advice

[stinkyfeet]

So a guy ask me "Hey wheres a good place to find curly maple for a Kentucky rifle" I replied I am guessing a maple tree from the state of Kentucky. I get told I don't know anything.. I thought the answer was spot on, I guess not..

 

[cynthialee]

:rotf:


:slap:

 

[mooman76]

Sounds like a logical answer to me! :rotf: or don't they have maple trees in Kentucky?

 

[azmntman]

Chinese curly maple? :haha:

 

[Stumpkiller]

Kentucky rifles used Pennsylvania sugar maple - from around where they were made. ;-)

aka hard maple, rock maple, hard rock maole, etc. Quarter-saw it and you get striped maple.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Ye answer makes sense to me. :thumbsup:
But, curly maple is a freak of nature. Some trees are curly, some ain't. (usually) a tree that will produce curly wood can't be told from one that won't. However, some folks claim they can tell by looking at the treel. It is kinda like water witching. Cain't be done but some do it. :youcrazy:

 

[crockett]

The looking at the tree thing- that may be lumberjacks, etc that want straight grained wood to split. Now, nothing is etched in stone but the idea was to look at the bark, if the bark ran straight up the tree the notion was you would get straight grained wood. I don't think that applied to curly maple since the curl is a cross grain and not the grain itself but I could be wrong- not sure.

 

[Flint311]

Sometimes you can see the bark looks wavy, mostly at the stump. Look for trees that stood alone in a windy area, where they would sway in the wind. Have seen this in a large Cherry tree too.

 

[stinkyfeet]

The looking at the tree thing- that may be lumberjacks, etc that want straight grained wood to split. Now, nothing is etched in stone but the idea was to look at the bark, if the bark ran straight up the tree the notion was you would get straight grained wood. I don't think that applied to curly maple since the curl is a cross grain and not the grain itself but I could be wrong- not sure.

I always thought lumberjacks cut its all down regardless. :idunno:

 

[ohio ramrod]

It is my belief that wood gets "curly" or "burled" by growing where it is exposed to constant winds and swaying. I have found curly maple, ash, oak, cherry, and burly walnut. all from trees that grew along the edge of a woods or in a woods on a steep hillside. Birdseye maple can be spotted from the bark. A tree that has good birdsye looks horrible . The bark has a constant string of random "humps" and burls sticking out of the sides. But the wood inside is a thing of beauty! :hmm:

 

[George T.]

As usual you can learn all kinds of stuff here!

Geo. T.