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In 1974 I purchased a maple log from a sawmill which was 10 feet long and 28 to 30 inches wide. I asked them to saw it into 3" thick planks. I then sawed the 10-foot planks into 5-foot lengths for ease of handling and air drying. After the 3 + years of air drying the original 3" thick planks lost a little more than 1/8" of thickness. Moral of the story is that I SHOULD have had the sawmill cut the log into 2-1/2" or 2-3/4" inch planks. I would not have lost / wasted so much good wood in the form of chips / sawdust:doh:

I learned my lesson and in 1996 I purchased a walnut log and had the sawmill cut it into 2-1/2" planks. I ended up with a LOT less waste.:thumb:
 
In 1974 I purchased a maple log from a sawmill which was 10 feet long and 28 to 30 inches wide. I asked them to saw it into 3" thick planks. I then sawed the 10-foot planks into 5-foot lengths for ease of handling and air drying. After the 3 + years of air drying the original 3" thick planks lost a little more than 1/8" of thickness. Moral of the story is that I SHOULD have had the sawmill cut the log into 2-1/2" or 2-3/4" inch planks. I would not have lost / wasted so much good wood in the form of chips / sawdust:doh:

I learned my lesson and in 1996 I purchased a walnut log and had the sawmill cut it into 2-1/2" planks. I ended up with a LOT less waste.:thumb:
5’ is cutting it short for a Longrifle.
 
Maybe for the ones you build:dunno: but not for me.:ghostly::ThankYou:
3EAFABCF-F45B-4208-A876-67E609335FCD.jpeg


My 44 inch barreled rifles come in right at 5’. This ‘48inch barreled rifle blank is 5’6”
46” barreled rifle comes in at 5’3”.

‘5 would be perfect for a “42 barrel and a 44 is doable if the ends are good.

It’s all a judgement call in what you get out of a log. Barrels longer than 42” are less common, longer than 44” more so.
 
I have avoided doing anything to speed up drying. In my mild climate the wood checks plenty already. I use varnish to seal the ends well. IF the wood is already dry, when I get it, I cover all surfaces. Check your stash periodically and give it more coats if it is starting to check.
 
I keep my wood supply in a closet in the house. I live in CA between San Jose and Montrey. The maple planks were cut at a sawmill in NJ and were sealed on the ends with wax back in 1974. The walnut planks were harvested from a farm in Easton PA and were kiln dried for 3 months then air dried in my house back in NJ in 1996 nothing was applied to their ends. When I was transferred from NJ to CA in 1998 I bought this wood with me. The other stock blanks have come from stock wood suppliers online and came with some latex paint on their ends. The only checking that I have noticed in any of this wood were the maple planks from the 1974 NJ lot. End checking/cracking depends a lot on the moisture content in the wood at the time the wood was harvested and how it was dried- my opinion.:dunno:
My Wood 2.JPG
 
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