Question for the Wood Guys here??

[smo]

I found a Black Cherry tree down on my place,it was pushed over during some Timber cutting this past Spring.My questions are (1)Would it be best to cut the log into 6 foot long sections and let it cure as a log or would it be better to have it cut into slabs? (2) Is a 12" dia. log big enough to work with and worth the effort of curing out? I would like to make a couple of stock blanks from the tree if possible. :idunno:

 

[F.G. Ford]

Hello SMO,
A 12" cherry is marginal in size for rifle stock.
You would have to cut through the center of the log to get maximum width of plank.
Although the core ( center) is solid and ok, it does lack quality of grain.
The cost of sawing the log is quite minimal, so there is no great loss.
However the wood will dry much better if it is rough cut 2 1/2 inches thick, sealed at both ends of the plank with a wood sealer.
Auto-transmission oil and bees wax mix makes a good wood sealer, and helps the wood from checking ( cracks ) at plank's end. At least two good coats of oil/wax mix.
Lay the plank flat with weight on it in your attic for one year ( at least ) Turn the plank over at least once during the year, for best results. Good luck!
Fred

 

[Rifleman1776]

Definitely needs to be split to relieve stresses and allow proper drying. Ends should be sealed. I use Anchorseal but other products are claimed to do as well. Cut, at least, 4" longer than you anticipate the stock to be. Even sealed there will be end checking, go a full foot if you can.
But, as said, the halves are, possibly, going to be too small for a rifle stock. The center (pith) should not be considered for a stock. Some trees it might be OK but often not. Good luck.

 

[Robby]

Smo, I would cut or have it cut as far away from the pith as possible and still get a blank. Around here the pith is left as a 4x4 when the log is milled up and called the cant, probably because it can't be used for anything but dunnage for pallet skids. Depending on the type of gun you plan on making, 2-1/2" thick down to 2-1/8" maybe, but its going to be close either way. seal and stack as advised. Good luck!!
Robby

 

Just curious... why can't the pith be used?

 

[Robby]

It is more subject to humidity due to its being a little spongier and will warp, twist, and check at a much higher rate, taking any good wood still attached to it, with it.
Robby

 

[jdkerstetter]

Personally, I would go 3", at least on a couple blanks, as it gives you more options and you can always make thick slabs thinner, but you can't put wood back. 2 1/2" is fine for the average longrifle but if there is a Cherry fowler in your future you will likely want to go thicker.

Now, I'm no lumber expert but I thought the rule of thumb for drying lumber was "One year for every inch thickness".

I do agree that you probably won't get much yield from a 12" tree, if any. Draw out a 12" circle and see how many boards you can get that are 2.5 or 3" x 8 or 10" to take into account butt height and drop. Then there's grain orientation to contend with.

Good luck, J.D.

 

[Robby]

jd, This is an early Moravian type gun made from a maple blank I had milled out of the log. It measured about 2-1/4 thick rough cut, and air dried with the help of a dehumidifier after the first year. The butt cap is just under 2" wide, cast off is about 1/4". With careful layout and a thoughtful approach they don't need to be that thick.

With a diameter that small and at that length, two blanks maybe, two feet longer and maybe four blanks. maybe is the operative word.
Robby

 

[jdkerstetter]

I'm with ya Robby. Most blanks run the about 2 3/8" to 2 1/2". I'd just like to have more room laying out an early, big butt fowler with a thick breech. :wink:

It would have to be some kind of sentimental tree for me to go through all the cost, time and work involved with trying to reclaim a blank from it. That time could be spent building guns. But then I have a guy right down the road with buildings full of stock wood, dried and ready to go.

Enjoy, J.D.

 

[Robby]

Well, there is some time and sweat equity involved, but to me it is payed back tenfold with a feeling of satisfaction. Knowing the quality of the log before it was cut up, I figure I've got the cost of two stocks of probably lesser quality of curl tied up in it. I ended up with more high quality stocks, half stocks, and pistol stocks than I can possibly do, not to mention hawk handles, turkey calls, banging sticks, and enough wood to make some real fancy shooting boxes. No regrets here. :grin:
Robby

 

[jdkerstetter]

Maybe later, but right now time is too precious. I think you know what I mean. Enjoy, J.D.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Cut your log as long as you can. If you cut it to 6' you won't have enough wiggle room to avoid the flaws you are sure to encounter.

I have been cutting out marginal blanks out of a dead tree from the tornadoes. My first log was 6'long. After seeing how I needed to move my pattern around to get good wood and miss rotten knots and embedded dead limbs I made my next log 8'.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I thought the rule of thumb for drying lumber was "One year for every inch thickness".

That is the rule of thumb. But, in my experience, it is unreliable. Many (most?) woods dry very well in much less time than that. A lot depends on climate/humidity and how stored. Indoors, stacked and stickered so air circulates is important. Type of wood, when harvested, Venus in the house of the Moon at the right time, etc. makes yer milage vary.

 

[smo]

Thanks for the the reply Guys. :thumbsup: I think I can get 2 sections that are 8 feet long if i'm lucky, I am concerned about the grain as noted.The tree is a very straight tree and if I play my cards right I may get 4 planks 8 foot long by 6 to 8 inches wide. Two from either side of the pith. :idunno: I guess I will make a trip to the saw mill and ask about having them cut. Thanks again :hatsoff: I got some huge Beech trees on the ground as well. :grin:

 

[rich pierce]

Beech can check quickly so if possible seal the ends as soon as you can. I'll need a beech blank for a Carolina gun someday, so keep me in mind.

 

[talkingamoeba]

Just curious... why can't the pith be used?

The heart, being the first wood put on, will have knots from any of the first branches that grew. The number and distance into the outer wood depends entirely on amount of shade the tree had when it started growing. The more light, the longer the lower limbs stay living, and the bigger and deeper the heart knots will be. Trees started in the right amount of shade stretch up quicker and the lower limbs die off quicker leaving fewer and smaller knots in the heart of the butt log, and results in some butt logs, depending on specie, being wholly usable. Cherry can put out a bunch of small limbs early on and the heart is more prone to knots because of that.

 

[Col. Batguano]

What is the rule of thumb for sugar maple regarding heart wood to sap wood ratio? Center 1/3 will be heart wood, so for a typical LR, you'll need a 24+" diameter tree to get 8 clear inches a side?

 

[jdkerstetter]

All depends on how it's sawn. You are basically correct if it is quarter or riftsawn, but flat/slab sawn will yeild more useable wood and is perfectly acceptable for gun stocks.

Enjoy, J.D.

 

[Col. Batguano]

but it's the quarter sawn stuff that yields the most curly figure isn't it?

 

[jdkerstetter]

I'm no expert on this and perfer to buy my blanks cut for me so I can see everything, but as I understand it, if there is curl, quarter sawn should lay it out more on the sides of the blank. With flat/slab sawn it will be more on the top and bottom.

When shaping the stock you will still get curl as the surfaces taper up toward the top line and down toward the bottom. It may be more regular in quarter sawn.

Each tree, and the wood it yields, is different. Curl is only on consideration when building guns and the blanks should be layed out to offer maximum strength...especially through the wrist and lock area.

Enjoy, J.D.