width of stock blank

[MadscoutB5]

My neighbor a few houses down has a maple tree that was just split by weather and a large portion of the trunk broke clean off. The chunk went clear down to ground level and is a good 40+" in diameter at its narrowest point.

On taking a closer look at it while walking the pooch (it's right next to the road so no trespassing ) , I can see that the piece has what looks to be some great tiger striping/curl in the grain - at least to my uneducated eye . I'm trying to get in touch with said neighbor to see if he is willing to part with it as it's just been laying there on his lawn for a couple of weeks. If so, I wonder if it could be a great piece of lumber from which to cut some stock blanks.

My questions for everyone are:
1. Has it been sitting out in the elements too long?

2. If I procure said 'log', what's the proper width of a stock blank for a Pennsylvania rifle build project? :idunno:

Thanks for reading.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Most blanks we get from places like Dunlaps or Tiger Hunt a re about 2 1/2"-3" thick, and planed to that thickness. to be safe, I would chain saw your logs in to boards to be thicker than that 4" would be a good start. Then seal the ends really good and let it rest for a few years. One year per inch is a good rule of thumb. Then you can take it down to a safer dimension (maybe 3") and let that too rest a couple of months. A lot of times (particularly with highly figured wood) there are internal stresses and tensions in the wood that don't reveal themselves until other wood is removed. If you have ever ripped a board on your table saw and not been able to get the two halves to mate tightly back together without pressure you know exactly what I'm talking about.

 

[Gustavo Hoefs]

This sounds like good fortune dropped right in your lap hurry up and get the log. Quarter sawn is the way to cut if you want stripes to show.

 

[Col. Batguano]

You're going to be limited in doing quarter sawing by the darker center heart wood. That is softer and generally not preferred in maple lumber. The heart wood varies from 25%-40% of the total diameter of the tree. With a 30" diameter tree, you might have enough wood to do it fully quarter sawn, and then again you might not. You really won't know for sure until you start slabbing it. It's almost certain you will however if you make a plain sawn cut tangent to the heart wood line however.

BTW, in case you didn't already know it, that log is going to be heavy. Green wood is usually up around 40% moisture content. That's around 67 pounds per cubic foot, as, dried sugar maple is around 48 pounds per cubic foot. That calculates to right around 1800 pounds for a 30" diameter, 66" long log. You will be removing a lot of wood to come up with a gun stock that weighs right around 2 1/2 pounds in the very end!

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
What species of maple?

dave

 

[Kansas Jake]

My daughter lives in Grand Haven and I think there are a number of maples that were available here due to the strong windstorm (100 mph) going through the area a few weeks back.

 

[ZUG]

Although this may sound like a "windfall" no pun intended it may be a fruitless adventure - here's why: when a tree is blown down by a large wind storm it may have internal checking and a large portion of wood near the fracture may be useless. You may have to cut up the logs into larger lengths to get some good wood out of that tree. Good luck with your tree I hope it works out for you :v .

 

[Kansas Jake]

Interestingly the trees in the Grand Haven area mostly blew over pulling up the root ball. The water table is very high and the trees were not deeply rooted. They simply blew over and did not break.

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
I again ask, what species of maple?

dave

 

[MadscoutB5]

Don't know yet. Since posting this, our house went up for sale, giving me a few other projects for immediate attention! Still haven't caught the neighbor at home, either, unfortunately...

Based on your question, I'll assume that different types of maple present different considerations. Please enlighten the inexperienced, sir.

 

[MadscoutB5]

Yep, the logistics of this will be fun. There's a lumber company in the small town where I live that may be able to do the milling for me for a fee. Getting it there would of course be the challenge. I think that's what friends with trailers, bribed with their favorite beverage could be good for

Re: sealing the ends of the wood once cut - what material should I use to seal it?

How about the other two dimensions for the plank, what should the length and height be?

Thanks for the feedback, gentlemen.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Give yourself a couple of extra inches at least. It's possible that the ends will check a little bit, and you won't be able to use that wood. 4" would be even better. If the wood warps when slabbed, or gets checked when drying, you may wind up actually needing some of it.

As far as sealing the ends, a lot of people use wax, but a heavy thick paint can also suffice. You want the wood to dry from the sides, trather than from the ends.