Wood grade 5

[Crow#21957]

Anyone here ever paid $600 plus change
For a curly maple stock? I'm curious as to what a piece like that would look like.
Any pics?

 

[azmntman]

I am not into fancy. My kibler was ordered with plain maple. Cant wait to see what it looks like stained. Have seen sime insne wood pics here though and though I would love to have it I know I would bump, scrape, drop and spill and then it woukd be a bummer. Plain...not so much. I hunt my guns.

 

[Crow#21957]

I hear that but I gotta get one real nice piece of curly maple. One of these days.I want to see that Kibler whan your done.

 

[#BPBReloadingFFL]

Paid 400$ for a blank some years back.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I've seen them in the thousands of dollar range. Harrison gunstocks has a nice selection in that price range.

 

[Crow#21957]

Yep u read off $140,000 piece of wood a guy bought yo make a stock out of. Maybe when I was younger but I just don't have that much money now. LOL

 

[HSmithTX]

Back in the mid 90's I was fixing a CNC machine at a very high end shotgun maker and I was allowed to look at the wood in inventory (under supervision), It was all planed and sanded and finished on at least one side and some on both sides. Some of it even way back then was $70K for a chunk big enough to make a buttstock and a forend for an O/U. They fitted the customer with a try gun and CNC machined the stock to the exact cast, length, drop etc dimensions for that customer. They had a guy traveling the world buying wood, that was his job. On one hand I wish it was cheaper so I could afford it, but on the other hand I am glad it's expensive to keep it out of the greasy pud pullers of the average guy that would butcher it because there is only so much of it in existence and it takes hundreds of years to make more.

 

[Crow#21957]

Agree

 

[tenngun]

Problem I have is I could take the most expensive wood and turn it in to a five hundred dollar gun

 

[tenngun]

What is of note I think is the true appreciation they had in the old days for fine wood.
I have seen so many old furniture pieces made on wood we would display just for its beauty covered with paint.
Gunstocks at this time were well finished to show the best looks of the wood.
Even ‘poor boys’ often had first class wood, but then too some fine guns in maple barely show curl.
Every time I see a real high dollar violin or such my first thought is what a neat stick that wood would have made

 

[Kmcmichael]

I got an above grade Kibler stock but it was not 600. I think it was $450 Upcharge.
I did see some guns made for Louis 14th of France. I don’t think that type of walnut exists anymore.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Harrison gunstocks has knock out spectacular wood in the $250-$400 price range. I can't imagine the need to buy a more expensive plank, but some do and more power to them. I just laid out a stock today that has consistent tight curl from end to end. Has a $200 price on it.

 

[Magungo1066]

Problem I have is I could take the most expensive wood and turn it in to a five hundred dollar gun

After I was done with it someone would think I had used a chainsaw for the inletting and a tomahawk for the carving.

 

[Crow#21957]

Kmcmichael for $400 up charge that's got be a nice one.

 

[Crow#21957]

Magungo1066,,, I understand I use to be somewhat in that phase of building.

 

[billraby]

Most I ever spent on maple was $400. The gun I am working on now is Turkish walnut. That was $2000. You get some really nice wood at that price. Most expensive maple I have seen was really nice birds eye. That was $1500. I will probably try some of that some time.

 

[Kmcmichael]

I had to try it once. This one is mine. I have no plans to build anymore for myself, if I do it will be plain.

 

[Crow#21957]

That's a nice piece of wood. I really like the color of the dark and light. Would you share your method and stain you used? Thanks

 

[Kmcmichael]

It is pretty standard. I dye with Honey amber Trans Tint, then iron nitrate and Aqua Fortis, sometimes twice. I heat but cannot really see much change I sand back with the Chambers oil. I might add some more dye until I get the color my wife says is not ugly. The Chambers does have some dye in it.

 

[Sean E Bug]

most expensive I have is a $400 piece of ash but that includes shipping. this is some of the nicer maple I plan to use one day.