Question....is pecan suitable for a rifle stock?

[Oso]

Mulberry is another nice wood that is similar to Osage in color and density. Both woods oxidize with exposure to daylight changing the color of the wood from the almost chartreuse yellow to a dark brown. Osage turn a rust brown whereas Mulberry turns to a golden mustard.

Mulberry is a favorite for smoking or grilling seafood.... sweet flavor like any fruitwood.

 

[Fast14riot]

Pecan is in the hickory family, great for baseball bats and axe/hammer handles. It could make a decent stock. I had some spalted pecan from a friends tree i used for knife and tool handles that was simply beautiful. No real reason not to use it, I say go for it!

 

[Just Say Moe]

My wife's grandfather loved using Pecan for duck calls. Solid, tight grained and turned easily.

 

[mikecockcroft]

You should be able to use it for a stock in about 10 years.

 

[Rat Rifle]

You should be able to use it for a stock in about 10 years.

That’s what I was thinking. What do the stock makers (woodworkers) say about that ?

 

[joshb]

It depends on where you dry it. Northern drier climates or southern humid climates make a difference. The old rule is a year per inch of thickness. Modern moisture meters can confirm the wood’s condition over time. The longer the better. You can build a simple kiln to dry it faster but that can change the color of the wood.
Any way you dry it, paint the end grain well or it will split .

 

[mike mccormick]

It depends on where you dry it. Northern drier climates or southern humid climates make a difference. The old rule is a year per inch of thickness. Modern moisture meters can confirm the wood’s condition over time. The longer the better. You can build a simple kiln to dry it faster but that can change the color of the wood.
Any way you dry it, paint the end grain well or it will split .

Thats another good question....what should I use to seal the ends? Tar? Paint?

 

[McStocks]

Thats another good question....what should I use to seal the ends? Tar? Paint?

Yes and yes; about anything that "seals". The classic sealer is paraffin, and I've used white glue, like Elmers or Titebond General Purpose on a lot of blanks. I'm getting ready to seal some logs, so first I'll root through the closet for all the partial cans of leftover paint.
Steve

 

[mike mccormick]

Yes and yes; about anything that "seals". The classic sealer is paraffin, and I've used white glue, like Elmers or Titebond General Purpose on a lot of blanks. I'm getting ready to seal some logs, so first I'll root through the closet for all the partial cans of leftover paint.
Steve

Thank you Steve!

 

[joshb]

Steve said it. Use that old paint you saved. Latex is fine. Give it a couple thick coats.

 

[Oso]

Mike,

When you coat it with latex paint, put it on thick on the end grain. If it absorbs the paint then add more until there is a nice coat that remains.

You will want to give some thought to location of wood you are pulling out of log. The most stable cut is the Quartersawn piece. It is least likely to rack, twist or bend. From a drying perspective (limiting cracks & splits that occurs during drying), it is best to have blank all of same types of wood (preferably sap wood) so that it dries uniformly. If it’s a large enough diameter that you can get enough wood for rifle blank from one side of tree then you’ll want to remove the pith (heartwood) from your blank to avoid radial cracking while it dries.

 

[Big Mc]

I have a very large pecan tree that has fallen over. Is pecan suitable for atock making? I know it is pretty hard, and damned stringy to split. Figure someone here may have some experience with it.

I have made a few. The only problem is some blanks are corkey. Tommy Mc

 

[DGP4]

I have made a few. The only problem is some blanks are corkey. Tommy Mc

Can we see some you made? I have never seen a pecan wood stock...curious!

 

[markT]

Pecan is beautiful wood and unique. Hugo blew down some huge pecan trees in my grandparents yard. My dad made a bench from one of the trees. He just put poly on it.
I had a call maker in Bostic NC. The wood is a camellia bush and a post oak. He put wood in “juice” he called it and vacuumed the all the air out. Fills all the voids.

 

[Big Mc]

Can we see some you made? I have never seen a pecan wood stock...curious!

Sorry I did not make one for myself. They were all built for others. Tommy Mc

 

[bobcat93]

Ive seen a guy form a stock for an old shot gun out of a chunk of 2x10....it was crude but not ugly. I think just about any wood can be worked if you know how.
Rest assured some one, somewhere has already done what you want to do ..just find that person and ash how they did it..or study the characteristics of that species how to work it and figure it out. Adapt improvise overcome like Gunnery Sergeant Highway would say
Haha.. sounds like your off to a beautiful project. Good thing is you will have all winter to stain and sand and sand and sand and sand it...
Stock making is not for the weak at heart..
Be strong

 

[LCazador]

Tough to work with and known to split a lot..

This guy knows his wood. It also will not a wood that will checker well. If you wait about 40 years that fallen pecan tree might be ready to be made into a stock!

 

[mike mccormick]

This guy knows his wood. It also will not a wood that will checker well. If you wait about 40 years that fallen pecan tree might be ready to be made into a stock!

It turned out to be pretty decent wood for the smoker.

 

[Fuj]

Good for an offset smoker from reports… ribs and brisket for days!

My son got a half rack of it that has 3 years of seasoning on it. It
needed a lot more air in the box to keep a clean smoke, and had
a hard time controlling keeping a slow cook going. I'll stay with the
Pa. black cherry, Pear, and Crab apple......

 

[Oso]

Pecan and Hickory are related so similar-ish flavor, with black hickory being the best. I prefer a blend of pecan/hickory with oak in the smoker. Usually I go with 2 pieces of oak and 1 piece of hickory/pecan. I get nice flavor and consistent fire. I use run of the mill oak since the flavor is coming from the pecan/hickory. Now, post oak is premium and that doesn't get blended with anything... just used straight by itself.

On rare occasion you come across a pecan that is like ambrosia with wonderful golden red colors as if painted with water colors, and dappled wave figuring. You would have to befriend a sawmill owner and request him to look for this and reserve it for you when found.

Bradford Pear would make an incredible looking stock with crazy fiddle back and skip figuring, plus its warm red hues. Also, makes a tasty fire for cooking seafood and poultry.