Do it yourself Stock making thread

[whatwind?]

a lot of 10x40" laminate panels at give away prices...

Clearance & Overstock

Product at a fraction of the cost! READY TO SHIP! SpectraPly, DymaLux, cutting boards, knife scales, turning blanks, and More!

www.cwp-usa.com

 

[butchlambert]

It takes approx 1 year per inch of wood to dry. So, if you had a bandsaw mill slab the wood off into 4" slabs for stock work, you will be dry and ready in 4-5 years.

I slab and dry walnut, white oak, and red oak every year up here in MN for woodworking, and the 1 year per inch of wood is pretty much spot on. And remember, I don't get any drying time during the winter when things are froze up.

I don't get this 10-15 year crap for drying walnut for stock work...

Al, check Roger Vardy's website. Roger has been in the walnut business since the 1955 . http://rogervardystockwood.com/

 

[yukonal]

I knew someone was going to make me sound like a fool. And I'm sure he has a reason for doing it his way. I wonder how thick he saws the slabs for his blanks. Humidity in various parts of the country differ, too.

For me, I saw 2-1/2", 1-1/2", and 1-1/4" thick slabs for tables, furniture, European plaques, and various projects. I use an expensive monitor that checks into the slabs, not just the surface. My thickest slabs will be fully dry in the old inch per year rule. I didn't mean to offend anyone, and sorry if it came across that way.

And, thanks for the link Butch.

 

[joshb]

I knew someone was going to make me sound like a fool. And I'm sure he has a reason for doing it his way. I wonder how thick he saws the slabs for his blanks. Humidity in various parts of the country differ, too.

For me, I saw 2-1/2", 1-1/2", and 1-1/4" thick slabs for tables, furniture, European plaques, and various projects. I use an expensive monitor that checks into the slabs, not just the surface. My thickest slabs will be fully dry in the old inch per year rule. I didn't mean to offend anyone, and sorry if it came across that way.

And, thanks for the link Butch.

Ease up on yourself, Al. You have to do a deep dive into the subject to find the information. The idea is that the wood ages kinda like wine ages. It develops a richer color with age.
Look on the Internet and “they’ll” tell you that walnut “gets lighter with age”. While it’s true that walnut will get bleached lighter by years of direct sunlight, nobody I know leaves a gun out in direct sun for years.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Ease up on yourself, Al. You have to do a deep dive into the subject to find the information. The idea is that the wood ages kinda like wine ages. It develops a richer color with age.
Look on the Internet and “they’ll” tell you that walnut “gets lighter with age”. While it’s true that walnut will get bleached lighter by years of direct sunlight, nobody I know leaves a gun out in direct sun for years.

That used to happen when sunlight got on a gun in the back window or on a gun hanging on the wall for a generation.

 

[Fuj]

One log that I have stored away in a vented shed does not see
much light, and it's getting pretty light in color. i do know growing
up, It was my job to rub in the linseed oil, then all rags went right to
the burn pile.

Josh.....I might have missed it in passing but, do you have a thickness
planer ??

 

[joshb]

One log that I have stored away in a vented shed does not see
much light, and it's getting pretty light in color. i do know growing
up, It was my job to rub in the linseed oil, then all rags went right to
the burn pile.

Josh.....I might have missed it in passing but, do you have a thickness
planer ??

I don’t know, then. Maybe my wood is special. Mine has been sitting in a stickered pile for 50 years and it’s as black as can be.
Yes. I have a jointer and a planer. Can’t use one without the other.

 

[Fuj]

I don’t know, then. Maybe my wood is special. Mine has been sitting in a stickered pile for 50 years and it’s as black as can be.
Yes. I have a jointer and a planer. Can’t use one without the other.

How wide and thick will your planer do ??

 

[joshb]

How wide and thick will your planer do ??

Ah, it’s a long tale of disappointment and regret! 25 years ago, I bought a 6” jointer because I couldn’t afford the 8”. A buddy and I bought an old 24” Babbitt planer with plans to put a shop together, but that fell apart. I started using a guy close by to do my finish milling and he was great. About 6 years ago, he bought a sail boat and retired to the Islands. I found another guy further away but he’s busy and expensive. I finally bought a little Dewalt 12” portable planer and use that in my shop. Most stock blanks only need to be 6” wide, 2 1/2” thick and 35” long so I cut rough stuff to size on my table saw and flatten and plane with my “toys”. It gets the job done. If I were 20 years younger, I’d bring in 3 phase and buy some big stuff.

 

[yukonal]

8" Grizzly jointer with helical cutterhead is the last toy I have to buy this fall, to complete my shop. I use a 6" bench top now, and although it gets the job done, I could use something better.

Everything bigger than 6" wide goes thru the Dewalt on a planer sled.

 

[joshb]

8" Grizzly jointer with helical cutterhead is the last toy I have to buy this fall, to complete my shop. I use a 6" bench top now, and although it gets the job done, I could use something better.

Everything bigger than 6" wide goes thru the Dewalt on a planer sled.

I forgot about Texas. I bought an 8” Shop Fox for my Texas shop. Got the bigger bandsaw and table saw too, all in 220.

 

[yukonal]

Yep, 220 is the way to go. I built a super heavy duty 20' 220 extension cord, and can use the machines wherever they are in the shop. All on mobile bases.

 

[joshb]

Yep, 220 is the way to go. I built a super heavy duty 20' 220 extension cord, and can use the machines wherever they are in the shop. All on mobile bases.

Luckily, I moved in to my Texas house and bought my equipment just before Covid hit. I got everything at reasonable prices. I was setting up my shop “temporarily” in a 3 car garage, so I got the mobile bases, put in the 220 outlet and made the heavy duty cord.
Did we go to the same school of hard knocks?
I have a plan to build a shop but I’m not paying $10 for a 2x4 so that’s on hold.

 

[yukonal]

I'm not sure lumber is going to go down, for awhile. Steel, neither. We should have been born rich, instead of good looking.

 

[Lee in Texas]

I just finished reading the entire thread. Absolutely fascinating. I want to try a few semi-inlets and/or secondhand stocks for new barreled actions first. I have a couple of BR semi-inlets for Mauser actions (I want the look of an old school bench gun. I have a Unertl scope for that build, too). I have Dave Wesbrook’s book on stock making. This thread inspired me to buy some hand tools.

 

[joshb]

I just finished reading the entire thread. Absolutely fascinating. I want to try a few semi-inlets and/or secondhand stocks for new barreled actions first. I have a couple of BR semi-inlets for Mauser actions (I want the look of an old school bench gun. I have a Unertl scope for that build, too). I have Dave Wesbrook’s book on stock making. This thread inspired me to buy some hand tools.

That’s nice to hear. I tried to include everything. The added comments and questions kinda jamb up the explanations, but that’s life on the site. It’s for the tinkerers, hobbyists and guys that can’t or won’t pay $600 to $1000 for a nice stock.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

You do a great job josh and we really appreciate the explanations and photos, and most importantly the time it takes to put it all together for a post

 

[Fuj]

Lot's of pop corn, lots of pop corn.....

 

[joshb]

Time for something different.

 

[joshb]

Mesquite with cracks filled with turquoise dust in epoxy mix.