Claro Walnut Stock- A Work in Progress

[DGP4]

Glad I asked! That is beautiful work in those pictures!

 

[Oso]

Hmmm.... Yep, definitely not a professional liar, but a damn fine woodworker! I love the shadow line along the cheek piece, which always makes it look elegant. Great Work!

 

[epc308]

Thank you for the kind words! You are spot on with a ton of hand work. All the filing, rasps, hand sanding, and especially the checkering takes time and patience. I like to think I have plenty of patience for this sort of craft.

Going from blank, or even a raw stump, to finished stock is a tall task. But now that I have gotten the hang of it and I feel like every piece I make I get better. I can live up to those words "Life is too short to shoot an ugly rifle" I was told almost the same thing by my father long ago.

My real goal was to make something I couldn't readily afford to purchase, so I tried to make it instead.

All of your words speak to me, but your last line speaks volumes.
I have always been a wage earner, and could never afford to have someone do work for me, so I, as you, learned to do it myself.
A couple good mentors, a couple actual classes, and I can do my own work and be proud to admit it.
I have a 40x 22RF barreled action I took as payment for work I did. With it came a nice piece of walnut that I had roughed out the inletting for 5 years ago. The previous owner has built multiple stocks, and does fine work. He had the inletting finished, but the outside has only been rough sawn to shape.
As the saying goes, all it lacks is finishing up. This will be my chance to see if I have what it takes.

 

[Sandstorm]

Awesome stuff my friend.
Thanks for sharing
John

 

[jasophil1]

Great wood super craftmanship fine work of art .

 

[andrewsben]

If you ever decide to take on the challenge, I will do my best to help, guide, or assist in the venture.

That would be awesome. I have an izhmash biathlon k2 I've wanted to restock, figure I would start out on it at some point. Haven't measures the moisture of my wood lately but think on piece had died off a while back and might be pretty close. Will probably check it sometime soon and see if it is ready to start working. Thanks again

 

[kvd]

Very nice work on a beautiful piece of walnut. As words are sometimes used to describe stocks on rifles, I would call what you have done "museum quality"

 

[XTR]

Beautiful piece of wood to start with, and I agree with the comment above that the shadow line on the cheek makes it pop.

 

[Paul Hilgedick]

Would you share where the blank came from? I am looking for a blank for a project now.

 

[pdhntr]

Nice work on a beautiful piece of wood.

Jim

 

[CStuck]

Would you share where the blank came from? I am looking for a blank for a project now.

I am not sure where the blank came from. I received it in a trade along with 4 other blanks. I crafted one of the blanks for the gentleman as a part of the trade deal. He was in PA and purchased them at an estate sale, I have no knowledge beyond that.

I am fairly confident in saying it is Claro Walnut (juglans hindssi). But without knowing exactly were it came from, it could also be a hybrid of Claro & English (juglans regia) also known as Bastogne Walnut. Most of this stuff is commonly found in walnut orchards of California.

Since you are in the market for a blank...

these are worth checking out

Gunstock

hunskihardwoods.com

Figured Domestic Hardwood Shop All Lumber | Northwest Timber

Shop our specialized figured domestic hardwood lumber, such as Quilted Maple, Figured Claro Walnut, and Oregon Myrtlewood.

nwtimber.com

Paul & Sharon Dressel - Custom Wood Gun Stocks: Turkish Circassian, California English Walnut - Rifles

dressels.com

Gun Stock Blanks

C Jacob Woods

cjacobwoods.com

Gun Blanks

Custom firearms showcase some of the most exceptional wood in the world. At Cook Woods, our expert wood specialist not only understands wood, he is a ballistics connoisseur. Coupling his understanding of wood and rifles, he cuts and dries our gun blanks to precise specifications, keeping an eye...

www.cookwoods.com

Rifle Stocks

gobywalnut.com

Gun Stock Blank Archives

www.customshopinc.com

 

[jonbearman]

This is art like Preacher and a few others on here. Just so amazing. Thank you for sharing.

 

[hpshooter]

Outstanding work. There is a never ending display of talent on this site related to all phases of the shooting sports.

"While I am no professional,"
View attachment 1258007View attachment 1258008View attachment 1258009View attachment 1258010
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[CStuck]

Update:

Started to work on the crossbolts for this stock.
Using a 1/2" plug cutter

 

[CStuck]

There is a lot more measuring and checking.

 

[Liven The Dream]

Your work is inline with the Master's .
The Doan Trevor's , Jim Cloward ,All Valley and Mr. Dunlap

Keep up with you Hobby !

 

[pintopete]

CStuck, your work is absolutely beautiful. Forgive me for this amateur question. When contemplating staining a walnut stock, is there a method of applying a solvent or similar to estimate what the grain and figure will look like un-stained with a clear finish? I really like the old reddish colors of bygone days, like a Pilkington red, but don’t want to lose or hide the natural beauty. Once applied, it seems there is no going back.

Thank you, Peter.

 

[Paul Hilgedick]

You can spray the stock with isopropyl alcohol to get a very good idea of what the wood figure will look like when you apply a clear finish. After the alcohol dries a very light sanding takes the affect away.

 

[CStuck]

CStuck, your work is absolutely beautiful. Forgive me for this amateur question. When contemplating staining a walnut stock, is there a method of applying a solvent or similar to estimate what the grain and figure will look like un-stained with a clear finish? I really like the old reddish colors of bygone days, like a Pilkington red, but don’t want to lose or hide the natural beauty. Once applied, it seems there is no going back.

Thank you, Peter.

Peter,

Thank you for the kind words. I'm open to any and all questions. Paul's comment above is accurate, I have a spray bottle of isopropyl alcohol for testing. That's fun to use when I first get a blank in. I love seeing the first glimpse of what the stock may look like.

I typically have the benefit of having scrap pieces of the same wood to test more color oriented oils, dyes, or finishes. Although I really don't stain or dye any of my pieces.

I understand that may not be the case for you with an existing stock. I would recommend doing some small tests on the inside of the barrel channel or action area if there is bare wood there, that way even if you don't like it, it will be hidden. It should give you a decent idea on how your particular piece will look with whatever you apply.

Finishes are topic with a hundred different opinions on which is best and why. I'm not going to say my method is best or better than anyone else's or that I really know what I'm doing. Far from an expert on the subject. But the method I use turns out pretty well.

I can do a more detailed write up soon if you'd like.

 

[284winner]

Doan Trevor work for sure.