Looking for input for a new stock project.

[boltman13]

Be sure to have the forestock and buttstock parallel or nearly so. As others have said a design and production method that has a fairly quick availability will get you a leg up on your competators if quality is in line with cost. It doesn't need to be cheep we all are willing to pay more for better but don't want to wait sooo long we miss matches waiting for a build to get our stock to our gunsmith. Good luck Butch, I hope you are successful and rewarded well for your efforts.

 

[joshb]

We used cloth, not the sheet. Link below.
http://www.uscomposites.com/carbonpage.html
We did not use this company, but it will give you an idea.

Thanks again, Butch. I have some Paulonia coming thanks to msinc! What would be a good length for a “longer forend”? Say, from the front of the action?
I bought some items from a nice guy in California that worked for a plastics outlet. He mentioned he had carbon fiber cloth. I’ll dig thru my old PMs, find out who that was and see if it’s still available. Thanks again! Josh

 

[butchlambert]

Thanks again, Butch. I have some Paulonia coming thanks to msinc! What would be a good length for a “longer forend”? Say, from the front of the action?
I bought some items from a nice guy in California that worked for a plastics outlet. He mentioned he had carbon fiber cloth. I’ll dig thru my old PMs, find out who that was and see if it’s still available. Thanks again! Josh

My fore end is about 2" longer. I believe it helps to have your front and rear bags further apart.

 

[joshb]

Ok. Thanks. I believe the same thing. I usually make my stocks with a longer forend. Some are 6” longer than the original. I just wondered what you thought was good. Thanks again! Josh

 

[hpshooter]

" They did that “tree stealing” around here, too. I think it was worth it’s weight in gold at one point."

In our area, Central Virginia, Paulownia trees are commonly called shoe heel trees. When shoe making was a major industry here the trees were in demand for constructing high heels it was also exported to Italy.

Forester buddies tell me there is still a limited market for it but only mature trees that have grown very slowly with very narrow growth rings are sought after due to their alleged superior strength to density ratio. Have one that is about 12-14 inches at the butt that is 25-30 years old that will be cut when the weather turns cool. May slab it and stick it for a few years and see how it does.

All I know about Paulownia trees.

T W Hudson

 

[msinc]

" They did that “tree stealing” around here, too. I think it was worth it’s weight in gold at one point."

In our area, Central Virginia, Paulonia trees are commonly called shoe heel trees. When shoe making was a major industry here the trees were in demand for constructing high heels it was also exported to Italy.

Forester buddies tell me there is still a limited market for it but only mature trees that have grown very slowly with very narrow growth rings are sought after due to their superior strength to density ratio. Have one that is about 12-14 inches at the butt that is 25-30 years old that will be cut when the weather turns cool. May slab it and stick it for a few years and see how it does.

All I know about Paulonia trees.

T W Hudson

We are hillbillies...we always called it elephant ear trees because of the way it grows so vigorous after it's trimmed by the power company and state highway. Paulownia trees are not native to the USA...they are actually an "invasive" species. It is my understanding that they were brought here in seed form when the nuts were ground and used for packing to ship fine china during the antebellum period. Sometime during the 70's Japanese businessmen were busy buying up timber in North Carolina and spotted a stand of the trees. They were very interested and started buying them up too. It seems paulownia, known as "Kiri" in Japan is regarded as a sacred wood. It is tradition over there for fathers to make a dowry box for their daughters and it is also tradition for many to have their ashes interred in an urn made of Kiri wood. They also make a stringed instrument out of the wood.
The big buying took place in the 80's, so did the big stealing. People tried to farm it and some were successful. There was a ship in Baltimore harbor that bought it right at the dock. It stayed until it was full and another replaced it when that ship sailed. That lasted a few years.
Local mills tried to get in on the act and I believe this is where the "tight growth ring" story came into play. They used it to beat down the price and increase profits. The Japanese bought every tree brought to them. Another fallacy concocted by local mills is the old "we only pay half if it is hollow up the middle".....I have milled as much as anyone and never seen a log that wasn't!!!
Nowadays it looks like it is gaining some popularity for custom surfboards...and now gunstocks. I remember they arrested some guys stealing logs on the northern neck of Virginia back in the late 80's. They dressed up in fake U.S. Fish and Wildlife uniforms and told land owners they were "doing an eagle nest survey"...they were surveying the trees and marking them for theft later. They finally got caught.

 

[dskogman]

Carbon Fiber can be tough on HSS cutters. It put some nice grooves in my joiner blades. Carbide is better.

 

[joshb]

Carbon Fiber can be tough on HSS cutters. It put some nice grooves in my joiner blades. Carbide is better.

Thanks for that. Every thing I’ll use is Carbide tipped or solid Carbide.

 

[Iowa Fox]

Josh, ever consider making a stock for a specialty pistol?