Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Black and Claro Walnut for Riflestocks *PICTURES*

Tell me a little why you like or dislike these two woods for a small caliber riflestock. I do not need to be chastized on the merits of English (Juglans regia), that has happened before.

Additionally, is there a time in your opinion where there is too much figure? I would love to see your pictures of blanks and finished stocks in Claro and Black.



[img]http://img21.imagevenue.com/loc177/th_13841_Combine_Walnut_2_p_wet.jpg[/img] [img]http://img11.imagevenue.com/loc104/th_13845_PB240005.JPG[/img] [img]http://img142.imagevenue.com/loc274/th_13850_PB240001_1.jpg[/img]
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Black and claro, you mean other then both are heavy, low desity, soft, hard to hold detail on? I have used both and of course Black with it's feathered crotch is classic on American guns. Claro I have used when I wanted flashy show with out high cost.

The burl chunks shown in the pictures I would not use. My preference the blank must be quartersawn. With the grain straightening out thru the grip down the forearm. The claro rifle blanks are as best I can see from the pictures.
Hopefully your proud of me cause I didn't mention that other "better" wood once. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

333_okh
Do not know how a wood can be "heavy and low density" but I can work around it in a wood! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

There is tremendous variation in black walnut quality depending on where it is grown. OR black has a reputation for being about the best there is. It builds a great stock!

Claro is much more uniform, and softer than most black. For normal applications I see nothing wrong with it. I have two outwardly identical pieces of claro and look to have been cut from the same tree. Yet one is fully 25% denser than the other, so there is lots of room for variation.

The use of burl for two-piece stocks is fine if the grain is reasonable and there is a stock bolt to keep things snug. Quarter-sawn and good black marbling are almost mutually exclusive terms, as are good fiddle and board-sawn. For modest recoiling guns both work fine.

Do not think I can like the piece of crotch pictured because of the pith. there is a lot of juvenile wood around the heart and it can cause all sorts of problems due to short grain and the instability it creates in figured wood.
art

Gentlemen thanks for your comments. The lack of detail holding abilities of Claor is noted, but also noted that I do not want checkering more than 20 lpi. I do not like the super fine checkering. A very well know nstockmaker told me he loves black walnut if from wild grown trees. In his opinion it is much rarer than good English and just as suitable.

The pictures shown are Claro on top and Black on the bottom. The claro burl/crotch piece is an experimental piece due to the juv wood on the top rear. I showed the side with the worst areaso as to be honest. This piece is 4.8 inched thick and 22 inches long. I cannot remember the front and butt measurements.

You have some nice material to work with. I have attached a picture. I make tall case clocks, along with designing and making the clockworks I build the cases for them. The panel you are looking at is 40" high. It is a Black Walnut crotch that I searched high and low to find. It is bookmatched on the other side of the clock as well the back panel. Best thing is I still have 8 more panels rough sawn in the wood shed.
Just thought you might like to look at it since you apparantly appreciate nice wood. It was one very large wild growing tree. The frame wood is mohagany.

I like! I really like. I am a big fan of Honduran mahogany and black walnut...weathered crotch is the best unless it is cracked.

LRF....gorgeous!

I'd like to slap my Dakota barreled action on that clock case! Tic-Toc-BANG!

I liked your polishing on that Dakota. Nice job!
Thanks for your comments too.

333 okh has seen this one but I'll post it again for those who haven't. The one on the right is one of the nicest pieces of claro I've seen in a long time. I've got the barreled action in the stock and I'm about half way through the shaping process

Claro can be every bit as hard and dense as any other wood.

The one on the right is english.

Terry

PS. The one in the middle is the pattern <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

TC1 just knows he has been making me jealous with that stock. The even fiddleback with marbling behind is excellent.

TC1, fantastic looking stocks. Just need to cut the schnabell off of them. I won't say which part of the male anatomy that they remind me of in a profile view <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />. Great other than that!

Dave.

After all of that I ended up buying and English walnut blank!




But it didnt come from California, not even from the US.