Locust wood for a gun stock
Has anybody ever seen a gun stock made from black locust or honey locust wood? They both should be strong and hard enough.
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You could make a stock from any wood...
Have you seen some of the un american made, ak47 etc stocks?
Generally Walnut is prefferd for its grain beauty. However there is no requirement. Be certain the wood is aged and not prone to twist and bow. You may also pre test your treatment for best results.0 -
Locust is the second hardest wood that I'm aquainted with , Hardhack being the hardest . It won't be easy to work with , it dulls saw chains in a hurry ! I've never tried to do anything with it when dry , but it's got to be harder than Chinese Arithmatic ! 0 -
Many years ago (in the 80's) I read and saw pictures of a Weatherby collection that had stocks made from just about every wood there was. I believe it was a Weatherby magazine.
There were examples made from locustwood.0 -
Blacklocust is an oily wood somewhat like Osage orange(hedge) and I doubt it would take finish very well. This what makes it good for fence posts. It is more prone to split than hedge.
The honey locust is also oily to the point of burning with a sooty smoke and producing "clinkers" in a hot burning wood stove. It is not as good for posts but is more prone to splitting than the black locust.
I have some corral fence made from 1" honey locust lumber that is in good condition after being in the weather for over 30 years.0 -
...Sorry to veer off course. My dad carved a stock for an 1885 Win.
from hedge (osage orange). He was no artist, but it took on a nice
yellowish color. I've carved a bit with hedge, and it can be stringy.
It is really hard and heavy wood. You can find some really nice burls
in it at times.0 -
osage orange was the preferred wood for bows and research has shown indian trade routes across the country for it and flint 0 -
Would be very careful about dust when working with locust. It IS one of the harder woods, will dull a bit in a second. C&P on toxicity of locust woods/barks/leaves when chewed on by animals-
There are several toxic components in black locust including the toxic protein robin, the glycoside robitin, and the alkaloid robinine. The toxins affect the gastrointestinal tract as well as the nervous system. Clinical signs can manifest as soon as one hour after consumption and can include depression, poor appetite, generalized weakness to paralysis, abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody) and abnormalities in the heart rate and/or rhythm. With sufficient amounts ingested, death may occur within a few days, although black locust is not always lethal. Some animals recover despite showing clinical signs, an indication of the dose-dependent nature of the toxin.
Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos, pea family) has been implicated in causing similar toxic signs, but the information on this is not clear. Prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum, citrus family) superficially resembles black locust in vegetative aspect and has been blamed for loss of sheep.0
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