Walnut Stump!
I found a walnut stump in the woods and am interested in making a stock for a rifle. Can anyone give me some insight on what I'm getting into? Where can I get the spec's to cut it to? Do such animals exist? Should I just look for a rifle that needs reconditioning at a reasonable price and use the old stock as a template? What kind of tools would help me the most? I have so many questions...I'd like to discuss this budding hobby more!!!
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What you are talking is a lot more complex than it appears on the surface. On the other hand, it can be a very rewarding project. I built a sporter stock for a 6.5 Swede a few years back, and it was a real learning experience. I had a chunk of walnut that had been air drying for about 20 years, so I had at least a starting place. First you will need to find someone to saw the stump for you. Then you need to get it dry. Dry meaning down in the 6 or 7 percent range. Then you need to lay out your stock pattern. The pros often make a template out of plexiglass, so they can lay it on the blank and see the grain pattern. I pulled the stock off of my model 70 and drew around it. To walk you through the whole process will take all night, and then you will have so many questions, it will take another night. Building a stock from scratch is a labor of love, because it doesn't make any sense from the money side. When you get to the point of being ready to cut out the blank, e-mail me. A book I have that covers some of the basics is "Gunsmithing at Home", by John Traister. Good luck, and let me know how things go. 0 -
If you own the stump, perhaps you can find a broker to buy it. Here in walnut country, I have several large 80+ year old trees that I occasionally get offers for. 0
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