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All About Guns What's your weapon of choice, and why? Discuss the beloved speargun here! |
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11-07-2017, 09:52 PM | #1 |
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Scott AFB IL my gills are dry :(
Posts: 359
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Maple, Hickory, Walnut
Maple, Hickory or walnut. Any of these make good wood for guns? also have oak, which i know isn't the greatest but i also know it works haha. Work in a cabinet shop and have this wood available.. but before i go buying any 8 foot boards i wanna know whats best out of my options? im a completely novice gun builder, i built one gun years ago that has worked out but still completely new to this...
Thanks Wyatt
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11-19-2017, 11:30 AM | #2 |
Soon-to-be ex-patriot
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Out there on the water
Age: 53
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Re: Maple, Hickory, Walnut
no.
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11-19-2017, 11:50 AM | #3 |
Senior Shooter
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Homosassa Fl
Posts: 104
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Re: Maple, Hickory, Walnut
Teak is your best choice If avail in your area IMO, Padauk is also another but can be a tad negative in the water, Walnut I have used on numerous builds but needs to be sealed with epoxy. Also depending on what type of hunting you are using your gun for can also help narrow your choice. If the 3 you mentioned are your only choice, I personally would use the walnut. Good luck with your build....
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11-19-2017, 06:14 PM | #4 |
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Orange Beach, Alabama
Posts: 1,075
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Re: Maple, Hickory, Walnut
Any of the woods you mentioned would need to be totally encapsulated with epoxy, which is no different than most woods other than the naturally oily ones, such as teak.
Maple's spgr would be ok, but hickory or walnut would be heavy, and unless it's a big gun, would be a sinker. Hickory would be hard to work with since it's really hard, and would be much more time consuming to do the usual cutting, sanding, and shaping. I made some stair steps out of Pecan, which is a very hard hickory, and went through planer and saw blades like the stuff was steel. Hickory would be very durable, but hard to work with--- if you can deal with the density. If you can get the wood free or cheap it might be worth the effort, since you could always use the hardware on another gun if it didn't hold up. |
11-19-2017, 08:32 PM | #5 |
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Scott AFB IL my gills are dry :(
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Re: Maple, Hickory, Walnut
I went with maple and walnut, made a gun out of oak and walnut too but it's just a wall hanger I concluded.. But I figured I work in a great shop, why not start making a bunch for fun... So the walnut and maple is clamped as we speak thanks wood guy! I admire your work!
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11-19-2017, 11:43 PM | #6 |
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Location: Orange Beach, Alabama
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Re: Maple, Hickory, Walnut
Walnut and maple. That's a combination you don't see every day- can't wait to see how it looks, I'll bet the rich colors and grain are going to be really something! What kind of finish do you plan on putting on it?
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11-20-2017, 06:31 AM | #7 |
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Scott AFB IL my gills are dry :(
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Re: Maple, Hickory, Walnut
I'm excited to see the outcome!! Definitely like 7+ layors of epoxy, was thinking about staining the walnut a little darker and the maple some sort of blue we have, we have like 50 different stains and glazes in the booth! What's your opinion on staining?!
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11-20-2017, 09:18 AM | #8 |
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Orange Beach, Alabama
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Re: Maple, Hickory, Walnut
I haven't stained any wood for guns myself, although I've used colored plywood, which of course is just stained before it's laminated. I love the look you can get when shaping the wood shows the differences in the grains and colors. With all the finishes you have available, and with all the expertise available where you work, the gun should turn out a piece of art (No pressure!).
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11-20-2017, 09:33 PM | #9 |
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Scott AFB IL my gills are dry :(
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Re: Maple, Hickory, Walnut
Well knowing that I'll stain it! Thanks a lot woodguy!! I'll be posting up a thread on the gun here soon!
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11-24-2017, 02:50 PM | #10 |
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Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: CenCal
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Re: Maple, Hickory, Walnut
Walnut (california black) worked fine for me. I'm horrible at finishing with epoxy but with the help of some threads by Phil H. / Rich V. the gun turned out fine (not pretty but does the job).
Here's a walnut rear handle roller I made a couple months back. 3+ coats of apex surf epoxy with some tint. Name of the game was economy because I scored some gun parts cheap. I went by my local lumber supply and they were throwing away some extra walnut boards that was going to be made in to trim. The only things other than price for wood I was worried about was the specific gravity of the wood and how easy it is to work with. |
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