# Walnut: The Crotch and the Pith



## HomeBody (Nov 24, 2010)

I have a line on some walnut crotches and I'd like to have them cut for gunstock blanks. I did this once before years ago and had them cut at a Thresherman's Reunion on an antique circle saw. Several of the crotch blanks were unusable or barely usable because of the pith running through them. 

My Question: How do you avoid the dreaded pith while still getting the feather centered on both sides of the blank?

Do I just need much larger crotches?

Maybe a sawyer more experienced at cutting slabs for gunstock blanks?

Here are pics of a finished stock with pith and the bookmatched blank with no pith. 

Even with the pith in the stock I'm happy I was able to make the thing from walnut I cut myself. I never checkered it because of the pith but now I'm doing carving and I think I can fill the hole with Brownell's AcraGlas epoxy colored brown and carve right through it. It would at least be better than if I tried to checker it. Gary


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## mike1950 (Aug 29, 2010)

Great job and fantasic looking wood.


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## Handyman (Jan 2, 2008)

Great job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! funny thing is I have been working with wood all my life and I still see things I say "Man I can't believe somebody made that out of wood"


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

HomeBody said:


> My Question: How do you avoid the dreaded pith while still getting the feather centered on both sides of the blank?


Split the pith. I lay the crotch on the mill with the pith parallel to the blade. I jack up the small end/level the forked branches so the pith will be on the same plane as the blade/can be sliced in 1/2. The kerf of the saw removes some of the pith (you are going to lose the kerf anyway...might as well make sawdust from the pith) but not all of the pith. So the cut on each side of the pith needs to be thicker than the final use equal to the amount/size of the pith (if it is to be removed). Lets say I am milling 6/4 for table tops or 10/4 for gunstocks I just saw down ''doing the math'', thickness desired+kerf, so that one of the cuts eventually splits the pith. The cut before and the cut after the pith split get the thickness of the pith added if it needs removed later. For table tops I don't even worry about it, just flip the slab pith side down/pretty side up when making a table-leaving the pith in the wood.



HomeBody said:


> Do I just need much larger crotches?


For thicker pieces like gun stock blanks, yes your chances would be better for more figure=more usable material from larger crotches.

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## Mizer (Mar 11, 2010)

Nice work! How long did you have to dry the blank?


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## rsetina (Nov 30, 2009)

I can't see why you would change anything about how it looks. That's a beautiful stock you made. The small amount of pith there gives it a unique character. I've always been of the mind set that every piece of wood has it's own mother nature given beauty and unless the "flaw" gives the finished piece a structural defect, or the flaw is just plane ugly, I leave it alone. I have a friend that makes Japanese fly fishing nets from tree branches and the nets with the most defect are the most beautiful he has made. Follow this link and you'll see what I mean. The twists and turns in the handles really set the beautiful nets apart from the rest. 


http://www.tenkarausa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=908


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## HomeBody (Nov 24, 2010)

Daren said:


> Split the pith.
> 
> 
> For thicker pieces like gun stock blanks, yes your chances would be better for more figure=more usable material from larger crotches.
> ...


Make sense, on both counts. I'll save your tips and pass them on to my sawyer. Gary


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## HomeBody (Nov 24, 2010)

Mizer said:


> Nice work! How long did you have to dry the blank?


Once I cut out the blank I sent it to Fajen's in MO. They are no longer in business. They put it in their kiln and dried it for very little. I think $10 for the butt and forend for one gun. 

One cycle of their kiln was 6 months. He told me the simplified version of how it worked. Two knobs, one controls humidity and one temp. They start out with high humidity and low temp. Each day, they move the knobs a bit. At the end of 6 mos., they had high temp and low humidity and the batch was finished. I assume most were 10/4 walnut blanks.

After it was dried they machined both pieces to a semi-finished form. I think they call it "90% finished" although that last 10% can sure take a while. I did the stock in the pics in '86 or '87. Thanks for looking. Gary


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

That's real nice work. My preference is no checkering on figured stock. I never have like checkering unless the stock is plain Jane and with today's advanced technology - there's hundreds of choices of thin, lightweight, comfy shooting gloves that accomplish all & more that checkering was initially designed for. Checkering started very simply and then over time as all forms of manufacturing eventually do became a selling point for manufacturers. Custom builders became artists and what started out as something to allow a shooter to get a sure grip in humid or sweaty conditions became an art form and remains so today. 

To me I'd much rather be able to see the beauty of the wood unhindered, rather than try to have to see it through essentially a bunch of chicken scratch. That's tongue-in-cheek as I do realize some craftsmen's etching skills are wonders to behold, but if the stock is figured as beautifully as yours I wouldn't let an etching tool in the same room as the stock. If it's just a utilitarian stock - one with no figure then that's when I think a good craftsman can add to the beauty of the wood. Yours doesn't need any help at all it's very fun to look at as is. 







.


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## HomeBody (Nov 24, 2010)

TexasTimbers said:


> Yours doesn't need any help at all it's very fun to look at as is. .


Thanks for the compliment but I guess you're not going to like what I'm about to do to it...and real soon. I'm warming up the turbo carver right now.:yes: Gary


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## Biscobob (Jul 25, 2011)

That is a beautiful piece of work Gary.:thumbsup: I have an old 7x57 Mauser that was completely redone from end to end in the 70s. The final piece was a custom fit thumbhole stock made out of Black Walnut. At the time I couldn't afford to have it checkered and never have. There is something to be said for simple elegance. BTW the gun still fits like a glove, I can easily shoot it with one hand very accurately and the stock, besides a few battle marks, looks as good now as then. Post a pic after you get done with the carver.


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## HomeBody (Nov 24, 2010)

It's funny you brought this old thread back at this time. I just finished carving the stock last week. I did what I said and filled the pith channel with colored epoxy. I crossed my fingers and carved right through it. It came out better than I expected. Gary


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## BigBull (Feb 10, 2010)

That looks great. Is that an old Winchester Model 12 by chance?


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## HomeBody (Nov 24, 2010)

Yes, a Model 12 20 ga. made in 1942. I've had it for many years and use it for doves. Gary


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## Biscobob (Jul 25, 2011)

Looks great:thumbsup:, not my cup of tea but you did a fantastic job.


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## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

Wow! Fantastic job. And that's the nicest Model 12 I've ever seen.


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