# Don't let me mess this up... Please!



## Ken Martin (Feb 14, 2016)

Just before Christmas, a friend gave me a walnut stump with rootball. The tree was about 2 feet in diameter or a litlte better. I will have it slabbed out by a friend of mine who has a WoodMiser mill in a couple of months. I'm hoping to find a couple of gunstocks in there but will be happy with bowl blanks. My questions are 1) is a tree this size big enough to yield gunstocks, 2) how thick should I mill the slabs, 3)Which axis should I cut it on and 4) how should I treat the slabs to prevent checking?

The pic shows the stump in the back of my Tacoma, to give you some reference.
http://i612.Rule #2/albums/tt210/BarefootBoxes/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-12/EEF2C28F-A946-4BA8-B8CF-6A33811D8671.jpg

Any other information you can give me would also be appreciated!


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## Sprung (Feb 14, 2016)

I'm sure @HomeBody could answer your questions - cutting gunstocks is one of the things he enjoys doing, and he certainly is very knowledgeable.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## HomeBody (Feb 15, 2016)

I think they cut the tree too close to the stump for any gunstocks. A shotgun butt blank is 18" long. The usable wood will be from the bed of your truck up to where the side roots come in. Anything from the side roots up to the tap root will have voids, cracks, and etc. Maybe some pen blanks or something small from that area. 

Here is a pic of a log with stump attached done by the pros. You can see how they tapered the cuts through the side roots toward the tap root. It looks like a giant pencil that's been sharpened. This will allow you to get the gnarly thing up on a mill.





I've had 2 stumps slabbed and I don't know any rules for orientation for a stump on a mill. I just had them make one cut, then flip the stump and slab it. I cut my slabs for gunstocks 2 3/4". When the blank is dry, (5 yrs. air dry) plane it both sides and that should leave you 2 1/2" which is perfect to put on a duplicator machine. Expect lots of lost wood due to cracks, voids, and bug damage. I just sealed the ends of the blanks like normal with AS2. The stump wood seems to move a lot while it's drying. It's all worth it though, in my opinion. Here's a pic of a butt stock done with stump wood. Gary

Reactions: Like 1 | EyeCandy! 5 | Way Cool 4


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## Ken Martin (Feb 17, 2016)

Well that's disappointing, but hey! It was free, so I can't complain! I'll take what u can get out of it. Should be some pretty bowls, turkey call strikers, and such. 

Thanks, Gary! That's great information and just what I needed!

Reactions: Like 1


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## HomeBody (Feb 20, 2016)

Ken Martrin said:


> Well that's disappointing, but hey! It was free, so I can't complain! I'll take what u can get out of it. Should be some pretty bowls, turkey call strikers, and such.
> 
> Thanks, Gary! That's great information and just what I needed!



Go for it! You'll get something good out of it for sure. If the tree was alive recently, when you cut the roots off black juice will come out. Walnut sap I guess. If you can catch some it makes great stain. Gary

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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