Curly Maple makes great gunstocks.

[Mike Corazzi]

I'm hoping to grow this into a good gunstock.

 

[ShadyStump]

I can get you some walnut.
Might be slightly faster.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

I can get you some walnut.
Might be slightly faster.

Will walnut go crispy in the summer?

 

[ShadyStump]

Will walnut go crispy in the summer?

Only if it's still alive.

I was joking on the gunstock idea. Cut down a dead English walnut last summer, and have lots of wood left.
Though I've heard of black walnut adapting to more extreme conditions if you're growing. No experience growing them, but very familiar with the North American native varieties from my childhood out east. The leaves are huge for bonsai like English walnut, and I can't say how well they decrease.

 

[dbonsaiw]

Will walnut go crispy in the summer?

Walnut makes for great gunstock. Give it a good sanding to very high grit and pore fill/finish with multiple thin layers of Tru-Oil. After building the patina, you can sand it down, again at extremely high grit (I'll go up to at least 4,000), and add more layers. You will end up with a nice shiny finish that dries fairly hard and will protect the maple from warping.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Walnut makes for great gunstock. Give it a good sanding to very high grit and pore fill/finish with multiple thin layers of Tru-Oil. After building the patina, you can sand it down, again at extremely high grit (I'll go up to at least 4,000), and add more layers. You will end up with a nice shiny finish that dries fairly hard and will protect the maple from warping.

I've done that. Lin-Speed oil and steel wool to a high gloss.
Walnut stock blanks used to be pricey. Don't know now that a ton of gunstocks are synthetic.

 

[dbonsaiw]

Walnut stock blanks used to be pricey.

Last I checked, they are still pricey. I used to build guitars out of exotic woods and enjoyed working with walnut. Woodnut.com has some nice blanks for gunstock, but they are kind of pricey.

 

[ShadyStump]

If you know anything about wood working, or are inclined to learn and have some tools, I really am cool with sending a couple raw logs of the walnut I have access to for shipping costs. Just send me a PM. I can even see about cutting them down to starter size to shave off the weight.

I've been digging into wood working myself, just on hold for winter because I don't have an indoor workspace. If my cercocarpus ledifolium air layer made it through winter, I'm liking the idea of having bits of that for projects now and then, just like your maple there.

 

[dbonsaiw]

I really am cool with sending a couple raw logs of the walnut I have access to for shipping costs.

Proof yet again how awesome folks are on this site. As an FYI, the logs will have to be dried to a certain level prior to use in woodworking.

When it comes to woodworking, wood from various species is graded. For example, regular maple is not all that expensive relatively. Flamed maple, on the other hand, can get very pricey, especially if the flame is 5A graded - meaning exhibition grade wood. Same for quilted maples. The quilt/flame can be minor or it can be pervasive. The walnut on the site I referred are flamed and, therefore, rarer and more expensive. When finished, it has almost a hologram feel as it looks different as you move it. Redwood also can be flamed.

If you are interested in seeing some really funky pieces of wood, check out tonewood.com. Some of the pieces are on the thinner side as they are used for guitar tops, but it gives a good feel for just how wild and unique wood can be. You will need thicker stock for the gun.

 

[Gabler]

I’ve been experimenting with a black walnut; the leaves decreased somewhat after a hard root pruning and the resulting diminished branch growth. They were still huge. An effective walnut bonsai would need to be MASSIVE.

 

[ShadyStump]

Proof yet again how awesome folks are on this site. As an FYI, the logs will have to be dried to a certain level prior to use in woodworking.

When it comes to woodworking, wood from various species is graded. For example, regular maple is not all that expensive relatively. Flamed maple, on the other hand, can get very pricey, especially if the flame is 5A graded - meaning exhibition grade wood. Same for quilted maples. The quilt/flame can be minor or it can be pervasive. The walnut on the site I referred are flamed and, therefore, rarer and more expensive. When finished, it has almost a hologram feel as it looks different as you move it. Redwood also can be flamed.

If you are interested in seeing some really funky pieces of wood, check out tonewood.com. Some of the pieces are on the thinner side as they are used for guitar tops, but it gives a good feel for just how wild and unique wood can be. You will need thicker stock for the gun.

Thanks for the quick lesson. Still very new, and mostly looking for something to do with trees when I can't do bonsai. LOL
The wood I have is very dry already; the tree had been dead for years. I will say that it's quite solid- no rot, mold or fungus- but the occasional tiny worm/borer hole. Nothing presentation worthy, but good for that rugged look.

I’ve been experimenting with a black walnut; the leaves decreased somewhat after a hard root pruning and the resulting diminished branch growth. They were still huge. An effective walnut bonsai would need to be MASSIVE.

This is precisely what I expected to hear. Still, I imagine a fun project.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

With the price of lumber as high as it is, I am stacking knotholes for SHTF scenario.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

There are a number of species of walnut. The ones that are used for nuts and lumber are not acceptable for bonsai, but it might be worth looking into some of the more obscure species. Some of the desert growing species might have smaller leaves. Perhaps Juglans microcarpa? or some of the other desert walnuts. Check out the table near the bottom of the Wiki page on the species, and then explore from there if you would like walnut as bonsai.

Juglans - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Crazy Diamond]

There are a number of species of walnut. The ones that are used for nuts and lumber are not acceptable for bonsai, but it might be worth looking into some of the more obscure species. Some of the desert growing species might have smaller leaves. Perhaps Juglans microcarpa? or some of the other desert walnuts. Check out the table near the bottom of the Wiki page on the species, and then explore from there if you would like walnut as bonsai.

Juglans - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

There are some crazy folks that have tryed it but very low success with regular Walnut, this is probably the only decent attempt Ive seen

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

There are some crazy folks that have tryed it but very low success with regular Walnut, this is probably the only decent attempt Ive seen

Notice how big the walnut tree is, well over a meter tall. Each compound leaf serves as a stand in for a whole branch. The branching is fairly coarse, only a couple degrees of branching. The trunk looks "lumpy" like a segmented caterpillar, with poorly healed scars from previous chops. But I agree, that is the BEST walnut I have ever seen.

There are easier species of trees to work with.

 

[Frozentreehugger]

Only if it's still alive.

I was joking on the gunstock idea. Cut down a dead English walnut last summer, and have lots of wood left.
Though I've heard of black walnut adapting to more extreme conditions if you're growing. No experience growing them, but very familiar with the North American native varieties from my childhood out east. The leaves are huge for bonsai like English walnut, and I can't say how well they decrease.

I hate black walnut ugly tree makes a mess leaves and fruits little fury guys are digging the nuts into my pots all the time . One of the founders of my town . Was original founding member of the nut tree association of Ontario . 120 years ago so there is walnut everywhere . You think there would be more oak Anyway only the heart wood about 1/3 the trunk is black prized wood . And the best gunstocks are made from roots if huge trees Anybody want the forty footer on the border with my neighbour . Bring a backhoe . Free

 

[johnbaz]

Here's an old Webley Mk3 stock that is walnut, When I bought it the thing was black with muck (And age!), I only paid £20 for it and was amazed at the grain that showed up once stripped!, I used a tung based oil stock finish, It takes around ten days to finish the oil applications (One per day!).

I reckon the curley Maple would be best for guitar back and sides, How long would it take to grow the wee tree thick enough for a Dreadnought shaped back?


John

 

[Frozentreehugger]

Very nice . My knowledge of the walnut roots for guns . Came from a friend . Gun stock company paid lots to dig up his yard . Along with cut tree down

 

[dbonsaiw]

Check out woodnut.com. He has some beautiful stock.