Can you tell anything about this piece of wood?

[Anthony Diodati]

Walnut, "Gun Stock" He is asking $100.00 ,price don't seem bad, but it's 2 hours ,about 100 miles each way.
I enlarged the picture, note the crack starting at the left end, and above where I have highlighted, looks like the crack extends along my highlight. I sent him my picture, but he says, he thinks it's a "surface crack" (Never heard of, or have seen that). Looks like a few knots, said to be nice grain, but hard to tell from the photo.I
asked him if I could bring a hand-plane and clean an area up, not heard back yet.
With my car, I am looking at about $20.00 worth of gas each way, Up to $140.00, so still debating.
Waiting to hear back from another possible source, who is closer.

[Reed Gray]

I think that the gun stock makers prefer air dried wood, and for a bunch of years, not 2 or 3. The visible crack could extend far into the wood, and surface cracks may only go in a short way, but there usually seems to be a 'weakness' in the area. I would not trust it to remain crack free, and would design around it, totally removing it. I would not call it prime gunstock material as I can see no figure in it. Straight grain, clear black walnut goes for $10 a board foot, and there is 27 bf. there. If I was headed to the area, and/or had errands to run near by, I would at least stop and look at it, but driving all the way there just to get it, I would probably pass.

robo hippy

[David DeCristoforo]

Looks to me like an old walnut plank. Nothing exciting about it and certainly not prime "gun stock material". For a hundred bucks? You gotta be kidding!

[Tim Leiter]

+1 what David said.
Tim.

[Jamie Donaldson]

You would have to be hard pressed to justify any such $100 price for such a common piece of walnut! Don't you have any tree trimmers in your area?

[Fred Perreault]

The plank doesn't seem to be particularly impressive grain, there are numerous blemishes/knots, a large crack that looks full depth on the butt end, it's a 100 mile drive, and it's overpriced. Probably not a good choice for much, but worth more than firewood.

[Donny Lawson]

I've got a bunch of walnut planks that look like that. Man, I could be rich.lol Overpriced to me in my opinion. Gunstocks need to have good figure in the grain. With that piece in the rough stage you cannot see the actual grain. I would probally pass on that one.

[Anthony Diodati]

OK well thanks guys, Yeah, I wondered how he thought the grain was all nice, when you really couldn't see it cause of the rough saw marks.
I did see at least 5 or 6 knots too.
So that does look like a crack all the way where I have highlighted?
Yeah, if it was close, it might be worth it to at least look at it.......but it is not close.

[Bill Bulloch]

It's hard to tell what the grain looks like without plaining, but at $3.70 a board foot I say that's a DEAL. Even with the crack you should be able to get several gun stocks out of it.

[Jason Clark2]

If its 12" wide and 3" thick then the thickness would be 1/4 the width. This does not appear to be true. Either it's 3" thick and significantly wider than 12" or (more likely) it's 12" wide and significantly thinner than 3".

Either way I'd pass.

Jason

[Anthony Diodati]

No, he showed a picture with a ruler on the edge, 3" according to the picture. Tomorrow the ad is 1 month old.
Still, I'm looking at $40.00 gas round trip. I wrote him and told him I was going to pass for now.
He did tell me It was OK to plane it down to inspect it.

How would you like to have these 2 logs for $200.00

If its 12" wide and 3" thick then the thickness would be 1/4 the width. This does not appear to be true. Either it's 3" thick and significantly wider than 12" or (more likely) it's 12" wide and significantly thinner than 3".

Either way I'd pass.

Jason

[Bernie Weishapl]

I got two logs bigger than that from my tree trimmer and it cost me a bowl. As Jamie said check with your tree trimmers and also check with your local power company, your city power, land fill, etc. I wouldn't even touch that piece for $100. Would cost you $150 with gas and probably more if you count your time.

[Anthony Diodati]

those are good suggestions. Things and people just seem to be tight around here. I work for the DOT, and asked a lot of the road workers, and they give me replies like "The Guys fight over the wood" (Firewood) or they say OK, but you never see it.
One guy I worked with, his parents cut down a walnut tree, and sold it to some Amish guys, and he didn't even want to give me a foot of it.
I have an ad going in the "Green Tab" looking for a few small logs, and I put the same on craigs list.
This area is tough. Then if you want to sell anything, you practically have to give it away.
No, I told the "gunstock" guy l was going to pass.

[Scott Hackler]

Ask the local tree trimmers about the limb, crotches. The firewood folks generally don't want them because they can't split them and that is where the figure is we covet for turning wood.

Also look for a local tree and limb dump. I get quite a bit of logs from our local limb dump.

I search around at estate sales for various stuff and have bought a bunch of old walnut planks.... For no more than $10 each. There are a lot of old woodworkers out there that had hoarded tons of good wood. When they pass away, the family sometimes will have an estate sale. Noone goes to these sales looking in the garage or shop for dry wood, so bargains for us!

[Anthony Diodati]

I am supposed to be getting some Walnut in a few weeks, There are 5 pieces, he said 16" to 20" long, and 8" to 10" wide, and 3 plus inches thick, all for about $75.00. I thought that sounded pretty good. (Considering what you pay on e bay, and at Woodcraft and Rockler) They are going to be pretty dry too, I think he said about 15%.
If you ever dealt with "logbuyer" on e bay, that's who it is. He is not too far from me. He did not want to sell it as green as it was.
I think he said it was around 35%.
Also, not sure where in Pittsburgh he is yet, but I can get 4 feet off of this slab for $125.00.
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/mat/3486554102.html
Not a very good picture either though.