• Hey All! Lately there has been more and more scammers on the forum board. They register and replies to members requests for guns and/or parts or other things. The reply contains a gmail or hotmail address or similar ”anonymous” email addresses which they want you to reply to. DO NOT ANSWER ANY STRANGE MESSAGES! They often state something like this: ”Hello! Saw your post about purchasing a stock for a Safari. KnuckleheadBob has one. Email him at: [email protected]” If you receive any strange messages: Check the status of whoever message you. If they have no posts and signed up the same day or very recently, stay away. Same goes for other members they might refer to. Check them too and if they are long standing members, PM them and ask if the message is legit. Most likely it’s not. Then use the report function in each message or post so I can kick them out! Beware of anything that might seem fishy! And again, for all of you who registered your personal name as username, please contact me so I can change it to a more anonymous username. You’d be surprised of how much one can find out about a person from just a username on a forum such ad our! All the best! And be safe! Jim

Type of birch used in early sako stocks

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

Pics of birch in front of a kiln would be awesome!!! Kiln drying gunstock blanks is not done with the thick walnut blanks as they will crack & check, at least in a conventional kiln. They all are air dried for many years depending on the climate. I wonder if birch has characteristics that allow kiln drying of thick slabs or the kiln process they use is different? Could this be the high temp kiln drying I've heard about & possibly be the "flame hardening" I've heard mentioned? Blackjack, I wonder if your sister-in-law could get any info from the mill near her where she bought the blanks? Can't wait to see pics of them!!
 
+1 here, TopGear. Outstanding topic here guys, the reason why this forum is so good and why I keep coming back !

thanks,
DeerGoose
 
If you haven't gone to the website from which the photos came that Topgear posted you simply must do so! Type "Sako" in the search box and you'll get several dozen of this series, all apparently taken on the same day in 1941. While the vast majority of the people pictured in the photos are long dead and gone, some of the women (who were mostly working in ammunition manufacturing) were only in their teens or twenties at the time and there are probably a few of them still living. That's a bit mind-boggling to think of. Don't you wish we could find some of them to hear their memories of that time?
 
What a great thread Guys,
TG your ability to find photos and info is unreal!
Can i add some thoughts on the colours and dark bands that appear on some stocks.
A few more thought on the some comments above about the colour bands.
Could it be attributed to which season the tree was harvested in, late or early in season, and also the process of drying that was used. The growth season would be very short for these trees so alot has to happen quickly. As the lumber is dried the moisture would be drawn out, leaving perhaps a sap residue or Tannin staining.
I bet we have all been guilty of sawing some lumber and leaving the saw dust on the concrete drive over night, only to see staining the next day when we sweep up.
Thanks to all that have contributed, fantastic topic!


L-46
 
Birch stocks
23476847_1478931662155684_690966691_n.jpg
 
Hello FW 71, What a beautiful Birch stock & Forend. What gun are they from? Talking about Beech - B.S.A. & Webley & Scott used Beech to stock many of their air - rifles from the 1950's & 60's. We must get to the bottom of this flame scorching Birch stocks! As I said some time ago, the selebrated American Hal Hartley who stocked manley in Maple often used the flame scorching method on his stocks. In his very detailed book from the 1950's he describes how he does the flame - scorching process. I would imagine that the same process can be carried out on Birch stocks!

Blackjack
 
Good Evening Sako Lovers,

I own a Winchester Model 1892 { Take Down } in 25 -20 WCF made in 1895. I read recently that Winchester used Walnut on these Model 1892's up to approx 1900. Because there was a huge Walnut shortage in the USA around 1900 Winchester then began using " Gum Wood " Mine luckily is Walnut! So what is Gum wood? By the way Winchester used Gum wood there after until the end of production in 1942 on their Model 1892's.

Blackjack
 
Good Evening Sako Lovers,

I own a Winchester Model 1892 { Take Down } in 25 -20 WCF made in 1895. I read recently that Winchester used Walnut on these Model 1892's up to approx 1900. Because there was a huge Walnut shortage in the USA around 1900 Winchester then began using " Gum Wood " Mine luckily is Walnut! So what is Gum wood? By the way Winchester used Gum wood there after until the end of production in 1942 on their Model 1892's.

Blackjack
Gunwood is most of the time sweetgun. Scar the tree and a gum resin will form in the wound. As a kid we would try chewing this gum- might add was difficult to clean from your teeth later. Gum tree lumber twist and will split easily. Until a few years ago, we bulldozed the trees as they were considered worthless and noxious. Now they are as valuable as pine in like sizes. I would not want a gun stock of this material. Currently used in plywood for cabinets and the like.
 
Hello Tomball,

You refer to the lumber as Gunwood, where as the article I read referred to Winchester using Gum Wood on the 1892 Model after 1900. Is Gunwood and Gumwood the same species? I don' think Gum Wood had any " Figure " in the wood.

Blackjack
 
Hello Tomball,

You refer to the lumber as Gunwood, where as the article I read referred to Winchester using Gum Wood on the 1892 Model after 1900. Is Gunwood and Gumwood the same species? I don' think Gum Wood had any " Figure " in the wood.

Blackjack
Auto correct is my nemesis, should have been gum not gunwood. Gumwood has little figure and is a white wood but it will stain very well. I recently sold several truck loads from my farm that went to plywood mill for processing.
 
Hello Tomball,

You refer to the lumber as Gunwood, where as the article I read referred to Winchester using Gum Wood on the 1892 Model after 1900. Is Gunwood and Gumwood the same species? I don' think Gum Wood had any " Figure " in the wood.

Blackjack
Win started using Gumwood on their 1892 & 1894 (carbines only) just after 1900, probably around 1904 + or- a couples years & stopped using it in the early 1920's. It weighs about 1/3 less than walnut. It can be finished to look like other woods, like walnut, & takes water based stains very deep into the grain. With good figure it can be finished to look like fine Circassian walnut. You won't see it affect the price of the nicer collectable Wins all that much, but if given the choice most Win collectors will pick the Walnut. If the truth be known, there are a lot of Win owners out there that don't even know they have a Gumwood stock. Most often it is only detected after the finish is severely worn away. Blackjack, if your rifle is from that era & it has a walnut stock, then I'll bet it is NOT a carbine but a rifle model. It was also used as a furniture & cabinet wood as it can be quite beautiful. There are around a dozen subspecies found in over 3o States here in the USA, mostly in the southeast region. Not sure which one was used for gunstocks.
 
Good Morning Paul,

Thanks for the further information on Winchester and Gum Wood. Yes you are right about my Model 1892 being a rifle model. I recently posted photo's of my Sako L46 - 6,3 X 33 R and my Winchester Model 1892 in .25 - 20 WCF calibre. The photo's are on the heading 6, 3 X 33R. My Winchester 1892 is a round barrel full length magazine { Take Down } Serial Number 130455 which came out of production in 1895, so only just a year after the .25 - 20 WCF had been introduced. The rifle has the shotgun type steel butt plate with a { widows peak } which I prefer to the " Cresent " style type, and is in VGC for the year in which It was made. The Sako L46 - 6,3 X 33R is also in VGC for the year It came out of production on October 1st 1949.

Blackjack
 
Early Sako birch stocks with rich figure may be painted by blownpipe and stain. Wood is totaly white.
 
Hello! I’ve just finished my construction. I needed a large amount of high-quality plywood. I read the reviews and decided to order from these guys
www plyterra. com The quality of plywood is just excellent and the price is reasonable. In general, I was very pleased. I advise it to everyone!
 
Good Afternoon Lovers Of Sako Rifles,
We really have had a great discussion regarding Birch, Gum, Beech, Walnut and other timber. My 1983 IBANEZ ROADSTAR 2 SERIES guitar is advertised as having a Gumwood neck! which is very plain & light in colour. Now we have also heard from Urbo in Finland that Artic Birch is all " White " with no figure or colour. Others have said that some Birch is figured and others have said that there is " NO " figure at all. Have we really answered the dilema of Birch Wood? Do you only have figured Birch by " Flame Scorching " or is all Birch Plane Jane's? Come on Sako Lovers lets get to the bottom of this confusing issue!
Blackjack
 
Back
Top