?For our wood workers here wormy American Chestnut

[Firebricker]

I am not a wood worker by any means but I wound up buying a fair amount of wormy Chestnut that has been rough cut and in dry storage over forty years. Most of it is 4"to6" wide 3"to4" thick and 7'to8' long. Would this be any good for a custom rifle stock maker? And does anybody have an idea on the going rate for it. Or its best use? Thanks in advance,FB

[square butte]

Chestnut is not considered to be one of the primary gunstock woods - and although some have, it is mostly not used for gunstocks.

[shooter93]

The market for wormy Chestnut is spotty. It's used as flooring, sometimes a wainscoting and sometimes certain furniture depending. The thickness you have is the killer for those applications though as most is done with 4 or 5 quarter wood. I doubt it's use for a gun stock your best bet may be to run an ad locally in hopes a wood worker wants it. Pricing might not be high because you're most likely to have amateurs calling as opposed to a cabinet shop. A quick google will give you a list of suppliers to check prices with.

[Newboy]

Chestnut wood is hard to find nowadays, since the trees are all but extinct. I would sell it for cabinetmaking.

[labradigger1]

I made a stock for a rem 788 22-2550 from wormy chestnut once. Made a very pretty stock, finished it with tung oil. Chestnut is a very light, straight grained and easily tooled wood.
Would i do another? Nope, to soft and to light.
Lab

[Janoosh]

Between @1920-@1945, Chestnut was used for the frames and cushions (bumpers) of pool tables. Majority of the frames were veneered (@1/16 thick) with a more expensive wood. Naturally...not the parts made from rubber. Very common with tables made in NY as opposed to Poplar used by others.

[jsizemore]

A cabinet or furniture maker can resaw and book match the wood. I refurbished a library in a private home made from wormy chestnut. I got lucky and found some extra in the attic. The first bow front window I had the oppurtunity to work on inside and out.

You might try contacting Don Stith. He makes benchrest stocks from some lightweight non-traditional woods. www.donstith.com (http://www.donstith.com)

[Janoosh]

NYS will give you disease free trees for planting. If you're on the Forestry Program, the trees are free. The trees will be harvestable in about 40 years.... LOL. .

[RickinTN]

Even if it were a suitable wood for gunstocks I don't think your boards are wide enough. The thickness and length is good, but I don't think a width of even the 6" leaves enough to work with except maybe in a very petite stock.
Rick

[Firebricker]

Thanks,Guys for the replies I did some google search and learned a little but trust the knowledge of people here.
labradigger, That is good to know because one of the thoughts was to cut two of the wider pieces for stocks for me and my nephew but I am just not a woodworker but have great admiration for the someone with the patience and skill to make a perfectly fit stock.

Janoosh, That is cool my research showed nothing about pool tables mainly furniture but did see some musical instruments that were beautiful.

Jsizemoor, I will give that guy a try you never know it might be the new "thing" it is certainly worth checking out. And as it stands I am going to work in Utah in September and I am considering driving so might even be able to deliver for a serious buyer.

Rick, I see your point I have some wide enough but as you point some will be to narrow. My first thought was cut out blanks that way a could sell them one at a time and easy to ship but I still would have all the other narrow ones. Which will probably sell better with the whole lot.

One of the reasons this is a great site is because you can ask a question and get good information and from all over the country or world for that matter. I was not really in the market for wood at all but got it fair and am hoping to make a little profit to help cover the everything else I bought lol. Thanks again,FB

[fecmech]

If it is in fact American Chestnut it's worth about $20/bd ft. I almost burned a bunch of it when we remodeled our old stone home. Luckily a friend told me what I had and I had it made into flooring and facia for our loft and windowsills. Left over scraps were made into this bench. Ours was attic floor planks anywhere from 12-15" wide and 1 1/4" thick. Pretty wood I think.

[richbug]

That looks like Sassafras to me.

[jsizemore]

If it is in fact American Chestnut it's worth about $20/bd ft. I almost burned a bunch of it when we remodeled our old stone home. Luckily a friend told me what I had and I had it made into flooring and facia for our loft and windowsills. Left over scraps were made into this bench. Ours was attic floor planks anywhere from 12-15" wide and 1 1/4" thick. Pretty wood I think.

Very nice!

[KAF]

A cabinet company near me will make cabinets from Wormy chestnut. The only way it can be had is normally reclaimed.
A pallet 4' sq and 4' high costs around $4K, and it is smaller pieces. IF I had what you had I'd find a wood seller and make a deal, you have some big bucks in hand.

[KAF]

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/wormy-chestnut/

[Firebricker]

Thanks for the replies ! I think I will do ok based on what you guys have said especially since it is all as it was timbered it is not reclaimed so that should help. And after looking at fecmechs pictures if it does not sell I will sit on it till I can afford to have it made into furniture. I also bought some redwood 2x4s and I am thinking about making some patio furniture with it. FB

[Firebricker]

I sorted measured and inventoried each piece today so it is under roof on slats for air to circulate. Tomorrow I will pick up the truck load of walnut and stop at my friends counter top shop and plane a piece to get a good look at the grain. If it looks really good I will make three stock blanks out of it and sell or keep the rest of it. FB

[Firebricker]

I went and got my other truck load of lumber today. Now I have gunstock material ! Huge walnut timbers that have been in storage for as long as the chestnut. When I get a piece planed I will post a picture if the grain looks good. Thanks again for the help. FB