Quote Originally Posted by nekshot View Post
I really like the idea of cedar but it must be clear of knots.
There are two types of wood that are generically known as "cedar." One is a coarse-grained red or reddish-brown wood, "true" cedar. The other is actually juniper; that's the stuff with red, orange, and yellow stripes and a bit finer grain than true cedar.

Juniper is a bit stronger than cedar, finishes out a bit smoother, and the dramatic coloring is impressive. It also smells more like cedar than real cedar does... but juniper trees aren't very big, and the way the branches grow, the trunks are full of tiny knots, seldom more than a hand's width apart. And since the trees are small, you have to work with center-cut wood instead of quarter-sawn.

My Dad had a woodworking business and used to make chests, boxes, and furniture out of juniper; he simply filled any cracks in the knots and ignored them. His customers didn't seem to care either.

According to the tables I found online, juniper is on the low end of the scale, strength-wise, but in line with some of the woods stocks are normally made of. You probably wouldn't want to make a featherweight or Magnum stock out of juniper.

I picked up an baulk of cedar at a sawmill two years ago, intending to make a stock for my own SKS out of it. But Real Life(tm) has been intrusive lately, so I haven't done anything further. I plan to deal with the knots like my Dad; just fill and ignore.