Quote:
Originally Posted by Sieger
...
PS: Quite a lot of very nice furniture was made, in the 1920s, of Quartered Oak, so I really can't believe this material isn't strong enough for practical use.
|
Sieger, it is not that the material isn't strong enough, for floors and furniture it wears like iron and sands smooth and finishes beautifully, but for gunstocks that might be used in combat conditions, especially bayonet hand to hand type combat, Oak is a hard
but brittle wood, and can shatter if stressed the wrong way at the wrong place.
"Softer" and more flexible hardwoods like walnut, beech, ash, and maple bend more than they break... that is why they were primary used for gunstocks, especially rifle stocks.
...and when you see antique or even modern bent wood furniture, you can bet that the "bent" parts like chair backs, are usually made of Ash, while the other "curved" parts are actually sawn in that shape, or laminated (for strength or to hold a shape) will be made of Oak.