Beechwood Luger Grips

[G.T.]

Sometimes when discussing a certain topic, two different views of the same topic can become very confusing! In the threads above, the discussion of walnut sapwood and heartwood of the same (light) color, have been viewed as one and the same (mostly my fault!) Here is my view on the walnut heartwood... Old European Walnut, naturally grown in certain high, cold climates exhibits a grain structure, density and color that cannot be reproduced by todays tree farming methods! The color in this type of walnut can run from a white blond to almost black, although the most common colors are brown, brown/red...these utilitarian woods usually show little or no figure, with an occasional piece, or run of parts, showing some figure, and once in a great while, a beautifully figured piece turns up....I don't believe the people who used this wood made any distinction between light and dark, or, plain and figured wood! But I do believe they were very critical when selecting clear, dense blanks with no voids or flaws....for this wood, (the type Johnny is talking about!) there is absolutely no replacement, and absolutely no supplement!


Walnut sapwood on the other hand, (what I have seen!) is usually quite light, generally white,...and depending on the age and cut of the blank, can be quite dense...do I think they used this type of wood? Probably not on purpose, and definitly not if they had a large supply of top grade wood to work with...but, there are always exceptions, if the sapwood was part of a large dimensional blank, or if they were low on stock, or if they were desperate for parts....they would use it with out blinking an eye! But, I do not feel the light colored grips and mag. bottoms are sapwood...I feel that they are light colored (stained)walnut, or as I said earlier, in some instances, beech....I hope this makes this a little clearer, and I apoligize for any misinformation I may have stated with my theories!!! till...later...G.T.