New product: Radom wood grip reproductions

[Olle]

Originally Posted by DonVoigt

You are correct for sure Ollie; this is a project full of "snakes".
A lamination joint would be visible from the out side, but probably not too bad.
I'll condition the boards in my "gun room" inside for a couple weeks; then plane them; I do hope they are stable.

The three small boxes I bought and re-worked a year or so ago, were warped. Sanding them flat solved the lid/base fit problem, but made the cut outs too shallow. Had to re-cut the openings.
So I have had some "bad" experience with warping already.

I'm amazed at the two or three original long boxes I have handled, that the boxes are still flat and fit perfectly together.

I made a trial small box from really old oak from some piece of furniture to see how that would work, it was really stable. Made another from Teak which was also well cured and made a nice box-just too figured for a close reproduction.

Conditioning them is one key, and the longer the better. I don't trust any "kiln dried" wood, much of it seem to be "kiln dried" in a damp basement.

I try to leave the wood in the shop for a few weeks, unless I'm getting it from one of my trusted sources. Another thing I do is to seal the finished product with oil to prevent it from absorbing moisture again, and I suspect this could be the key to the survival of those old boxes. I have had good luck with Formby's, it penetrates well, dries fairly quick, and you can clear coat it after it's completely dry.