Thought I'd toss out a question for a rainy day here in the East.

What's been your favorite topics on the Rendezvous here? What would you enjoy seeing more of?

Gary

Gary,

I like reading about how they work. But I realize you can't let to much out of the bag. So that's been covered about as far you can go.

I also like the wood aspect. All the way from how you pick a chunk from the dealer to how you finish them out in leafs and stains. A lot of decisions are made in each little step and I enjoy that. I have a background from the tree stand point. And enjoy seeing the other in of the process. Dory

Hi Dory,

I like to buy planks that have been air dried. I search out small sawmills and millwork outfits that will deal with me on a personal basis, and let me pick thru their inventory. The one I use most (don't ask) is a family outfit. They have large warehouse sheds and buildings where monster stacks of planks are stored. They let me pick thru them (I don't know why). I sometimes arrive during their lunch break (when the whole mill shuts down, and they have a group lunch - more of a feast it seems).

So, while they eat, I poke around these piles of planks. Seperated by species. I'll crawl up to the top of the stacks - often right under the roof, and start shifting planks from one stack to another. I go thru many, many tons of planks ... looking for he tell tale signs of grain, figure, and color. The planks are rough sawn, so you can't see what's there ... you have to sence alot of it. The "fuzz" from figure shown where end grain presents. The regular curl of fiddleback. The swirls. The butt log sections where most good grain will reside. It's something I learned in the early 70's - as a cabinet maker.

The planks I want, I shift to the floor - far below. Stand them on end. I get some planks from the sheds outside. I get some from stacks in the open air (although ... those are mostly in the process of being shifted around when I catch them outside). Sometimes, I ask them to move a stack for me ... and they'll shift a mountain of stuff, to reveal more access.

I do the best I can - often there's a couple of blanks in an otherwise plank of "wood". I take the good with the plain. My shop's full of the more plain sorted thru pcs., and the stuff which had grain on one side ... but sapwood on the other, etc. I do my best.

Many will already have asked ... "why bother?" Why not just dial up "MrWood.com" or some such? Well, for access, independance, and to try to make a buck off of this trade. There's not so much as many think ... after considering the hours.

Anyway ... I stand up my planks, and one of the elders of the men comes back and sizes them up. He does this in a heartbeat. He has a stick, which he quickly judges width by. I buy the planks by the "board foot". One board foot is 1" thick, by 12" wide, by 12" long. Any combination can yield that unit. Thus ... a board 1" thick, by 6" wide ... needs to be 2 feet long to make one board foot. The same, a board 12" wide, and only 6" long, can be one board foot ... if it's 2" thick. The fellow will judge the board feet of the planks, and then compute (by species) the price per species. I'll head to the office, and pay.

I then load the truck, drive home, and begin sorting the wood. I do my best to judge the blanks, in the raw plank form. I cut them, and tun them thru the planer. At this time, I smile, or set them aside in the "wood" pile. Sometimes, I smile very wide ... because I've "done well".

Going thru all of my planks, rough cutting, examining, and milling them ... is a huge job. Once done, I grade them. I paint the end grain of all the blanks to seal the end grain, and stabalize the blank. Next (if having a stock sale) I photograph each side of each blank. I serial number them, and put them on the net for the group who have seemed interested. Once purchased, I mark the customer's name on the painted edge, and store them inside in my shop. They wait for their steel action to be complete, before I start working the wood. The stock is the last thing I do on a gun.

Since so many enjoy wood discussions, I'll also post this as a seperate topic.

Gary

We had a bunch of logs cut up at my Dad's farm for farm lumber several years ago. I've had this walnut slab laying in the barn loft, probably 20 years. He has a 24" planer, I need to plane it and send you some pictures and see if it's worthy of being attached to a Barnes. Dory

All of them...???

I know that doesnt help.... but the atmosphere around here is so laid back that everything we've discussed had added to my knowledge base. Kind alike hanging around the camp fire and letting the discussion go where it may....

More of? Theory. Specificaly? um, er, springs, for propulsion, in valves,, stock ergonomics and erognomics in general (I think a lot of why folks dont shoot is that they dont have a gun fit them in LOP, the way the sights lien up to there eys etc), open sights, triggers.....what kind of coffee we all drink....

Maxwell Master Blend. Nothing but the exotics for me. hahah.

I've horrified my customers for decades, by my satisfaction with simple "diner coffee". Doesn't have to picked by Monks or aged in stacks of $100 bills for me. Just a good cuppa mellow roast ... not terribly strong either. I don't drink it for a test of endurance.

There ya go! I think I need a cup now.

Gary

Maxwell Master Blend

Brewed the way you like it, and your palette will think it was picked by Monks and aged in big bills.

Coffee and beer, proof the Creator loves us!

haha ... I also must admit ... I disappoint everyone by using a simple $15 drip coffee maker. Quick, easy, dependable, when it breaks, I open another. hehe. And, the shame deepens ... I ONLY buy the ones that do NOT shut off the burner after 2 hours. What a horrible thing, to come in to find a coffee pot ... 2/3 rds full .... and STONE COLD. Why ... it breaks yer little heart!!

So ... we let it simmer. It's on from 7am to midnight. haha. We've even been known to "fluff up" a pot of coffee. Add more water, and another scoop of grounds to a pot that brewed first two hours ago!!! Oh ... I can hear ya gagging and coughing in the back row there! haha.

Ahhh ... nothing like it.

Gary

Hi Dan,

I'm glad to see a few people mention the "lack of stress" around here. That's why we went to the trouble of starting this forum. I'm pleased that it's working so well. We've all had alot of things to share, for many years; but needed a civilized place to do it. This works.

You mentioned "Springs". Please be more specific. Start a new thread. I'll jump in.

Gary

Like posters before me said technical questions and things...

I like (very) large airguns which have special touch; just like Justice, Woodsman... Well, most of Barnes big bores are just like that.

One gun which I really like too see here in forum topic is Nautilus.. fascinating PCP.


This forum is great addition to usual airgun forums, because of great topics and friendly atmosphere.

Here's a pic of Julio and the Nautilus from the Mississippi shoot back in October. He's at the smallbore range using shooting sticks, at targets between 20 and 80 yards. Neat rifle.

-- Jim



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/03/2009 06:39PM by Jim.

That's a very nice gun. Hey - you're good at finding your pics too. I have a heck of a time finding stuff (maybe cause there's tens of thousands of them ... haha).

That gun does things with 2,000 psi that most everything else can't do at all.

Gary

Thanks Bud,

We're glad to have you. Real glad you are enjoying it.

Gary

I want to learn how to we make a gun and what we need to create a airgun? and also ? want to learn system of trigger... How it has regulate teh air to push the pallets. so many things we want to learn....

Well, is that all?

If you are already an experenced machinist, with a full machine shop; it shouldn't take more than a few years to hit the high spots and get you started.

Gary

I really, really, REALLY like seeing people shooting their Barnes guns.

I also like posts about accuracy and long-range groups; Neil's excellent contributions come to mind.

But I must say that my most favorite topic so far in this forum's short history was last week's in-depth discussion of the high-speed photography capturing .177 pellet impacts on various targets. It appealed to me as it related to airguns; as I'm a bit of a hack wanna-be photographer; and it certainly touched my "inner geek." In fact, I've already bought my own flash unit off of eBay, and plan to order the flash controller shortly to start taking my own pix! Also nice, as well, was the fact that many folks contributed to the discussion, and it was a really good thread.

Onward and forward! I'm glad folks are finding this interactive extension of Gary's work useful.

-- Jim



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/03/2009 06:29PM by Jim.

Jim,

I have read that someone was using tinfoil sheets with wire leads to fire the strobe. They placed the sheets in front of the target seperated by say 1/8" so the bullet would pass through both but complete the trigger circuit.

Ever hear of that type of strobe trigger?

Lon

Hmmmmm . . . interesting. Is lead a conductor?

-- Jim

Jim,

I think the theory is the bullet pushes one sheet into the other completing the circuit, here's a forum discussion, see "canonloader":
[photography-on-the.net]

All of it. Seeing the practical, and now, courtesy of another thread, hearing the theory. All good for the likes of me!
Cheers
Neil

I think I like the personal narratives best, showing how and where and when people use their airguns and other tools. To be honest, I don't think there's been a post here that I DIDN'T like, but then I'm not that picky about free entertainment either. It beats the heck out of a bunch of teeny-boppers-at-heart discussing the intricacies of "Dancing with the Lost American Idol Survivors" or whatever the latest "reality"- drivel on TV is, for sure.

I also get really tired of the continual partisan head-bashing on the more political forums, and the unwritten arcane rules of the flame wars on other airgun threads. I also like seeing older versions of Gary's work out there in the sunshine, driving lead downrange. It makes me anticipate the day when I'LL be the one pulling the trigger. : )

Right now I'm wondering where the heck Julio got that fancy-pants scope mount. Did you whip that one out when I wasn't looking, Gary?

Julio is very handy ....

Gary,

Gun construction, shooting shack episodes and Jerry's videos.

Not to diminish any other contributions, these are my personal favorites.

Lon

Thanks Lon! I was wondering if the videos would make anyone's list.

Jerry,

The high speed stuff is gold! You don't know how many times I have wanted to run over to yellow with that stuff, but I wait to see if you will and when you don't I figure there must be a reason.

Lon,

I have no problem with anyone posting links on the Yellow. I don't put the stuff up there myself just because I figure it's a waste 99.9% of the time. I've posted links there a couple of times in reply to a specific comment and I probably will again but I stopped putting original content there when it was just recieved with contempt and rudeness. I think there has been a noticeable effort to improve the tone there but I've not gone back to posting yet.

Jerry,

I agree with the way it's received but speculate it's due to jealousy and the fact that it shatters popular myths that some people hold dear about us.

Technical stuff and videos are my favorite subjects. I like to think I know my way round a knock open valve, and have had the fun of designing them from the floor up. But its always good to hear other peoples take on them.
And where would we be without the 'Jerry Videos' that he and his boys knock up for us!!