Quality Hardware w/ cherry (wood)stock

I'm a new member and wanted to share pics of my 1943 Quality Hardware carbine, Serial # is 465xxxx. The stock is made of Cherry and marked Q - RMC in the sling well and has a QH cartouche. I have been unable to find a cherry hand guard (still looking) but have a walnut one marked Q - RMC . It has a very clean Underwood barrel dated 11-43. The barrel band is marked "U" but all other parts are correctly marked for Quality Hardware.
One shot includes my CMP M1D for which I have all packing material /box/ paperwork.

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We know that Rock Ola made stocks from Cherry. Most that have shown up are like yours a Type II Oval cut Hi-Wood. Rock Ola made your Quality stock.

Is it cherry.......... I'd say no. It's a beauty and I'd say Walnut because it has the heavy grain lines we find mostly in Eastern Walnut. By taking off the Buttplate, taking out the oiler, or scratching inside the slides op well you look for a PINK SALMON color.

Here's a link to a old post by friend Dbarn with his Cherry stock. His pictures have timed out, but I'm sure when he sees this he'll repost pics. Read some of the links provided that note the Ray Flecking commonly found in Cherry.


Types of wood used in original production

And here is the first WRA stock I've seen made of Cherry....
It's a great example of how closed off or tight the grain is on American Black Cherry. Compare the full size picture of this stock to the grain/color of yours.....

Winchester Cherry Stock

HTH,
Charlie-painter777

Now you have me wondering. I was told it was Cherry, and to my naked eye thought it was Cherry also (a few years ago). But then again I just had cataract surgery this month LOL.

I have purchased several walnut handguard... and none of the wood appeared to be close to this stock. Also had two different walnut stocks that shared no similarities to this one. The grain and color was different.

Here is a picture of under the butt plate (lightly sanded)

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It's Eastern Black Walnut. You could always throw "Possible Cherry" in the discussion ;-).
Finding Hand guards that match perfectly is a on going battle for all of us.
Yours looks to match really close in the picture with it laying horizontal above the slingwell markings picture.

Many stocks I repair and strip come down to.... Does it need to be stained? Or left natural because of the different colors. Some are still so dark after being stripped that I have to use a 2 part Painters Wood Bleach solution on them to lighten them up. When stripped some are really on the dark side and some really light, all depends on the wood and the cut. In fact not all WWII carbine stocks were stained. Some makers only tinted the Tung Oil... Yes... Tung Oil. Lumb made stocks were dipped in a tinted Tung Oil bath to color them.

This is just a guess on my part, but I believe your stock may have been refinished at one time. Possible they used a Red Cherry or Red Mahogany type of color. Possible it was based with a type of Red, then gone over with a darker type Brown/Walnut. Again just a guess while looking over pics on a computer. Either way anyone owing a carbine and especially a early QHMC would love to own it.

A few pictures for you.
Trying to show different grain lines and colors. Granted these pics weren't taken for this reason, but hope they'll help.

HTH,
Charlie-painter777

P.S. Where is Waverly located? I have friends and Family in Nashville, Brentwood, Hendersonville and Goodletsville.

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Hey Charlie,

Ten stocks on the table, only 8 handguards. What's with that? :yikes:

Charlie--

Thanks for the assistance in identifying the wood--and I went through many handguards before I found a Q-RMC one that matched that well.

Waverly is about 60 miles west of Nashville on US 70. Been to Brentwood several times for auctions. Again--Thanks

Quote:

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Originally Posted by combattracker

The barrel band is marked "U" but all other parts are correctly marked for Quality Hardware.

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Are you thinking it should be unmarked, marked "QU" or maybe "UI"? I've got an S'G' that has a "U" band on it (shown below) and according to most of the books, should be unmarked. I don't think it's ever been changed, so believe it came that way. Union Hardware supplied bands to a number of prime contractors, so I think it's reasonable that "U" marked bands made their way onto a lot of original carbines from several makers. I wouldn't be concerned at all about the "U" marked band, as long as it looks like it came that way.:thup: - Bob

Attachment 29063

Welcome to the site, please enjoy.

You have a very beautiful carbine there. In fact quite a nice combo. :)

Bob--thanks for the info on Union Hardware. I looked again with a magnifying glass and it appears that it has a well marked U just like yours but what also looks like an I that is very lightly impressed next to the U. It doesn't appear to have ever been changed,

Bill-- thanks for the welcome and compliments. Don

It's Walnut....other that that egregious butt plate screw head, it's a beauty.:D
Regards, Rick.

Here's a few photos of the 4.5 Rock that Charlie mentioned earlier. It's definitely not birch or walnut and has been diagnosed as wild cherry cut across the grain, though recently at least one "expert" is of the opinion it's padauk. Wherever there's a scratch or scuffed area, exhibits a orange or salmon color. hth.

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So Rock-ola was importing African wood during the war? I really like that Cherry stock.
Thanks David

Cherry is a very fine grain, can almost be scratched with your fingernail, It will dent very very easily.
American Cherry Wood Stair Tread - $33.72 : Country Mouldings
This is a good example of natural cherry.
Below is a Cherry stock I have. Close to the look of Birch but has Character and depth to the wood. and lacks the
tiger stripe effect that shows up on birch in some places.The stock below has been stained with Alcohol Stain, when
removed it resembled the Moulding from the above link.

And Dbarn that is a fine walnut stock you have also. I have a SA garand that was cut from the same tree.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by FTD1167

And Dbarn that is a fine walnut stock you have also. I have a SA garand that was cut from the same tree.

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Thanks for the comment, but it looks nothing like any other walnut stocked carbine I have in the collection. Some folks have also suggested Mahogany, but it does not have the orange or salmon color and does not have the open grain. From what I've read cherry will darken with sunlight. The slingwell still shows the pinkish/orange salmon color.

It has also been suggested the wood has been dyed red, but if that were the case, the slingwell would have also been dyed. Here's another shot of the slingwell taken vertically.

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My older brother has made Shaker Furniture for 15 years, If you hold a piece of cherry in your hand one time, or run a plane down the length of a board. You will know what cherry is.
Its like the way a mechanic knows a Small block Chevy and VW engine, How does he know? He just knows, take his word for it.
Here are some good full length pics in a stack, notice no open grain, that is what gives yours away is the open grain.
Cherry 4/4 Craft Pack: 10 Board Feet Shipped to You! Lowest Price, Highest Quality for your wood working needs from Woodworkers Source
If you don't take my word for it, sign up on a woodworking forum and ask them, BTW the African Padauk is on special this month.
Featured Wood: African Padauk from Wood Workers Source

I do not doubt what you are saying and have in fact signed up on a woodworking forum. This is where the comments about padauk and mahogany have come from. Everyone did agree on one thing, that it's not walnut or birch.

Doing a little bit of research shows that padauk is also native to southern Florida. Additionally those that thought mahogany believed it to be Cuban. There was very little consistency as to what they thought it was. Padauk has the more open grain and the orange/pink color turning maroon over time. This type of wood at least made the most sense. Mahogany also does not have the open grain. The outer surface is no doubt due to 60 years of patina.

Whatever it is, may have been left over from Rock-Ola's jukebox and radio cabinet days, and used during the perceived walnut shortage.

Here's another link to cherry planks that have been cut across the grain. Some of these have been aged and are already turning the pinkish/salmon color (scroll down) after being exposed to air and light. Some of these exhibit the rayflecking present when cherry is cut across the grain.

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/person...ics/cherry.htm

David, your thoughts on the Rock-ola wood genesis sounds very plausible. They made furniture quality Jukebox and speaker cabinets and would have had supplies of suitable wood around regardless of the war. I collected Pinball machines for years (still have a few Gottliebs). Dave Gottlieb was a friend of Howard Hughes and after the war when plywood was almost unavailable, Hughes sold him his remaining material from the Spruce Goose project. So you will find the most beautiful 6-10 ply wood on the 1950s vintage woodrail machines used in the playfield and cabinet. Wood that simply cannot be bought today. Imagine what Rock-ola had in their warehouses.

Thanks Dave, that's a great analogy. It would be really nice if someone from Rock-Ola were still around today. I would have many questions for them. But I'm sure the same could be said for all of the prime contractors. My appreciation for the way things use to be has grown considerably especially since the recent passing of my parents, members of the greatest generation.