# Musket Ball Found In Piece Of Walnut



## C_PLUS_Woodworker (Jun 10, 2010)

I was planing down both sides of a beautiful piece of walnut. One end had a loose knot that I placed on the end during the glue-up. I pushed on the knot a little as it was kinda rattling around in its "hole". The knot fell to the floor and shattered. My wife, who happened to be in the garage shop at the time saw something roll out of the shattered knot.

I knew what it was immediately. I have hunted with muzzle loaders for years, although we use sabots as opposed to round balls.

In inches, the ball measures .51 to .53 in every direction I can measure it. I never clipped the ball even once with the planer, so the ball is in perfect condition.

For a history buff like me, I would love to know where that walnut tree was harvested and how old it was.

Needless to say, a small shadowbox is in the near future for this musket ball



























.

Enjoy.


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## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

Lucky you. I found out that whoever owned the Alder tree that I just milled had a kid with a BB gun. Messed up my planer knives.


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## C_PLUS_Woodworker (Jun 10, 2010)

OUCH !!!


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Wow, Bruce….how lucky can you get…? Didn't hurt your planer, and found a great piece of history…Like you, I'm really interested in history, especially of the Civil War…...You now have a real piece of history…...It looks perfect too…...Had to be there since the 1860's…...I was planing down a piece of walnut also about 2 years ago, and found 1/2 of a .22 bullet…I still have that small piece…....Good score on the musket ball…....


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## spclPatrolGroup (Jun 23, 2010)

Interesting, I would be tempted to fill the hole with clear epoxy and embed the ball in it so it could be a cool conversation piece, depending on where it would be on the project and if anyone could see it.


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## C_PLUS_Woodworker (Jun 10, 2010)

What a great idea to replace the ball into the knot hole and resin or epoxy it into place.

Going to give that a lot of thought.

And Rick, always nice to hear from you, Bro.


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## freddy1962 (Feb 27, 2014)

That's a real cool find. It would be very interesting to know some history of the tree, like you said. Steel and iron leave black streaks running down a tree to the stump. Lead I guess does not, obviously ?


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

That is a lot better than the bullet hole and partial bullet I found in some reclaimed *indoor* oak trim. If it had been outside and possible in a tree I would have thought nothing about it.


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## Mosquito (Feb 15, 2012)

that's pretty cool, and especially since you didn't have to sacrifice the planer knives either lol


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

You, too, brother…..Always enjoy reading your post…...Keep on the sunny side…....!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Underdog (Oct 29, 2012)

I never understand when folks say a lead and copper bullet messed up their planer knives… When you can dent the material with your fingernail, it shouldn't mess up high speed steel or carbide… I've planed through a bazillion bullets and never had a problem.

Steel jacketed bullets, steel BBs, nails and staples are another story altogether.


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## Thewoodman2000 (Jan 2, 2013)

I had a job just outside of high school at a stair company in a rough mill. I had seen several "new" bullets in lumber many times and several of them were after the gang saw or the planer. The worst is when it comes out of the molder.
Try calling your lumber supplier and they may be able to give you the general area of where the lumber came from in the country. Could shed a little light on the cool find!

Bruce have you gotten my emails?


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## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

Years ago,a similar experience,on a high speed shaper, cost me two fingers.


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## BJODay (Jan 29, 2013)

I'm surprised it wasn't flattened out more.

BJ


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## cmaxnavy (Dec 23, 2007)

What a find! Have you considered putting the ball back into the cavity 'from which it came' and securing it there with clear epoxy? Would make for a great conversation piece.


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## TheWoodenOyster (Feb 6, 2013)

Awesome find! Wish you knew where it came from. Oh well. I remember shooting an Osage Orange tree as a kid at one of my friend's ranches. We pumped that thing full of lead. I wonder who is going to find that?


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

In this project I made the coffee table from a 92 years old walnut. Right at the bottom of the top branch of the cherry inlay, there was a musket ball but it wasn't round like yours; more flat. I figured that happened when the three was maybe 10 or so. I cut the tree 25 years ago 82 years before that places it at around 1917. I cut that tree with a chainsaw sawmill and it went through it like butter. Ended up removing the ball and replacing it with "no lead" solder. Interesting thing is that the location where I cut this tree is a fairly remote area even today however, it is part of the trail of tears.


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## Nubsnstubs (Aug 30, 2013)

Cool find, C_+... 
Years ago, I was making a Red Oak threshold type transition piece for a wood dance floor to concrete. As I was cutting the angle, I noticed something very shiny in the wood, and freaked as I just knew I'd trashed my blade. Stopped and checked it out. It was a brass jacketed bullit. No damage whatsoever….. I continued cutting and left the piece in.
I'm with the Underdog on this for old trees. Nowadays, with the 7.62×39 ammo coming from China, that's going to change. Most of those bullits have a steel core instead of lead. Maybe it was just the batch I had, but that's been my experience. . ...... 
Ever hear of Cactus revenge? If not, you're now going to subjected to it. Sometime in the 80's, someone around Phoenix was doing some target shooting, using a large Saguaro Cactus as his target prop. I don'rt remember how shots were fired, but when he went to retreive or check the target, the cactus just decided to fall and it killed him. Made the news, and is a story that gets told again every few years here in Arizona. it make me respect the Saguaros even more…..... Jerry (in Tucson)


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

That is a nice find. There's no telling where it came from. My Great Grandfather was shot in the leg with a minnie ball at the battle of Chickamauga. They didn't take his leg off nor did they get the Minnie ball out because of where it was. They told him that if it didn't get infected that he might recover. He carried it in his leg for 35 years or so and of course had a severe limp. The ball began to move around 1900 and they had learned enough to take it out. It was gold plated by the family and given to him on a gold key chain. My uncle Johnny went to West Point and served for 30 years in the army and retired as a full colonel. It had been given to him by his father. It is a priceless family heirloom.

I can't imagine how much you must have loved to hunt with muzzle loaders. Not many people do that.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## mtenterprises (Jan 10, 2011)

That is a very cool find. Do you have any idea how deep into the tree it was? If so you may be able to figure out how old the ball is.

I had a similar experience. I own property my grandfather bought back in '48 or '49, all woods. My grandfather planned to log it and did use it for deer hunting. A number of years back I had it logged. When they were milling the logs (on site) they were milling some hemlock and not having worked hemlock before I took a few boards marked them and let them dry. Then one day I decided to try out hemlock when I was finished running them through the planer there were these spots. Upon closer inspection I found the spots were buckshot AND they were close to the center of the tree. It had been hit by buckshot when it was no more than 6" in diameter which was around the time I was born. This buckshot, I imagine, could have been from my grandfather or my uncle who hunted there. I carefully pried out what I could and saved them in a plastic box. A piece of interesting history to my property.

MIKE


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## paxorion (Oct 19, 2012)

Very nice find


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

the sawyer got lucky on that one!


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

Yard walnut trees and bullets are a match made in heaven.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

Five or so years ago in a gallery in Asheville, I saw a table where one of the boards in the top had a musket ball clipped by the planner knives just enough to reveal about 3/8" of the surface and it was perfectly machined. Apparently it did no damage to the knives and looked great as it was secured in place.


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

I worked in a wood products plant for a while and recovered sevearl bullets from cut stock. I've given several away but kept the coolest two. One's a jacketed hollow point, a smaller caliber, most likely a .223. The bullet
entered staight in and the jacket curled back perfectly. It's probably the coolest of the pair. The second is an FMJ, probably a 9mm. It entered and tumbled coming to rest perpendicular to the entry channel. I keep them on my reloading bench. They often become quite the conversation pieces with folks that have little knowledge with guns.


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