Should I convert my wire coon strechers or use straight wood?

Later Longear

Wood & you'll never look back.

wood for sure.

I would'nt use a wood board as long as I had a Wire/wood board.

I have some wood stretchers a guy made for me out of pine scraps, not having enough I started converting some heavy #5 coon stretchers...

http://www.trapperman.com/forum/ubbthrea...html#Post795218

They work equally well for me. With the cost of wood higher it was a natural choice. Use what you have. Tom

wire breathes better??

It's really just personal preference. I like wood. Try a few wire/wood and a few all wood and see what works best for you.

Thanks guys I just started using soild wood boards and I like them. I am going to make some convertions and see how that works?

Thanks for the info.

Later Longear

If you ask around, you should be able to find a local saw mill. The mill might even be able to plane your boards for you. If not, lots of people have planers at home that will work. Old barn boards & etc might be another source of wood. So if you look around and ask around, you may be able to find the wood you need at the right price. Regardless of whether you buy your boards or make them, make sure you are using a pattern that is NAFA approved. I see way too many people selling what they claim to be NAFA approved, but once the tape measure comes out they do not measure up. You are spending money/time get them right.

I like wire-wood for several reasons. First, wire-wood stretchers are much lighter and they're easier to store when not in use because you can hang a bunch from a single nail or rod. It's easier to hang them when they're wearing a coon pelt, too. You don't need belly boards, and it's also easier to get the dried pelts off a wire-wood stretcher. Finally, converting to wire-wood was a lot cheaper than buying or making wood stretchers, and it also gave me something to do with all thise old wire stretchers.