I have made dozens of loading blocks. On a woodworking forum I belong to my signature line is: "there is no such thing as scrap wood". Really, I enjoy finding small items I can make from unneeded cut-offs from bigger projects. Depending on the size of the wood, my blocks will have from one to ten holes. I drill to diameter of the caliber of the ball intended and bevel both sides of the hole. Most times the end user will have to sand the hole larger to properly accommodate his personal ball/patch combo to hold but not too firmly to actually use. Once the hole is sized I like to rub the inside with beeswax. I do not use any finish on the rest of the wood. Keep it bare and allow to get beautifully grungy with use. BTW, I also make blocks from small pieces of antler. My blocks are used at blanket shoots for prizes, some are sold but mostly I have given away a lot of them.
