Curly maple shaft

jocnat

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am making some curly maple shafts. I am having trouble getting a smooth finish. Any advise on how to accomplish?
 

vasilios

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
it will take a lot of sealing and sanding.
they will play like rubber when you are done.


bill
 

carguy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have an Al Romero cue with a curly shaft. It definitely does NOT play like rubber.
 

manwon

"WARLOCK 1"
Silver Member
I have an Al Romero cue with a curly shaft. It definitely does NOT play like rubber.


No shit, in fact I would say that Curly Maple is some of the best Shaft wood around. It is certainly stiffer hitting than standard non-curly Shaft wood, and it is also less likely to dent because it is more dense.

JIMO
 

Jim Baxter

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I agree curly hits good , and I have a b-eye shaft , I really like the hit , very solid . Jim
 

manwon

"WARLOCK 1"
Silver Member
Hi,

Maybe Bill was refering to soft currly when describing the hit.

Rick G



Rick I am kinda confused here who makes shafts out of anything except Hard Rock or Sugar Maple, Ash, Purple Heart, or Ebony I thought this was the ask the Cue Maker section!!!:yikes:

JIMO
 
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It's George

Bet Something!!!
Silver Member
Rick I kinda confused here who makes shafts out of anything except Hard Rock or Sugar Maple, Ash, Purple Heart, or Ebony I thought this was the ask the Cue Maker section!!!:yikes:

JIMO

What about lyptus?
 
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vasilios

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
MY fault!!!

I should have asked him if he was trying to work a piece of soft curly into a shaft. but he said he was fighting it to get it smooth.can't be but one thing!

I officially withdraw my opinion and await further information.


bill
 

SeanC

needs practice...
Silver Member
Woody Woodworth makes lyptus shafts for his jump/breaks. I own one. It's pretty stiff and jumps real easy. I guess its specific density is also a little on the light side.

I also own a Mezz Power Break II with a curly maple shaft, and it feels harder than other shafts I broke with. It is definitely heavier than lyptus, giving the cue more break power with a forward balance.
 

olsonsview

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I play with a curly maple shaft

And it is my best playing shaft I have, bar none. I also have laminates (pie and flat) as well as regular maple shafts. The performance is consistent and crisp. I use it with a laminated maple ferrule and stopped using all my other shafts once I played with this one.
Not to mention: the look of the curls is just awesome and gets many positive comments.
 

cuesmith

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!
Silver Member
Rick I am kinda confused here who makes shafts out of anything except Hard Rock or Sugar Maple, Ash, Purple Heart, or Ebony I thought this was the ask the Cue Maker section!!!:yikes:

JIMO

Curly Maple and Birdseye are not a species, they are conditions that present themselves on a small percentage of Maple species. You usually can't tell if a log will have a curl to it or birdseyes until you mill the log.

Sherm
 

cueman

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
The really hard curl will not be lumpy or fuzzy like the medium hard or softer curl will be. It is highly possible someone goes and buys a piece of curly maple that looks nice to make a shaft out of and it winds up being softer curl. The softer curly is much more common than the really hard stuff that makes a good shaft. So I think the things people have brought up about soft curl are legit.
 

scdiveteam

Rick Geschrey
Silver Member
Curly Maple and Birdseye are not a species, they are conditions that present themselves on a small percentage of Maple species. You usually can't tell if a log will have a curl to it or birdseyes until you mill the log.

Sherm

Sherm,

I agree with your statements.

I buy a lot of soft curly for handles on my fully cored cues. I have a supplier in the Pacific NW who supplies me with the highest figure soft curly maple that I have encountered. The figure looks like it is 1/2" into the handle when it's finished.

The owner of the business told me that the highly figured soft curly comes from tree branches that form the high canopy up to 80 feet in elevation.

This material would not be good for a solid forearm because of it's density but is great for a cored handle or butt sleeve on a solid maple or purple-heart dowel.

Rick Geschrey
 

manwon

"WARLOCK 1"
Silver Member
Curly Maple and Birdseye are not a species, they are conditions that present themselves on a small percentage of Maple species. You usually can't tell if a log will have a curl to it or birdseyes until you mill the log.

Sherm

I totally agree with you Sherm, and I was not stating anything to the contrary of that. But, how many cue makers cut their own tree's and mill their own log's, the only person that comes to mind to me on this forum is Eric Crisp. I suspect for most of us we buy our shaft wood from Northern Sources in Canada, and many of us most likely get our wood from the same supplier.

I completely understand that Birdseye and Curly, Fiddle back, Quilted, Burl and all of it's other varieties are all variations that occur in standard Sugar maple tree populations. In fact some claim that Birdseye is a disease that is walled off by the tree, however, others who are in the know have different idea's so it is still kinda a mystery.

For myself when I place an order from Canada, normally around 500 pieces they are pre-doweled to a one inch diameter and they are a minimum of 30 inches long, some are closer to 31. I then separate the wood with any obvious figure during the turning process.

I suspect that my lack of knowledge at this time would prevent me from buying shaft wood any other way, because I am uncertain I could accurately tell in Board form if the wood I was buying was Hard Rock Sugar maple or another variety except that Hard Rock in my expereince is heavier. I just have to depend upon the location that the wood comes from and the companies reputation and experience.

Have a nice day
 
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