WOW #6 Cocobolo

R

RSB-Refugee

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Cocobolo is scientifically known as Dalbergia Retusa, it belongs to the leguminosae family. The name dalbegia means, it is a rosewood.

Cocobolo is a small to medium sized tree, 45-60 feet tall with a trunk diameter of 20- 24 inches. It grows in the Pacific regions of South America. There are some in Panama and southwestern Mexico but not with much regularity. It grows mostly in the dry, uplands.

Cocobolo wood is heavy and very stable. It is resistant to shrinkage and end checking. Its color varies when freshly sawn, the heartwood usually becoming a deep rich orange red with black striping or mottling on exposure.

Cocobolo is an oily wood that can be difficult to glue and finish. The wood dust can cause a rash that resembles poison ivy. It is reported to have excellent machining properties.

Cocobolo is a very commonly used wood in cue making. I hope to get quite a few great pictures this week. I am also hoping to get a lot of good information on the ways to deal with this oily wood.

Tracy
 
You need to use a good respirator when you work with it. Several wood sources will tell you it is dangerous to work with and to use a respirator. If you have cut out inlay pockets you know that some of the dust just collects in the pocket (even with an air system sucking it out) and needs to be scrapped out - I guess its the oil in the wood causing the dust to gel. I assume that would be what would happen to your lungs if you inhaled the dust --- couldn't get it out. So be careful - it is a beautiful but deadly wood.
Jack
www.johnmaddencues.com
 
Jack Madden said:
You need to use a good respirator when you work with it. Several wood sources will tell you it is dangerous to work with and to use a respirator. If you have cut out inlay pockets you know that some of the dust just collects in the pocket (even with an air system sucking it out) and needs to be scrapped out - I guess its the oil in the wood causing the dust to gel. I assume that would be what would happen to your lungs if you inhaled the dust --- couldn't get it out. So be careful - it is a beautiful but deadly wood.
Jack
www.johnmaddencues.com
Click to expand...


Makes me feel guilty for liking it and ordering cues with it in them!
 
It is bad stuff, I have been put down briefly from breathing too much of it. It's tricky in the way that it sneaks up on you it seems. You don't realize anything at first except for the slight perfume type smell It puts off, then notice some alergies, next thing you know, you feel like you smoked a carton of smokes in a hour, and can't breath. it seems to take a while to build up in your system, but can stay with you for a while once it does.

Even If someone thinks they can take it without the proper collection system, they should consider that it will catch up with them, and if not worried about their health, then consider that If you can't work, or are limited in work you can do, you are loosing money, and falling behind in work that needs done. You can never get all the dust out of your shop, it will find every nook and cranny in the place to hide in.

Cuemakers would probably use it even if not requested. Besides being oily, the wood is fairly stable, and it's beauty draws you in. there are colors that come out of the wood that are only seen when turning it, but does not stay that way for the final product. Greg
 

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The downside to breathing the dust has been covered. It is also toxic to the touch. There have been people who have been in the emergency room just from touching it. My guess is that if you are highly alergic to poison ivy stay away from cocobolo. But that is just a guess. My son is not allergic to poison ivy, but cocobolo burns his hands just handling it.
Now let's move on to working with it in cues. As mentioned earlier Cocobolo is an oily wood. Sometimes it will reject glue bonds. To avoid this wipe the surface to be glued a few times with laquer thinner. This gives you a dry surface to bond to by removing the oils from the surface. When finishing cocobolo always put on a thin seal coat of epoxy or finish on before putting any flow out coats. If you don't the finish will pick the oils up into the finish and bleed the color over on top of any other color woods or inlays.
Chris
www.cuesmith.com
www.internationalcuemakers.com
 
About 20 years ago, at a tournament in Akron Ohio, Gary Spaeth and I had dinner with Paul Mottey and his wife. Of course the conversation was mostly cues and cuemaking. Paul mentioned that he could not work with cocobolo and would not even let it in his shop. He also told me about a friend of his who was an amateur woodworker. His friend had fallen in love with cocobolo. He was making all sorts of little projects around the house out of cocobolo. He even made a cocobolo seat for his throne! lol Well as someone else mentioned, working with cocobolo can have a cumulative effect. He was fine with it for a year or so but when he developed a severe circular rash on his bottom, his doctor told him he'd better change to oak!
I use a lot of cocobolo myself, it's one of my favorites! The grain can be a lot like looking into the clouds. I once built a cue that has a very distinct image of the "Grim Reaper" in the grain of the cocobolo butt sleeve! I should have put that one on ebay! I've heard of some strange things bringing big money there! lol


just more hot air!
Sherm
 
I love the colors and grain in cocobolo. It is one of my favorite woods.
Here is a picture of some pieces that i have.
 

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newo9277 said:
I love the colors and grain in cocobolo. It is one of my favorite woods.
Here is a picture of some pieces that i have.
Click to expand...

Very nice. I'm suprised that nobody has mentioned how much fun it is to say cocobolo :D

Dave
 
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