Keilwood shafts

[Coos Cues]

Are you able to buy the blanks at different grades? I'm sure there is some type of certification to be qualified as Kielwood.

There was a thread here a while back talking about keilwood. It was pointed out correctly that the term was coined by one cue supplier to describe his torrefied maple wood. Like Kleenex describes one company's tissues.

So technically in order to be "qualified as keilwood" it has to come from him.

I personally have built many torrefied shafts and even more hard maple and at 600 fargo speed I frankly can't feel any difference based only on the wood. Nor is the torrified wood necessarily lighter. But it does accent certain cues nicely in coloration. Not saying science doesn't say they play different but I sure can't feel it. And just like hard maple some blanks have the "it" factor and others don't. It's still a god made product with huge variations.

And I use CNC to taper all my shafts. Very easy to make minor adjustments this way.

 

[boogieman]

There was a thread here a while back talking about keilwood. It was pointed out correctly that the term was coined by one cue supplier to describe his torrefied maple wood. Like Kleenex describes one company's tissues.

So technically in order to be "qualified as keilwood" it has to come from him.

I personally have built many torrefied shafts and even more hard maple and at 600 fargo speed I frankly can't feel any difference based only on the wood. Nor is the torrified wood necessarily lighter. But it does accent certain cues nicely in coloration. Not saying science doesn't say they play different but I sure can't feel it. And just like hard maple some blanks have the "it" factor and others don't. It's still a god made product with huge variations.

And I use CNC to taper all my shafts. Very easy to make minor adjustments this way.

I'm really sensitive to sounds, the keilwood/torrified seems to "sing" or ring out more than standard maple.

I think it's much harder, if not impossible to actually steam out dings in keilwood like you would on regular maple. I love my keilwood shaft but I'm honestly thinking about going back to either maple or CF just for this fact. I try to treat my equipment well but dings happen in the real world.

I have a probably 30 year old McDermott shaft with no dings (thanks to knowing how to steam them out occasionally) and I have a keilwood shaft about a year old with 4 dings that will not steam out. It's annoying.

I love how it plays and how it sounds though.

 

[Sheldon]

Torrified maple breaks easier. Removing the moisture makes it more prone to cracking.

 

[DJKeys]

I'm really sensitive to sounds, the keilwood/torrified seems to "sing" or ring out more than standard maple.

I think it's much harder, if not impossible to actually steam out dings in keilwood like you would on regular maple. I love my keilwood shaft but I'm honestly thinking about going back to either maple or CF just for this fact. I try to treat my equipment well but dings happen in the real world.

I have a probably 30 year old McDermott shaft with no dings (thanks to knowing how to steam them out occasionally) and I have a keilwood shaft about a year old with 4 dings that will not steam out. It's annoying.

I love how it plays and how it sounds though.

I have banged my Hsunami shaft a number of times. A little very hot water on a microfiber towel raises the grain and takes the ding out like a standard maple shaft-

-dj

 

[boogieman]

I have banged my Hsunami shaft a number of times. A little very hot water on a microfiber towel raises the grain and takes the ding out like a standard maple shaft-

-dj

I'll have to try that, I was using a layer of wet paper towel and a soldering iron. Thanks for the advice.

 

[DJKeys]

I'll have to try that, I was using a layer of wet paper towel and a soldering iron. Thanks for the advice.

Just put a cup of water in the microwave for two minutes. Then dip a corner of the towel and press it on the spot for a minute or so. May require two applications for a deep ding.

-dj

 

[Terry Aeschliman]

Shelby Williams is building keilwood shafts now. I do not know his supply chain but they play very good with his cues.

 

[budz1065]

has anyone tried the Meucci Kielwood?

 

[tg_vegas]

has anyone tried the Meucci Kielwood?

Meucci is very new to the Kielwood product. I would assume that the new owners of Meucci added it to the product line. Given the short time in the market, I'd be a little hesitant to jump right in. The price point however, is right in the middle of the market. Who knows....

 

[budz1065]

Meucci is very new to the Kielwood product. I would assume that the new owners of Meucci added it to the product line. Given the short time in the market, I'd be a little hesitant to jump right in. The price point however, is right in the middle of the market. Who knows....

I have one. It shoots amazing. I have not seen any other Meucci kielwood shafts online and wanted some feedback

 

[Realizm]

Kielwood shafts are stiffer and darker. But,back in the day it was something done to reduce tones in instruments. . Now it's use to makes pool cue shafts .. P.S tapers make a big difference..

 

[bdcues]

I would think that 99% of commercially available shafts are produced on a CNC lathe to the same "Pro-taper" program. same with the tip/ferrule.

There is a great variety of Kielwood shafts. Mine start as a board, not a square. The board is jointed, surfaced, cut into triangles. The triangles are then machined, assembled and glued and finally turned round. Turning is done on a manual lathe, no cnc. My tapers, I am pretty sure, are different from every other taper out there. How my shafts are constructed is probably different from every other maker also. You can see one of mine in action here, just click the link -

 

[GBCues]

Here's a really good video about how torrefied/roasted/kielwood maple wood is produced from a major "wood baker".

It's very informative.
Gary

 

[DJKeys]

Interesting description of the Torrefaction process.

-dj

 

[bignick31985]

I've only used 3 brands. OB, Hsunami and most recently a dark roast Diveney Trans K. It sounds and feels the best of the 3 I've used.

The Dark Roast Trans K is awesome. I haven't shot with a regular Trans K. Switched from a Revo and has given no trouble. The OB was light colored and was so-so. The Hsunami was light colored and felt good but wasn't able to put it through any paces. I do not know the tapers.

 

[Ssonerai]

My awareness of torrefied wood started in construction, then luthier sites.
I guess i did not appreciate that torrefied was somehow supposed to make a cue perform better?
Thought it was all about stability. (& rot resistance for construction) But way less shrinking/swelling with seasonal (& daily) MC changes, and much less likely to "move". Luthiers use it for stability (so the sound board is less likely to crack), looks, and the jury seems to be out whether it "sounds" better. It does (apparently, i'm no musician) help an instrument "settle" or "mellow" (my interpretations) faster and sound like much older, dryer, wood, with less resin. Make an instrument built a few months ago from "new" wood sound like one built with wood harvested a century ago, e.g. However, just like with cues, the performance is more down to the builder, than whether the wood was cooked or not.
T-wood is weaker, that's for sure.

smt

 

[tg_vegas]

I have a 1.0 Hsunami in 3/8x10 that I use on my McDermott H517C. It completely transformed my playing experience as compared to the McDermott i2 shaft that I had been using. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[Ssonerai]

It completely transformed my playing experience as compared to the McDermott i2 shaft that I had been using.

Can you quantify or analyze that?
Willing to believe, but natural inclination to be interested in the data?

 

[tg_vegas]

I like the feedback that the shaft presents much better. It does feel more stiff. The cue ball doesn't seem to squirt quite as much. Everyone has their own preferences, I play better pool with the Hsu than the i2.