Shaft Wood
- Thread starter 1ab
- Start date
Not that I know of. It just needs to be 'hard' maple. Sugar maple makes up the vast majority of hard maple. I've read that there is a 'black' maple that is also considered a hard maple. My understanding is that most shaft wood is from untampered genetics.
Yes, Birdseye Maple is considered by some to be a desirable attribute in a shaft
but only if the eyes are are extremely small and there's not too many of them.
I should also say that it is extremely rare to find this in shaft-wood.
Curly Maple(hard) is another variant of Sugar Maple that sometimes appears in shafts.
I have little experience with curly shafts so I can not make comment on them.
KJ
but only if the eyes are are extremely small and there's not too many of them.
I should also say that it is extremely rare to find this in shaft-wood.
Curly Maple(hard) is another variant of Sugar Maple that sometimes appears in shafts.
I have little experience with curly shafts so I can not make comment on them.
KJ
Hi,
What's a cultivar?
Thanks,
Rick
What's a cultivar?
Thanks,
Rick
You would know that.
I then stand corrected.
I Googled the word and thought they fit the definition.
Now, what's your response to his question?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultivar
The word cultivar stands for cultivated variety, and cultivars are (usually) the result of human intervention as a part of a research program to grow a better plant. Usually, cultivars are plentiful for things like fruits and vegetables when there is significant gain to be had from repeated trial and error of cross pollination in search of growing a better product for commercial reasons.
There are progeny and genetic studies for fast grown southern pine species to increase lumber yield in short time periods. The same can probably be said for maple, but that is outside of my area of knowledge.
Kely
Last edited:
I have never heard of any cue makers who made such a claim. Which ones would know? A landowner that might practice silviculture and include a particular cultivar of sugar maple for lumber purposes would benefit, but once delivered to the mill and processed, it is going to be all mixed up by the time a cue maker gets it. Crisp might be the only who would have a feeling for this. I think a sugar maple and silver maple hybrid might have favorable shaft characteristics....that for some reason sounds familiar.
There are more intensively managed rosewood plantations these days, primarily east Indian and cocobolo. It is very possible a cultivar for fast growth has been developed for those two species, in which case they could have found their way into a cue. Again though, who would know?
Kelly
OK, so now I see that the element of the definition that eliminates BEM & Curl would be
the part about 'human propagation' or intervention. Neither BEM nor Curl is influenced by humans.
Until they can determine what causes BE in Maple, they can't cultivate it.
That was true for the Morale Mushroom a couple of decades ago but they've since cracked that code.
I don't know that many cultivars of Sugar Maple exist given that the tree takes as long to grow as it does.
Interesting concept, just not too fruitful (pardon the pun).
KJ
the part about 'human propagation' or intervention. Neither BEM nor Curl is influenced by humans.
Until they can determine what causes BE in Maple, they can't cultivate it.
That was true for the Morale Mushroom a couple of decades ago but they've since cracked that code.
I don't know that many cultivars of Sugar Maple exist given that the tree takes as long to grow as it does.
Interesting concept, just not too fruitful (pardon the pun).
KJ
Sorry. I only posted the link because you speculated that many cultivars of sugar maple might not exist. So, I guess it doesn't apply to shaft wood per se, it only applies to showing the OP's question might not be that strange. One cue maker (you) responded not really understanding the question, and another asked what a cultivar is. Since I know a little about the subject, I felt like chiming in to correct the misinformation.
I didn't say silver maple made good shaft wood, I said a hybrid between silver and hard maple is something that rings a bell. I know silver maple is very soft and not usable to us. But, one never knows what one gets with a hybrid. Have you ever heard of an improved meyer lemon? It is a large and great tasting lemon that is a hybrid between a lemon and a particular orange. It bears no resemblance to an orange. If you showed it to someone and told them it was an orange, they would call you crazy. The same thing goes for mules. Nobody would ever use a donkey to pull a plow. A mule makes a better work animal than both a donkey or a horse. A silver and sugar maple hybrid might have the hardness characteristics of sugar maple. Heck, it could be even harder. One never knows until the research is done.
If you pick a sugar maple out of a catalog, you could be getting a particular cultivar that was developed maybe a hundred years ago. If you go to a supplier and say you want 1000 sugar maple trees, he might ask what you are going to do with them. If you are going to plant them for lumber, he might suggest one cultivar. If you are going to plant them in yards in subdivisions because you are a developer, he might suggest a different one. If you are going to tap them for maple syrup, yet another. An urban forester who will plant a city park or plant them in a median of a boulevard might get a cultivar developed with a high resistance to air pollutants.
If every single family in the entire country played pool, it is plausible the market for shaft wood would be large enough that research would be funded to develop a particular sugar maple hybrid that grew straight with extremely few knots, grain super straight, ideal weight, hardness, etc. Since there is no such financial incentive for this type of research, it will never happen of course, and we will never know.
Kelly
It has become an acquired goal to pursue every line of reasoning in understanding what I should spend money on for my next shaft. I have been shooting with LD's for about a year now, and have transitioned to hard tips. I have a coach that has a Kersonbrock, and he is adamant about the advantages of a solid shaft. Thus began my efforts to learn as much as I could, not only about shafts, but the nature of the materials used. As I discovered the species Acer saccharum is the primary source of shaft wood, I learned it of its popularity and being widely transplanted, giving the wood characteristics dictated by region. As I noticed, in northern slower growth rate areas, more references to "resiliency", "hardiness", "toughness", it left me wondering if there were considerations or preferences cue makers might have with regard to where it came from. Hence the original question.
Silver maple is NOT considered a hard maple. Silver maple is only really good for destroying houses in high winds. If it had any decency, it would keel over like a Bradford Pear tree before it got so big.