coring or not coring olivewood?

[Dave38]

You can use Mediterranean olive wood but you have to wait long enough for the bored out wood to dry before you glue in the biggest core that will fit. Even then there may be small short surface cracks that you will need to fill with a pigmented epoxy filler. The secret is time and patience and 10 years from arrival of the wood to the finish of the cue is is probably about right. The problem is that the wood cell structure is a closed cell and moisture can't be forced out quickly, even by laboratory strength vacuums.

Thanks for the info Paul. I have 6 pieces of highly figured Bethlehem olivewood that I've had for 3 years. I am using the weight measurement method and they keep losing about a 1/2 ounce every year so far. I plan on coring, just haven't done it yet.
Dave

 

[GBCues]

Thanks for the info Paul. I have 6 pieces of highly figured Bethlehem olivewood that I've had for 3 years. I am using the weight measurement method and they keep losing about a 1/2 ounce every year so far. I plan on coring, just haven't done it yet.
Dave

Wow, 1/2 oz per piece? That's nearly a tablespoon each - seems like a lot of moisture to me, but I trust you know how to use a scale.
Geez!
Gary

 

[Dave38]

When I got these pieces, you could feel the moisture. I got it thru someone that buys directly from Israel so it wasn't dried much before I got it.
Dave

 

[JC]

African olivewood is the way to go. Couple it with a PH core and your problems should disappear. Here is a pic of one I recently completed although the pic shows it in progress.. The PH handle and the core, fore and aft, are all one piece.

I own this cue and will keep you up to date over the years how it holds up. Hopefully it's not going to be like my first wife. She was also damned pretty until she twisted and moved.

JC

 

[Guerra Cues]

African Olivewood is the only Olivewood that should be used.

Why is that?

I have olivewood from California and Portugal and did 4 cues with it so far and none moved, at all. Yeah, I did core with maple and bacote the olivewood.
European olivewood from Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece is the same species in California.