Anyone ever had or heard of a stick made from Pau Trees?

This a cue rack I made out of Padauk and it was bright pinkish red after machining but turned to the color it is now after finishing and sitting out in room light for about 2 or 3 months.
Some woods just change tones after being exposed to light. Some finishes can slow that down better than others, but no finish that I have ever herd of can actually stop the change, just the way it is.
The only way I know of is to keep it out of light as much as possible.
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This a cue rack I made out of Padauk and it was bright pinkish red after machining but turned to the color it is now after finishing and sitting out in room light for about 2 or 3 months.
Some woods just change tones after being exposed to light. Some finishes can slow that down better than others, but no finish that I have ever herd of can actually stop the change, just the way it is.
The only way I know of is to keep it out of light as much as possible.
View attachment 786011View attachment 786012
Wow. Sweet cues. Rack is nice too. The out of light thing may be responsible for my Cocobolo not changing much if at all... it sits in my case when not being used and it is not currently my main player, tho I did play it cpl days ago and am flirting with the idea of bothering to adjust to the different deflection and feel to switch to it. Maybe try a cf shaft on it and kill 2 birds with one adjusting period stone.
 
In woodturning many will turn and sell Box Elder that has some vibrant red streaks through it. I have always disclosed to buyers that the red will disappear and turn brown over time. Some buy anyway some not, and I sit on the piece till the color turns, and it becomes a non-issue. With Box Elder it is really unethical to use and not disclose the properties of it.
I still turn some of it, but for its figure only and actually avoid the vibrant pieces. One thing I do know for sure and that is when someone tells you that their finish will stop the color from changing, they either don't know better or are simply lying to make a sale. There are finishes that can slightly delay the change but not stop the change in color.
That picture posted of the cue with Pau wood is what I would expect the color to end up being. I recently purchased a cue from Jacoby that is mostly cocobolo and has a very reddish tone to it. Not sure if they somewhat stained it that way, or it was and just a clear finish. I really like the cue as it is and am really concerned that it will change over time. I may just keep it in a case for now instead of just leaving out in the cue rack, but that is such a pain every time I want to shoot some with it.View attachment 785995View attachment 785996

When I first started turning I turned a lot of things from Box Elder burl.
It was beautiful. It seemed I was a little allergic to it, so I stopped. Since then I was treated by a witch doctor😆 and all my allergies have cleared up.
I should give it a try again, it is really a beautiful wood. I never worked the red streaked wood either.
 
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I have a very early pre maple leaf Dufferin cue with a Pau cue butt sleeve and forearm - perhaps one of the nicest pieces of cue wood that I have ever seen - still looks new.
The more reddish brown pieces of Pao with swirls can resemble Cocabolo.View attachment 785862View attachment 785862
This doesn't look like pernambuco to me, but I'm just a league pooler who likes pretty cues. The figure looks different. Maybe one of the cuemakers will chime in here...
 
Sorry to derail the thread a bit, so this will be my last post on box elder and woodturnung. This is a piece of box elder with zero red in it and was that way when I got the wood. Nobody else wanted it as there was no red in it, but I brought home quite a bit of it as I liked the grain structure. This is apx 12" high with a wall thickness of about 1/16".
Edit, you really have to pay attention to where your hand is when turning the inside of a piece such as this.
Also this piece was exibited at one of the yearly AAW symposiums.
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Sorry to derail the thread a bit, so this will be my last post on box elder and woodturnung. This is a piece of box elder with zero red in it and was that way when I got the wood. Nobody else wanted it as there was no red in it, but I brought home quite a bit of it as I liked the grain structure. This is apx 12" high with a wall thickness of about 1/16".
View attachment 786021


Sharp tools and patience.

Very nice work.
 
I have heard it will not stay that vibrant color long. Like many hardwoods it could get quite dark.
 
Sorry to derail the thread a bit, so this will be my last post on box elder and woodturnung. This is a piece of box elder with zero red in it and was that way when I got the wood. Nobody else wanted it as there was no red in it, but I brought home quite a bit of it as I liked the grain structure. This is apx 12" high with a wall thickness of about 1/16".
Edit, you really have to pay attention to where your hand is when turning the inside of a piece such as this.
Also this piece was exibited at one of the yearly AAW symposiums.
View attachment 786021

Sorry to derail the thread a bit, so this will be my last post on box elder and woodturnung. This is a piece of box elder with zero red in it and was that way when I got the wood. Nobody else wanted it as there was no red in it, but I brought home quite a bit of it as I liked the grain structure. This is apx 12" high with a wall thickness of about 1/16".
Edit, you really have to pay attention to where your hand is when turning the inside of a piece such as this.
Also this piece was exibited at one of the yearly AAW symposiums.
View attachment 786021

Did the cracks happen when you bent it? j/k very beautiful I have a painting around here somewhere that looks like a twin to yours. If I find it I'll post a picture.
 
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This is weird, I used to have a painting that I remem


Did the cracks happen when you bent it? j/k very beautiful I have a painting around here somewhere that looks like a twin to yours. If I find it I'll post a picture.
Not sure what you meant by cracks or bent it. There is one somewhat of what appears to be a crack, but not a crack actually, and that is the brown line in the back that travels down a ways to where you can't see. It's a bark inclusion that made turning extremely difficult as it wanted to crack and vibrate once I got under a 1/4" thickness. All those other black lines are spalting lines, not cracks. There is no bending of wood while turning.
A piece such as that is really hard for a non turner to understand what is involved in making it, especially with the flaw down the side. If it had let go, my 3 hp lathe could have easily cut my hand off before I could have reacted. Your inside cut needs to follow the outside cut all the way down, and at 1/16" thickness you've only got about 1/100 of an inch to vary. Dull tools or getting chatter can quickly become disastrous. It's not easy knowing where your tool is in the inside cut when you are 6-8" inside. You just have to have a feel for it and an understanding of your outside curve to where you can mimic the inside without going through. You don't do the inside all at once as you need to step your way down. To try to do the inside all at once would instantly cause a chatter and catch that would shatter it. So you step your way down but the transitions need to be as smooth as the outside.
 
Not sure what you meant by cracks or bent it. There is one somewhat of what appears to be a crack, but not a crack actually, and that is the brown line in the back that travels down a ways to where you can't see. It's a bark inclusion that made turning extremely difficult as it wanted to crack and vibrate once I got under a 1/4" thickness. All those other black lines are spalting lines, not cracks. There is no bending of wood while turning.
A piece such as that is really hard for a non turner to understand what is involved in making it, especially with the flaw down the side. If it had let go, my 3 hp lathe could have easily cut my hand off before I could have reacted. Your inside cut needs to follow the outside cut all the way down, and at 1/16" thickness you've only got about 1/100 of an inch to vary. Dull tools or getting chatter can quickly become disastrous. It's not easy knowing where your tool is in the inside cut when you are 6-8" inside. You just have to have a feel for it and an understanding of your outside curve to where you can mimic the inside without going through. You don't do the inside all at once as you need to step your way down. To try to do the inside all at once would instantly cause a chatter and catch that would shatter it. So you step your way down but the transitions need to be as smooth as the outside.
I'm sorry , I was joking , my dad was a woodworker. He did beautiful work, unfortunately the gene did not come to me. I bought a small lathe about 8 years ago to play with and do tips,I took it partially apart to clean it and it is still on the table I put it on when I brought it home.
 
I owned a cue made from Camatillo.. Lots of folks told me it would change color. Had it refinished multiple times over the twelve years I owned it.

Never changed color at all.
 
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