Anybody use an ash shaft?
- Thread starter Ascue
- Start date
Jon Turner
New member
I have a few and use them occasionally. Play about the same as my maple shafts.
definitely more responsive. I can’t stand calling wood shafts, and they don’t call back.
Freddie <~~~ has no idea what “responsive” means
The_Brit_Pool_Player
New member
I started playing again here with a house cue and then got a Mali cue from the 'for sale' cabinet at the pool hall. Got on with it well but longed for the feel of an ash cue like I had when i played 20+ years ago in the UK.
Got myself a 2-piece ash with 10mm tip, brass ferrule. I love it and gets a few comments "Oh I see you got one of them snooker cues"...LOL
Got myself a 2-piece ash with 10mm tip, brass ferrule. I love it and gets a few comments "Oh I see you got one of them snooker cues"...LOL
There are no upsides to choosing ash as you shaft wood. It's used in snooker due to a availability. The horrible grain structure needs more maintenance than a maple shaft and ash can easier split along the grain. If you absolutely want to try a different wood Hornbeam would probably be a better choice. I have tried Pearwood as well, that had a very smooth grain structure, the hardness is similar to Hornbeam, so about 15-20% harder than maple.
Stop and think. If they were less susceptible to warpage and more responsive, win/win, everybody would be using them. Ash's main advantage over maple is that you can make the grain pop and use it to aim with. Of course you can mark a maple shaft or the ferrule.
Many years ago there was an ash cue in an old bar. It had almost a foot broken off of it somewhere down the line, never knew if they found the huge tip for it or just carved a piece of leather. It was the only straight cue in the place and one of the few cues that the weight didn't rattle in. I played with it for these reasons, mostly using an open bridge to counter the tree trunk in my bridge hand. I was using it when I got in an altercation with two men, both older and bigger than I was. When I grabbed the stick in both hands and flexed it almost didn't break. When it did, it sounded like a pistol shot. Left a long wicked point too.
If you plan to use the shaft as a weapon ash might be the ticket. If you want to leave the grain open and wipe a dark stain on and off of it to make the grain pop to sight with, it might be good for that too. Otherwise, I would stick to maple or carbon fiber. Some bottom rate junk house is offering carbon shafts under fifty dollars, whole carbon cues under a hundred. I don't think the sky high prices are going to hold for any carbon shafts and CF will take over from wood just as it has in any sport I know of that the rules allow.
Hu
vintagecollectibles831
Active member
I assume that he is referring to Pool cues though, not Snooker cues.
Hard for me to disagree with a hall of fame cue builder but think how many other hall of fame cue builders prefer maple. One other advantage of ash is that quality ash is easier to come by, might be why the builder tried to push ash.
They mostly use maple for baseball bats with some ash being used. Under the demands a pro ball player puts on a bat the cell walls of an ash bat break down and the bat goes flat. I have long wondered if the same thing happens to an ash cue shaft. Ash is more common in snooker than pool but I have never heard of a cue or cue shaft going flat. Even if it did, I don't know if that would be a bad or good thing. A cue is hitting end grain rather than side grain but I don't know how that affects cell structure.
I think quality carbon fiber shafts will come down to under three hundred dollars. When and if they do I think the writing will be on the wall for competition players, the end of the wooden shaft for practical purposes. They still have wooden racquet tennis matches, and some purists will play with wood as long as they play.
Your thread creates some interesting paths of thought. I don't really have any absolute answers. If I still had my cue shop I would build butts to look their best with carbon fiber shafts. I like wood but I hope nobody notices me turning my carbon fiber shaft trying to index a shaft that doesn't have a sweet side.
Thanks for starting a thread that causes some thought!
Hu
Yes. Ash shafts by Palmer.
Yuk. Ugly as sin. Keep them to boring snooker games.
is he a hall of fame pool player?
prolly not
Daaamn -rich, you don’t like snooker either?
The greatest game on a table is snooker. It’s got everything.
Then you’ve got one pocket
Then 8 ball. And I’ve seen your 8ball hate
. Great Pool games. Moving around and thinking. I do like ash cues but only for their odd appearance. So different from a pool cue
What HoF cuemaker?
I have snooker and english pool cues with ash shafts. My english pool cue has an 8mm tip. I still prefer my maple snooker cue though, so I alternate between cues depending on what I like for the day.
Greg M
Active member
I was actually referring to my English pool cue. Though, yes, all my snooker cues are also ash.
But yeah, I can see that OP was referring to American pool cues. Are ash shafts even available for those types of cues? I've never even heard of them being used.
Given what the Emerald Ash Boring Beetle has done to the Ash population, you may find it difficult to source decent material.
Just thinking out loud.
Carry on.