Birch dowel for a core - turns like crap..?

[tg_vegas]

I don't feel birch is a suitable wood for cores. If you want something you can turn round and will not move and use quickly and is on the lighter side have a look at hickory. You can get dry 5/4 boards most any hardwood store and it's not expensive. My experience with it is that unlike a lot of woods that seem to hold tension internally hickory due to it's grain pattern seems to be dead straight and stay that way. You can tell when you saw it into squares there is no movement on the kerf as you progress along the board. Then when you turn it round it stays dead straight forever more. Maybe I was just lucky with the boards I bought but I love it for light weight cores. The porous nature of the grain makes it hold glue very well for cores as well. It will look a bit torn out when turned but not deeply. A quick pass with 220 grit sand paper and it's ready to go.

Edit: Never ever choose something as important as the core of your cues due to convenience.

John - is the hickory you've been able to get at hardwood stores typically dry, or do you need to cut it down in stages and follow the typical process of turn and wait?

 

[Coos Cues]

John - is the hickory you've been able to get at hardwood stores typically dry, or do you need to cut it down in stages and follow the typical process of turn and wait?

It's bone dry and doesn't move at all when cut square and turned round. I still wait to make sure but you could probably cut it to final core size and use it in about three passes on consecutive days. Rare to see wood that moves this little. Could just be the boards I got though, I only bought 2 of them and cut about 40 cores.

 

[tg_vegas]

It's bone dry and doesn't move at all when cut square and turned round. I still wait to make sure but you could probably cut it to final core size and use it in about three passes on consecutive days. Rare to see wood that moves this little. Could just be the boards I got though, I only bought 2 of them and cut about 40 cores.

I'm going to pick some up today. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Hard Knock Cues]

It's bone dry and doesn't move at all when cut square and turned round. I still wait to make sure but you could probably cut it to final core size and use it in about three passes on consecutive days. Rare to see wood that moves this little. Could just be the boards I got though, I only bought 2 of them and cut about 40 cores.

Thanks, Now I have a good use for the Hickory I thought I was going to make a couple snooker cues out of.