burl forearms, how do they play

cbi1000

cbi1000

It is what it is...
Silver Member
I'm ready to have another custom cue made for me. I've been thinking about either amboyna or thuya burl as the forearm, but i've never played with a burl forearm so i don't have any clue how they play.

For the most part i have always enjoyed cored ebony and BEM forearms. I have neve liked non-cored ebony or non cored cocobola.

Anyhow, if you have some experience with burl forearms i'd like to hear your opinions.

cbi
 
I think most cue makers will core burls. My JMW amboyna burl plays great; and it's cored with maple.
 
all burl forearms have to be cored for stability. i would rate it around the same as maple. obv being cored its not like ebony or rosewood.
 
until I owned a Bushka I never thought twice about what a forearm was made of, I awalys likes the fancy birdseye, the juicier the better. not cored. After playing with several straight grain forearm cues I have come to the conclusion that straight grain forearms play better.
 
dave sutton said:
all burl forearms have to be cored for stability. i would rate it around the same as maple. obv being cored its not like ebony or rosewood.
Click to expand...

I heard the same. As long as its cored there shouldnt be a problem is what I was told. Thats about all I know:D
 
Mostly played with cocobolo over the years and a few maples and ebonys. But I love the way my burl plays. Don't know enough about cues to know if this is why I like this cue, but I do.
 
Fatboy said:
until I owned a Bushka I never thought twice about what a forearm was made of, I awalys likes the fancy birdseye, the juicier the better. not cored. After playing with several straight grain forearm cues I have come to the conclusion that straight grain forearms play better.
Click to expand...

i never understood coring maple. i guess for warpage only. depending on the bushka you liked early bushkas were full splice titlist blanks. full splice cues tent to play more solid then short splice forearms. i agree with that so i have been toying with using more exotic stiffer woods then maple for the handle area. to mimic that full splice feel. weight is an issue with certin woods but purpleheart looks to be a winner so far. i dont care what wood is looks like bc a wrap id going over it. so long as its structurally sound. maybe ill try bacote next. more expensice but if it help the playability i dont mind
 
dave sutton said:
all burl forearms have to be cored for stability. i would rate it around the same as maple. obv being cored its not like ebony or rosewood.
Click to expand...

I agree completely Dave, but I will say this, the coring material can certainly have a major effect on how a burl forearm will hit. They can be cored with any hardwood depending upon what the customer wants. If they want the cue forward heavy and stiff hit you could core it with Ebony or Purple Heart. If you want the finished product lighter with a softer hit then maple may be the correct choice, but you could also use Rosewood.
I have seen the above done in many different ways for different people, and as long as the burl is cored it will not be a problem.

To the person who stated this thread, I certainly have never heard of a solid Burl forearm used in any cue. But it there may be some doing it, all I know for sure is that I will never do it, do to the way burl will fracture / crack due to nature of this wood.

Have a good night
 
manwon said:
I agree completely Dave, but I will say this, the coring material can certainly have a major effect on how a burl forearm will hit. They can be cored with any hardwood depending upon what the customer wants. If they want the cue forward heavy and stiff hit you could core it with Ebony or Purple Heart. If you want the finished product lighter with a softer hit then maple may be the correct choice, but you could also use Rosewood.
I have seen the above done in many different ways for different people, and as long as the burl is cored it will not be a problem.

To the person who stated this thread, I certainly have never heard of a solid Burl forearm used in any cue. But it there may be some doing it, all I know for sure is that I will never do it, do to the way burl will fracture / crack due to nature of this wood.

Have a good night
Click to expand...
correct. i assumed maple was the core. i for one am not a fan of coring yet :D however i am getting into some exotic forearms. olivewood or that crazy ebony that is white. whats the name it escaped my mind for some reason
 
dave sutton said:
i never understood coring maple. i guess for warpage only. depending on the bushka you liked early bushkas were full splice titlist blanks. full splice cues tent to play more solid then short splice forearms. i agree with that so i have been toying with using more exotic stiffer woods then maple for the handle area. to mimic that full splice feel. weight is an issue with certin woods but purpleheart looks to be a winner so far. i dont care what wood is looks like bc a wrap id going over it. so long as its structurally sound. maybe ill try bacote next. more expensice but if it help the playability i dont mind
Click to expand...

Purpleheart handles play pretty good....;)
 
dave sutton said:
i never understood coring maple. i guess for warpage only. depending on the bushka you liked early bushkas were full splice titlist blanks. full splice cues tent to play more solid then short splice forearms. i agree with that so i have been toying with using more exotic stiffer woods then maple for the handle area. to mimic that full splice feel. weight is an issue with certin woods but purpleheart looks to be a winner so far. i dont care what wood is looks like bc a wrap id going over it. so long as its structurally sound. maybe ill try bacote next. more expensice but if it help the playability i dont mind
Click to expand...

never understood coring maple.

Sometimes when you are using Luthier ( Instrument Grade) highly figured Curly or Quilted Maple it is a good idea to core it. I have seen a Large Number of cues that break at the joint that are made from these types of Maple. The best of the best are inherently brittle almost like burl, and they have a habit of fracturing from the shock of shooting not abuse along the line of the cues pin. By coring the front of the forearm to a depth of about 6 inches and inserting the pin into the cored section this problem can be prevented, I have been doing this for a couple of years and it has worked very well with no problems. Now I do not know if this is a standard practice, because I just started doing it on my own, but it works and it is very stable. Here a cue that has the problem I am talking about.

1.jpg

2.jpg

The above cues joint just broke during a shot, no abuse. I need to get a new Camera, sorry about the pictures, but look closely at the fracture lines in the wood.

Hope this helps!!
 
my cue

my playing cue is amboyna burl, i cored it with laminated maple, so it hits like maple. i core all highly figured, fiddleback,or burls. chuck starkey
 
Some cue makers are using stabilized burl (injection of a polymer), the wood product then becomes more dense & maybe doesn't require the coring process. I have held some in my hand, it is definitely more like a iron wood than maple.
 
cored burls

Good morning,
You are welcome to visit my website and view past and present cues I made by coring burls. The thuya cue that's currently available plays fine with a "firm" hit. Maybe something there will interest you.

http://www.triplecrosscues.com

If you have questions please feel free to PM.
Tom Gedris, Triple Cross Cues:cool:
ICA Cue Maker Association Member
 
ceebee said:
Some cue makers are using stabilized burl (injection of a polymer), the wood product then becomes more dense & maybe doesn't require the coring process. I have held some in my hand, it is definitely more like a iron wood than maple.
Click to expand...
the wood that is injected still needs cored.
 
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