Can someone tell me about quilted/flame maple?

I

Impact Blue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I think it looks awesome, but I heard from someone that it is a really unstable wood.

Can anyone clarify this for me? As far as playability, does it make a good forearm wood? or does it have to be cored, and plays pretty much like cored wood?

thank you thank you.
 
I think it looks awesome, but I heard from someone that it is a really unstable wood.
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not true at all.it is similar to hard maple for stability.they are both usually rated as small to medium movement in service.i think both are actually fairly stable in my opinion.

i have made several cues with the soft maple as a handle and they all actually have a very nice hit and great playability.i have never done a forearm with the soft before and i probably won't only b/c i like to use very stiff woods for the forearm but there are several great cuemakers who do it and it seems to work fine for them.i know one guy who actually uses it without a core and it works.
 
Impact Blue said:
I think it looks awesome, but I heard from someone that it is a really unstable wood.

Can anyone clarify this for me? As far as playability, does it make a good forearm wood? or does it have to be cored, and plays pretty much like cored wood?

thank you thank you.
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The best answer - IMHO - is to use hard Maple - then it is as stable/
and, plays exactly like hard maple.

I have a piece of quilted that looks like bubbles breaking against glass.

The bad news - it is much harger to find the really highly desireable
look in the hard maple - but, again, IMHO well worth the search.

Dale
 
The bad news - it is much harger to find the really highly desireable
look in the hard maple - but, again, IMHO well worth the search.
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the real bad news is that you will never find highly quilted hard maple.
 
Impact Blue said:
I think it looks awesome, but I heard from someone that it is a really unstable wood.

Can anyone clarify this for me? As far as playability, does it make a good forearm wood? or does it have to be cored, and plays pretty much like cored wood?

thank you thank you.
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First of all you are talking about two different types of Maple, so I will break them down as follows.

Quilted Maple

This type of Maple is brittle and it will fracture along the segmented sections or Quilts with moderate force. I have seen a number of cue over the years that broke at bthe cue joint that were not cored. This type of Maple must be cored to insure long term strength and stability. There really are no issues with movement, if the wood is properly seasoned.

Flame Maple also known as Curly Maple

This type of Maple is generally very strong, in fact many people like to use it in shafts. Flame Maple / Curly as it is known is caused by compression of sections of the tree. This normally occurs when a tree doesn't grow completely straight or when bends occur naturally. I personally think this form of Maple is as strong as Maple on the planet. I do not think form of Maple needs to be cored, and I also think it transfers harmonics very very well when properly seasoned.
 
Acer Saccharum - hard maple, rock maple, sugar maple - mostly from the NE US and Canada.

Acer Macrophyllum - soft maple, western maple, big leaf maple - mostly from the western US. More cellulos, less lignum and tends to be a little less dense than the hard maple.

Both can have flame/curly/quilt figure, although it seems to be more pronounced, and pervasive in the western maple. I, personally, would core these figure types in either species, but especially quilted as Craig said above.

Mr H
 
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Acer Macrophyllum - soft maple, western maple, big leaf maple - mostly from the western US. More cellulos, less lignum and tends to be a little less dense than the hard maple.
Thnx MH.
They're good for buttsleeve and points maybe.
You can still core them but they get dinged way too easily for my taste.
 
You can still core them but they get dinged way too easily for my taste.
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the soft Maple does ding easier than Sugar maple but it is tougher than Koa and some other burls people use.you just have to be careful not to whack them against the rail.
 
JoeyInCali said:
Acer Macrophyllum - soft maple, western maple, big leaf maple - mostly from the western US. More cellulos, less lignum and tends to be a little less dense than the hard maple.
Thnx MH.
They're good for buttsleeve and points maybe.
You can still core them but they get dinged way too easily for my taste.
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I totally agree that this wood will ding very easily, however, there are ways to get around that work very well.

1.jpg

2.jpg

This product works very very well, you apply it after your finish sanding directly to the wood. I normally put it on a rag and apply it with the wood spinning, it soaks in very well. I normally wait 24 hr's before applying sealer, but I apply it directly over the above product.:smile:
 
manwon said:
I totally agree that this wood will ding very easily, however, there are ways to get around that work very well.

View attachment 84368

View attachment 84369

This product works very very well, you apply it after your finish sanding directly to the wood. I normally put it on a rag and apply it with the wood spinning, it soaks in very well. I normally wait 24 hr's before applying sealer, but I apply it directly over the above product.:smile:
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I use that too.
That thing is nasty. Open the doors, windows and turn on the industrial fan.
I have a 50% acetone turned down mix and 25% acetone mix.
Wear a mask and full-on suit.
Better yet , do it as last job for the night then leave teh shop while that is drying up.
 
dave sutton said:
does it stain or change the wood in and color?
like if i put it on a 4 pointer will h ave color troubles
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I have had no problems to date, and I use it 100% strength.
 
I'm pretty sure this one is uncored and is straight after 8 years. Pretty nice curl to it.....

Scott
 

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I had a cue from Mason that had big leaf as a handle. Didn't ding while I had it, stayed straight, and it was the best hitting cue I've ever owned.

Now if I could just buy it back...damn I hate being poor sometimes.
 
straight on a table and straight on the lathe it two very different things.

not saying it went bad but some players swear their cues are straight then it wants to jumpout of the lathe while spinning. i just chuckle
 
dave sutton said:
straight on a table and straight on the lathe it two very different things.

not saying it went bad but some players swear their cues are straight then it wants to jumpout of the lathe while spinning. i just chuckle
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Would think that the players would be the one that care far more than someone doing a tip change, cleaning, or changing a wrap. Straight cues is all perception after all. Personally as long as it isn't bent so bad I can see it and plays well I don't care if its perfect or not.
 
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