Difficult Wood

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AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Which woods are the most difficult to work with in respect to cuemaking? Are there some woods that you as a cuemaker just do not wish to use and why? I am also interested in which burls are very difficult to work with also?
Dan
 
quedup said:
Which woods are the most difficult to work with in respect to cuemaking? Are there some woods that you as a cuemaker just do not wish to use and why? I am also interested in which burls are very difficult to work with also?
Dan
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I really don't like working with Zircota as when turning it emits a very fine black dust that gets onto and into everything. One time when I turned a few pieces the dust got through my HVAC filter and clogged the A coil so badly that it cost me 500.00 for the furnace men to clean up enough for the air to work again.

I won't use Wenge again as it is so porous and open grained that I had a fit trying to get a good finish that never had white specs in the finish. Besides that, it's an ugly wood.

Dick
 
I've made 2 Qs using Zibrawood. I don't like the way it comes off the turning tool. It comes off in curls, rather than chips. I don't use it, any more...JER
 
Cocobolo for some reason seem to make me itch like crazy. I've even noticed small red bumps appear on my arms and the back of my hands right after I turn it. Of course everyone knows what happens if you breathe it. I'm with Dick on the Wenge...not the best looking wood and pain in the arse to clear. Makes you love the maple.:thumbup:
 
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rhncue said:
I really don't like working with Zircota as when turning it emits a very fine black dust that gets onto and into everything. One time when I turned a few pieces the dust got through my HVAC filter and clogged the A coil so badly that it cost me 500.00 for the furnace men to clean up enough for the air to work again.

I won't use Wenge again as it is so porous and open grained that I had a fit trying to get a good finish that never had white specs in the finish. Besides that, it's an ugly wood.

Dick
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I hate Zircote and Wenge as well.
I won't turn cocobolo.
Brazilian rosewood is kinda nasty too.
God must realy hate us as the best woods are usually red, black or brown.
 
Lace wood is not that difficult to work, but is splintery. Most who work with cocobolo for a while develop an alergy to it, and most oily exotics are toxic to some degree. Ebony's fine black dust is a bit of a pain to clean-up, but it's worth it. Most burls are probably on the list of difficult woods to work with.

Why do some people spell cocobolo with an 'a'?
Mr H
 
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The wood(s) I find most difficult to work with are red and black palm.
They are splintery, difficult to bore a core hole through, extremely tough on cutting bits and real tough to get a nice finish on. However, once finished they are striking.
 
Varney Cues said:
They are either redneck or type too fast.
KV<<<<<<<<<<<going to edit his coco spelling:grin:
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It's not just you. So many spell it that way that I wondered if I was missing something...

Mr H <-- doesn't know what he doesn't know.
 
rhncue said:
I really don't like working with Zircota as when turning it emits a very fine black dust that gets onto and into everything. One time when I turned a few pieces the dust got through my HVAC filter and clogged the A coil so badly that it cost me 500.00 for the furnace men to clean up enough for the air to work again.

I won't use Wenge again as it is so porous and open grained that I had a fit trying to get a good finish that never had white specs in the finish. Besides that, it's an ugly wood.

Dick
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I used wenge on this cue, it takes a good amount of sealer but not that bad to work with. And it looks nice too.
 

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Varney Cues said:
They are either redneck or type too fast.
KV<<<<<<<<<<<going to edit his coco spelling:grin:
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Well, I tend to spell It both ways, sometimes from typing too fast, but not always. That may make Me half redneck I suppose. :grin-square: I try to simply call It Coco a lot of the time, so that I don't have to waste all that energy from thinking too much about a simple spelling, that doesn't help build cues any better anyhow:thumbup:


On a more serious note... I can't stress enough how good filtration is a necessity, I don't practice what I preach enough though, and most woods are not kind to me when breathing them in. I get sick from It at least a few times a year on average.

As far as workability of certain woods, they each seem to have their own ins and outs. Some stain other parts of the cue easily, others have open grain that stuff can get trapped in easily, and just a host of other issues, some of what has been mentioned here. I just try to teach Myself tricks to help deal with each problem.

Overall, I prefer to work with the more stable woods though.

Greg
 
I'd count olivewood and madagascar rosewood as well due to their instability.
But, boy do they hit.
 
Thanks for the responses I am interested in burl as well. I saw a red mallee burl bowl that was turned and it was an incredible piece of wood. The figuring and color was stunning, is it possible to use this in cuemaking?
Thanks Again to all the cuemakers for taking time to respond and their willingness to share information!!
Dan
 
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