Humidity Question.

measureman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What would happen if a person in a low humidity state like Colorado (around 15 %) was to buy a cue that has been in a high humidity state like NJ (80 %) ? And vice versa. Would there be an issue with warping ?
 
Wood shrinks on dry climate.
It swells on humid climate.
Properly seasoned and taken-care cues don't warp.
 
What would happen if a person in a low humidity state like Colorado (around 15 %) was to buy a cue that has been in a high humidity state like NJ (80 %) ? And vice versa. Would there be an issue with warping ?

This is a very good question.

IMHO - like most all issues with wood, there is no 100% certain
guideline for all situations, but the thing to remember is
wood is most affected by RAPID changes to humidity and/or temperature.

Dale
 
Chris Byrne is a cuemaker here in the Denver area - I wonder what his experience is?

My 2 cents,

Gary
 
Ask Dave Barenbrugge, his shops Location: "Just past the big Saguaro on the eastern end of the Sonoran Desert right next to the mountain by the dry river bed". Quite dry I would say.

Dick :grin:
 
Ask Dave Barenbrugge, his shops Location: "Just past the big Saguaro on the eastern end of the Sonoran Desert right next to the mountain by the dry river bed". Quite dry I would say.

Dick :grin:

...and Dave sells lots of high end cues into the Asian market...
 
i dont agree. look at southwest for instance. ive heard stories and seen first hand these cues do not stay perfect when sent to high humidity. i work on 2 southwests regularly and neither are straight. both FRANKLINS
 
honestly folks

I have spoke of this before, the reality is it doesn't matter how GOOD the cue maker is WOOD is WOOD. It is a porous material and it will swell and shrink no matter how well the cue is made. Cue makers do not like talking about it because in order to make a living at building cues you have to think globaly. Having said all that I think some makers have givin the problem allot of thought and devised ways of minimizing the risks and potential for warpage. I think though the final answer is the ownership of the problem belongs to the consumer. If you live in a very dry climate don't have a cue built from a very moist one or vice versa. Common sense is the answer. Wood is a natural product with certain limitations if you want a cue that is bullet proof get one made of a man made material.
 
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Take Floridas climate, never been there but I hear its humid. My wife and I own several Dale Perry cues. Our summers in Saskatchewan tend to be
quite dry and the winters are much the same. We've never had a problem
with Dales cues.
 
My wood cue's that I own, I have sealed the shafts with the epoxy that I make my carbon cues with. This keeps the moisture to what ever it is. I find that sealed shafts seem to be able to take the moisture changes better than non sealed shafts.Unlike other epoxies, this is smoothe on the finish. Much to many peoples suprise.
Where I am now, the humidity changes substantially.I have one cue that I did not seal when I was in Pa. It is now a little warped,the sealed shafts are still OK.
As being said before , wood is wood. I am not blaming the cuemaker for the warping, or his choice of wood. But I do think now,that if I had sealed it, it would have been alot less likely to warping.
 
What would happen if a person in a low humidity state like Colorado (around 15 %) was to buy a cue that has been in a high humidity state like NJ (80 %) ? And vice versa. Would there be an issue with warping ?

i would say buy from me cause i live in nj lol. honestly, there should not be a problem as long as you treat your cue the way you should, it should be fine.the humidity in the shop where the cue was made should be about 50 % from the time the wood entered the shop until completion.
 
hey

I am in no way trying to know what a cuemaker does.....I keep my cues at a 45-50% humidity and at 69 degrees all year round by using a humidifier in the winter and a dehumidifier in the summer. It is a pain in the ass, but well worth it. Have only had a couple of shafts move a bit.
 
What would happen if a person in a low humidity state like Colorado (around 15 %) was to buy a cue that has been in a high humidity state like NJ (80 %) ? And vice versa. Would there be an issue with warping ?

I live in Illinois & look at the weather map often. New Jersey has high humidity in summer, just like Illinois, indiana Wisconsin....or any other state in the midwest or south. Summer humidity levels are 80-90%. However winter humidity levels are in the single digits, in all of the states north of the mason-dixon line. It all comes down to how the wood has been seasoned & you have no knowledge of this. Maybe you souldn't buy any cues, because they could warp. Just use your buddies cue & play it safe...JER
 
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