My New Scott Gracio
- Thread starter POOLGOD23
- Start date
Okay...I'll play the part of the "idiot" in the ensuing drama...was anything special done to the black palm...like any dyeing or anything...it reminds me of leopardwood (kinda)...if nothing was done to this wood, I may have just found a new wood I like!
Jason
Jason
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no use pretending that i am not a friend of scott gracio
i like his work
the wood is very unusual in this sneaky,
but the points coming together in the handle is what i like
my guess is that scott figured a better way to do them
nice cue i hope you enjoy it for some while
dean
i like his work
the wood is very unusual in this sneaky,
but the points coming together in the handle is what i like
my guess is that scott figured a better way to do them
nice cue i hope you enjoy it for some while
dean
roadwarrior
Registered
I'm not an expert but it looks like a red palm to me.
very nice cue!!!
very nice cue!!!
Looks great. :thumbup:
I build a black palm and purpleheart butterfly splice break cue years ago, and had often wondered if other cuemakers used black palm as I didn't remember seeing it used.
Maybe a "show us your black palm" cue thread is in order.
Unless you built that cue before 1993 you can quit wondering; the answer to your question is "no".
Like another poster my first impression was that this was Red Palm wood (first known to me as "Hala Palm"), so I went out to my lumber rack and compared a few pieces of Red Palm to Black Palm. Typically, the base wood is very similar in color - though in Black Palm it can lean toward looking darker - but the distinction is in the contrasting grain lines. In Red Palm they are more reddish in color; in Black Palm they may be as dark as totally black. But the two species can almost meet in the middle, and that is where they become almost indistinguishable - in the "raw", anyway.
To my eye this particular piece is either very "reddish" Black Palm, or very dark Red Palm. Insofar as Gracio (per the owner) says it's "Black Palm", I'd be inclined to put my money on that.
TW
Did they restrict the sale of one these woods? Can you go into more detail what 1993 has to do with these woods.
I purchased this piece 5 years ago and had in my mind it was Black Palm. This was a unique order of all 36" rounds from Bell Forest which I only ordered one Palm piece. I'll check the receipt and make sure I've named it correctly.
Everybody that's played (built with) with this wood knows why it's not used very often. The veins are as hard as a rock and tan is soft like foam. It's not fun to cut.
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First time I used the wood in a cue; came from a tree stump I harvested personally in 1989.
TW
Hi. Thanks for your reply.
I can't claim to have built my "black palm" cue before 1993, as I only started building cues in 2001, and the black palm / purpleheart cue I built was one of my first. I'm just a hobbyiest really. :embarrassed2:
I too thought the pictured wood looked a lot lighter in colour than the black palm I have used, but not being that experienced with the wood, I was happy to take the OP on his word.
I was inspired to build my cue after seeing some black palm at a wood expo, and then realising I had some chopsticks made from same at home.
I also have hanging in the corner of my workshop (the experimental corner) a black palm shaft that I have slowly been turning for about 10 years. Might have to get around to trying that one out soon.
@ Scott .... I really love your cues, expecially your butterfly stuff, as I am a butterfly nut myself. Keep up the good work, and I didn't mean to get this thread off track, but it's good to discuss woods that people don't use that often.
Cheers - Dave.
Very interesting you would say that.
I was introduced to the beauty of the various species of Palm woods by a craftsman I met on the Big Island back in the late 80's, Lorn Douglas. Lorn built chopsticks for a living - still does I think.
At the time he had a home in a fairly "modern" subdivision near the southeastern shore, with no electricity or well. Limited power was provided by a generator, water was obtained through a rain-catch cistern, and all cooking was done over a wood stove. I doubt heat was ever needed, but the stove could do that too.
Lorn had an open-air shop that was hidden up in the woods, with a roof and only one wall. His power tools consisted of a stationary belt.disc sander and a small power saw. Everything else was (is still?) done with hand tools, and security relied on community support and hidden trails.
Neat guy, and an interesting adventure I'll always remember.
TW
Hi,
Here is a pic some black palm. I have used this stuff and red palm is a lot lighter than the stuff used on Scott's cue. Who know's, it still looks awesome.
This Palm wood gives you some of the worst tiny splinters in your skin if you are not very careful. When turning it there are hard spots in the grain that are like hitting tiny rocks. The grain reminds me of the blurred stars when going into hyperspace in Star Wars. When you view the end grain this stuff is crazy for real neat inlays.
Rick
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