Olivewood
- Thread starter Ken_4fun
- Start date
The African kind is the only I mess with .
They take a loooong time to season. The like to twist and turn.
Most will need to be cored .
They take a loooong time to season. The like to twist and turn.
Most will need to be cored .
Olive wood is a really tricky wood as it takes years to season because of its cellular structure. It has a closed cell structure and moisture is given up very slowly. It is one of the light weight woods that even when really dry, doesn't impregnate because the resin can't get into the cells. It tends to develop cracks on the surface which can be invisibly filled and if you are willing to spend 10 or more years properly drying the wood it can be used with no problem, The wood sold as African olive wood is a different wood entirely but initially it looks like southern european olive wood. Spending money to buy wood that you work on and set aside for a decade is something that can be hard to do.When you receive a really nice looking piece of wood it is hard not to want to put it into a cue then and there.
Even cored, they still like to shrink and expand.
They need to sit a long time after coring unlike most woods.
Some makers have quit on them.
Every piece I have gotten was soaking wet when I got them. Last one showed 22% when I striped the wax. Once dry it about like bocote.
Larry
even after coring.
Its a nice wood but its more of a pain than snake wood, for me anyway.
I owned this SugarTree once. I miss it.
I have only worked with olivewood from Bethlehem, and it is some amazing grainwork, BUT, as stated above, a real pain to deal with and the piece you start with may not make it to the finished product. I have one finishing up soon, hopefully and it is looking pretty cool.
Dave
Dave
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That is a nice looking cue your building, hope it turns out without any problems.
I'm fairly lucky with olive because I live in the high desert. It dries much faster than it would elsewhere. My shop is not unlike a kiln. Due to the altitude, the moisture evaporates at lower temp, and since most of year we have single digit relative humidity, things dry out very rapidly. My biggest issue is wood cracking from the rapid moisture loss. However, if it survives it will be stable pretty much forever. Olive is one of my most troublesome woods because it won't dry as fast or thoroughly as anything else. I have to be very patient with it, and accept the fact that I will lose some. The cue pictured earlier in the thread was my third attempt. The others formed cracks and/or moved. That's with wood that has been in my shop for more than 5 years.
Point is that you have to be very careful with olive. No need to fear or avoid it, just learn how to work with it. Part of working with it is knowing that you will lose some. Just be sure it goes bad in your shop, not in the player's hands. The toughest part is making the buyers understand that it's going to take indefinite time because of the testy wood. It may go smoothly & quick, or it may take a few tries. There's no way to depend on it like you can with maple & rosewood.
Point is that you have to be very careful with olive. No need to fear or avoid it, just learn how to work with it. Part of working with it is knowing that you will lose some. Just be sure it goes bad in your shop, not in the player's hands. The toughest part is making the buyers understand that it's going to take indefinite time because of the testy wood. It may go smoothly & quick, or it may take a few tries. There's no way to depend on it like you can with maple & rosewood.
KJ, Yes on both accounts, I vacuumed(not often enough) and yes it's cored. A full length maple core.
Lee, yes it's a downdraft table that I built. Was shocked how much they charge for them so I made it out of scraps. It hooks to my DC with a 4" pipe. I do all my sanding on it.
Dave
I have some really nice Olive Wood that came from Jerusalem that is in slab form for inlays. If I had some larger pieces I would core them before making forearms or handles out of them. Then I would watch it for several months to make sure all was well. Then it would go on a cue.
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