Opinions on Tulipwood

Sir Eatsalot

Sir Eatsalot

Registered
Hi guys, I'm usually a deep, dark wood kinda guy, however, I've found myself drawn to tulipwood lately. What are cuemaker opinions of it? Does it have any particular kind of playing characteristics? Do the colors in the wood fade with time?

Thanks
 
The color holds pretty good if finished over with a clear coat that has UV protection additives in it. The hit is in between maple and coco-bolo. So it hits okay. The main down fall with Tulip wood is it is very prone to warping. Be sure to dip the cue in Nelsonite every turn or two during the whole turning process. It is very beautiful and makes a fine cue if you are careful to eliminate the warping.
Chris
www.internationalcuemakers.com
www.cuesmith.com
 
Sir Eatsalot said:
Hi guys, I'm usually a deep, dark wood kinda guy, however, I've found myself drawn to tulipwood lately. What are cuemaker opinions of it? Does it have any particular kind of playing characteristics? Do the colors in the wood fade with time?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I love tulip wood it looks awsome.Goes good on ebony..
 
I also like Tulip wood but only the redish orange, the light orange looks terrible, It should be cored if used as a forearm or handle to maintain stability.
 
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cueman said:
The main down fall with Tulip wood is it is very prone to warping. Be sure to dip the cue in Nelsonite every turn or two during the whole turning process. It is very beautiful and makes a fine cue if you are careful to eliminate the warping.
Chris
www.internationalcuemakers.com
www.cuesmith.com
Click to expand...
Chris, why would you want to prevent the wood from warping while it's still way oversized?
Don't you want it to move as much as it will then stabilize it when it's almost to size?
 
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Tulipwood is a true rosewood wich hits just like cocobolo and has almost the same density as Kingwood. You're talking about a reasonable dense and heavy wood.

Like all rosewoods, it tends to turn to a slightly brownish color when time goes by...

NEVER dip any true Rosewood in Nelsonite!
Nelsonite is a very aggressive chemical substance wich will suck the pigment out of the wood. You'll see that a beautiful red/cream white piece will transform into a fade yellow/orange piece of wood. That would be too bad and unnecessary, as the wood is pretty stable due to the characteristics of true rosewoods (no grain)...
If you're affraid of warpage (wich is not that logical), you could core it.

Just air dry it well and let it hang for a few years (four or five) in dowell shape before using it. Then, it will keep it's color and playing characteristics.

When you finish it, just use your regular clear finish, as the UV additives don't add any value... The UV protection is only necessary if the cue is exposed in bright (sun)light for over a long time. What poolhall is exposed to bright light constantly??? So don't...

You should enjoy the fact that the wood changes slightly in color. That will prove the buyer it is a true rosewood you used in the cue and not some sort of plastic.

Tom Penrose
 
Tulip Example

Here is another example of a cue made from tulip wood. It makes a very striking contrast with the ebony, ivory and silver.
 

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