Question for Blud

[Rickw]

Blud,

In another life, I used to be into martial arts. I worked a lot with sticks and one of the woods we favored was ebony. It was a very heavy wood. The size of the sticks we worked out with were about 20" long and about 5/8" in diameter. Every once in a while, the ebony, when hit at a certain spot would just shatter like that safety glass they put on cars. It always used to freak us out when that would happen because those sticks made of ebony were usually so hard that most other sticks would break when hit by them. We never knew when it would happen. Those ebony sticks might last years but once they were hit, and the hit didn't have to be very hard, on a certain spot, they would just shatter.

My question is, have you ever noticed this when working with ebony? If so, have you ever heard about anyone having trouble with ebony on a cue before? I would doubt a cue would ever sustain the kind of treatment we put those ebony sticks through but I'm just curious.

 

[blud]

Hi Rick,

I have noticed a simular problem. When you see a small crack, ever so lightly, this is a problem. Sometimes you won't see the crack or check, until your machineing the wood.

Ebony, like any hard wood needs to have the ends coated with whatever. I use epoxy glue, when building the cue. When I am ready for assembly, I coat the ends with glue.. When I receive the ebony from my supplier, it's been dipped on each end with wax. This will help to keep it from "checking".

I also coat the ebony front with a thin layer of glue, during the sizing part of cue makeing. Another words, I turn cut it and coat it with glue, and then a few weeks later, I turn cut it and re-coat it. I do this several times with hard woods, that I use for cues.

I take all my wood, and hit test it on my work bench. I also drop test it. I hold it about belly high and drop it on the concrete floor, with the end down.

If it good and hard, it will bounce back. If not it will have a noise that's just not right, and off it goes to the burn pit.

If it's got a funny sound or a check that runs through it, It gets put in to the burn pit.

I have never had a cue split or blow up under pressure as you have describded.

If the piece of wood has a crack or check, I do not use it, at all, for anything.

god bless
blud

 

[Rickw]

Thanks Blud. Sounds like you have a good method for making sure the wood you use is of the highest standard. Merry Xmas!