Storing snakewood

wolfgun

wolfgun

Wolfgun
Silver Member
I have a really nice piece of 1 1/2" sq. x 15" snakewood that is waxed on all 6 surfaces. I will be looking to have it made into a cue down the road. In the meantime, what is the best method/condition, for storage. Should I leave the wax on entirely or partially? Should the square be hung or not? Any thoughts on this? Thank you, Wolf
 
wolfgun said:
I have a really nice piece of 1 1/2" sq. x 15" snakewood that is waxed on all 6 surfaces. I will be looking to have it made into a cue down the road. In the meantime, what is the best method/condition, for storage. Should I leave the wax on entirely or partially? Should the square be hung or not? Any thoughts on this? Thank you, Wolf
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Do you know how wet it is? Do you know when it was harvested? Snakewood is so dense it takes it a very long time to season, and the best advice is somewhat dependent upon the condition of the wood, and definitely a subjective thing.

IMO, there is no need to hang a square that is not cut round, as long as you store it on a shelf somewhere were air can get to it. A wire frame metal shelf would be great. Better leave the wax on, and come back to it in a very long time. I would store it fully waxed in my shop where there is no climate control, but opinions vary.

Kelly
 
I don't know when it was harvested and I don't know the moisture content.I've had the piece for almost 2 years. It was fully waxed when I bought it. Will it season with the wax on it? I know that snakewood has a tendency towards checking and/or cracking when it dries, but can it dry out with the wax on it? Should it be tested for moisture and then maybe be stabilised in some way? Thanks for your input, Wolf
 
It is a risk/reward thing. It will definitely dry out faster with no wax on it, but it will check easier also. Waxing wood only slows down moisture change, not closing it off completely.

I have no first hand experience with the various stabilization processes.

You can weigh it, age it another year, and then weigh it again to see if it drops any. Two years is a start, but if it were me and I suspected it was wet when I received it, I would not touch it for another 3 years.

Kelly
 
if you turn it round and leave the ends waxed that will force the moisture out of the sides and it will season faster.

i dont have any experience with snakewood though. i dont see it being much different that other exotic hardwoods. i could be wrong. kelly knows his stuff
 
dave sutton said:
if you turn it round and leave the ends waxed that will force the moisture out of the sides and it will season faster.

i dont have any experience with snakewood though. i dont see it being much different that other exotic hardwoods. i could be wrong. kelly knows his stuff
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Yes, it will for sure season faster after turned round. One way to dry out wood is to remove material that is closest to the surface. Very dense woods that are thick take longer to season all the way to the center. Snakewood is among the densest at over 80 pounds per cubic foot.

You are also right that waxing the ends slows down the moisture exchange through the endgrain, which causes end checking. However, I have had some exotics check right down the middle in the square form after in my shop for a short time because they were rather green and not completely waxed. If the snakewood is wet, and you turn it, and it wasn't ready, and you don't completely wax it after turning, expect problems IMO.

Assuming the poster doesn't have a lathe, and he is going to deliver the piece to some unkonwn cuemaker in the future, his best bet is to leave it waxed and alone, IMO.

If the poster knows for sure who he is going to commission to do the work, I say deliver it to the cuemaker and let him decide when it is ready to undergo some cutting.

Kelly
 
JoeyInCali said:
If you use the snakewood as a forearm, it's liable to shatter like glass.
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lol... i dont let me wood sit around forever. when i cut only points and butsleeves not much can go wrong in such a small piece of wood

im traditionalist. i dont do too many exotic forearms.

i wouldnt mind making a cue out of burle wood and breaking with it til it explodes. sounds fun
 
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The snakewood for this handle was stored waxed for 5 years. As per Dave Kikel, who made the cue, the wood being kept that long in a consistent climate should yield good results.

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That's a nice piece of wood! Defininetly worth waiting to do it right.
 
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