Lately I've been looking for some extremely figured curly maple, and I thought I would share my experiences with a couple suppliers with everyone.
1.) Birdseye Creations
I ordered several sticks of what BEC calls their "PRIMO" or highest grade of curly as well as BE maple. For less than $15, the curly came in clean, but only what I would consider moderately curly. Definitely not worthy of the grade "PRIMO" IMO, but certainly usable for a lower end cue for the builder on a budget. The BE on the other hand, was a joke. Eyes were very sparce, and I just can't believe they had the nerve to call it "PRIMO" quality. Don't bother with their BE.
2.) Gilmer Wood Co
I haven't yet received my order from Gilmer, so can't yet comment on the quality, but I wanted to point out a couple of things. First, their pricing is similar to other suppliers who kiln dry their stock, but the maple I've seen on their site is only air dryed, meaning forget about using it for at least a year. Secondly, when shopping on their site, make sure to click their pictures for a rear view of the stock if available. In many cases one or two faces look great, but the back side is heartwood that won't turn out.
3.) Mapleleaf Hardwoods
This place has some real nice curly in their private stock collection, but mostly in board form rather than turning stock. If you don't mind cutting it yourself, and not being able to see if the figure goes all the way around before buying, this place has some REAL nice material.
4.) Bell Forest
Kiln dried, and nice stuff, but not much of it.
5.) Bob's Exotic Woods
This guy's site will open on July 1st, but he currently sells out of an eBay store. He gets some VERY nice stock of multiple species, but you have to be willing to pay for it. He's definitely got more of the other species than maple, but thought I'd share him as a source of some nice burls, sapelle, and other.
Can anyone point me to a good source for the highest figured curly maple?
Thanks.
Mr H
1.) Birdseye Creations
I ordered several sticks of what BEC calls their "PRIMO" or highest grade of curly as well as BE maple. For less than $15, the curly came in clean, but only what I would consider moderately curly. Definitely not worthy of the grade "PRIMO" IMO, but certainly usable for a lower end cue for the builder on a budget. The BE on the other hand, was a joke. Eyes were very sparce, and I just can't believe they had the nerve to call it "PRIMO" quality. Don't bother with their BE.
2.) Gilmer Wood Co
I haven't yet received my order from Gilmer, so can't yet comment on the quality, but I wanted to point out a couple of things. First, their pricing is similar to other suppliers who kiln dry their stock, but the maple I've seen on their site is only air dryed, meaning forget about using it for at least a year. Secondly, when shopping on their site, make sure to click their pictures for a rear view of the stock if available. In many cases one or two faces look great, but the back side is heartwood that won't turn out.
3.) Mapleleaf Hardwoods
This place has some real nice curly in their private stock collection, but mostly in board form rather than turning stock. If you don't mind cutting it yourself, and not being able to see if the figure goes all the way around before buying, this place has some REAL nice material.
4.) Bell Forest
Kiln dried, and nice stuff, but not much of it.
5.) Bob's Exotic Woods
This guy's site will open on July 1st, but he currently sells out of an eBay store. He gets some VERY nice stock of multiple species, but you have to be willing to pay for it. He's definitely got more of the other species than maple, but thought I'd share him as a source of some nice burls, sapelle, and other.
Can anyone point me to a good source for the highest figured curly maple?
Thanks.
Mr H
