The Obsolescence of Wood for Pool Cues
- Thread starter AtLarge
- Start date
Composite cues will probably become the only available option for somebody who wants to pick up a stick at the local department store for basic recreational play and has no interest in delving into the game's lore or personalities.
For people who are deeper into pool, I think wood will remain king. I believe composite cues can be at least as good as the best wooden ones, but how much appreciable advantage can they deliver beyond the best wooden cues? No amount of composite or engineering is going to overcome a weak stroke. Once a player develops a good stroke, the choice of wood or composite is most probably a matter personal preference. That reduces it to emotions and availability of acceptable wood. Emotions clearly favor the pantheon of cuemakers and the pool-world romance associated with such names as Balabushka, Szamboti, Tascarella, Searing, etc. I don't expect wood availability to be a problem for the foreseeable future. A few varieties might become unavailable, but I think enough varieties will remain to keep cue customers satisfied.
For people who are deeper into pool, I think wood will remain king. I believe composite cues can be at least as good as the best wooden ones, but how much appreciable advantage can they deliver beyond the best wooden cues? No amount of composite or engineering is going to overcome a weak stroke. Once a player develops a good stroke, the choice of wood or composite is most probably a matter personal preference. That reduces it to emotions and availability of acceptable wood. Emotions clearly favor the pantheon of cuemakers and the pool-world romance associated with such names as Balabushka, Szamboti, Tascarella, Searing, etc. I don't expect wood availability to be a problem for the foreseeable future. A few varieties might become unavailable, but I think enough varieties will remain to keep cue customers satisfied.
My thoughts are simple, wood is becoming scarce and therefore more expensive. If the gentleman collecting wood for 20 years deceides in 20 not to build Pool Cues he has lost nothing. In fact if he buys the right kind of wood and stores it properly he only make money if he decides to sell it. So even if pool cues some day are made from a different material, our Wood Collector will still not be behind the times or lose any money. In fact, I will bet that he would wish in the end that he had bought more wood than he did in the first place.:smile:
I believe we will have Hemp pool cues. Why not, they make everything else with it. Smokeable cues will be all the rage. Smoke enuff and you will have a jump cue. And no, I haven't been partaking yet tonight.
We as humans, and more especially engineers only try to mimic what nature has already perfected. Our best plumbing doesn't come close to that of a tree, even our bridges and buildings are patterned after trees( sky scrapers are built to sway, if they didn't they would collapse, just as trees sway in the wind). Its all about the feel, the way wood interacts with the other things around it. It is the perfect tool for billiards. There is no polymer or any scientific breakthrough that is going to produce a better hitting better feeling pool cue, much less one that is the equal of todays top wood cues. Wood will always be far more special than anything man can make otherwise.
I love wood....especially my own
G.G.
I love wood....especially my own
G.G.
I tend to agree with you Greyghost but FOREVER is a really long time. I think there will come a time where man made materials will be use and preferred by many but for the foreseeable future it's wood no doubt. Like you say its hard to beat what mother nature makes.
I look on the one hand fly rods. Bamboo is still used for fine rods but Graphite is the preferred material. The reasons may simply be cost of manufacturing and care and maintenance not to mention the craft is nearly lost. Bamboo is so sweet.
On the other hand we can compare wood bats to aluminum. I believe aluminum can send a ball further/harder and maybe why it's banned in the pros. Maybe its a rule they simply haven't changed for tradition sake.
There are now starting to merge compsite cue shafts that are just as good as wood. In fact there are some shafts that are better than a great majority of wood shafts, just that they are not yet comercially available.
I am not saying that wood shafts will become obsolete because of this technology,but the science behind high end cue shafts is rapidly chasing the why and how a wood shaft behaves, and is being developed into the new series of composite cues.
In x amount of years down the road, people will still want a wooden shaft that really performs, but at the same time, there will be people persuing the alternative to produce the best available product no matter the material choice.
For me , I am persuing the composite route.
So far, I am having very favourable results and there is still alot more to be discovered.
Neil
I am not saying that wood shafts will become obsolete because of this technology,but the science behind high end cue shafts is rapidly chasing the why and how a wood shaft behaves, and is being developed into the new series of composite cues.
In x amount of years down the road, people will still want a wooden shaft that really performs, but at the same time, there will be people persuing the alternative to produce the best available product no matter the material choice.
For me , I am persuing the composite route.
So far, I am having very favourable results and there is still alot more to be discovered.
Neil
Right Idea, wrong material...not composites
The thing is we will never run out of wood, the man made materials you speak of are one day going to become lab grown high end wood products! Watch I know it sounds crazy...but they have been growing EARS in mice for people for almost a decade now. Straight Grained Maple out of a lab grown in no time and It'll come out 30+ grains an inch...that kind of technology is not all that far away. Man will never overcome nature, but can and has used natures inventions and made them better...never going to make fiberglass play like wood...but you can engineer wood to make it play better!
Grey Ghost
The thing is we will never run out of wood, the man made materials you speak of are one day going to become lab grown high end wood products! Watch I know it sounds crazy...but they have been growing EARS in mice for people for almost a decade now. Straight Grained Maple out of a lab grown in no time and It'll come out 30+ grains an inch...that kind of technology is not all that far away. Man will never overcome nature, but can and has used natures inventions and made them better...never going to make fiberglass play like wood...but you can engineer wood to make it play better!
Grey Ghost
This is a thread I started about 7 years ago for discussion on the future of wood as a material for pool cues.
In view of the advent this year of the Revo carbon fiber composite shaft, I thought it might be interesting to re-read some of the thoughts from 7 years ago and to add any new thoughts on the subject.
Repeating some of what I wrote 7 years ago (in Post #1): " ... wood still reigns supreme.
But how about as we now look forward? Will our wood collector's efforts be in vain? Will wood still be supreme 20 years from now? How about 50 years or 100 years? Will wooden cues be relegated to collectors' items by then? Will anyone alive today ever walk into a pro pool tournament where no one is using a wood cue?
Your thoughts?"
In view of the advent this year of the Revo carbon fiber composite shaft, I thought it might be interesting to re-read some of the thoughts from 7 years ago and to add any new thoughts on the subject.
Repeating some of what I wrote 7 years ago (in Post #1): " ... wood still reigns supreme.
But how about as we now look forward? Will our wood collector's efforts be in vain? Will wood still be supreme 20 years from now? How about 50 years or 100 years? Will wooden cues be relegated to collectors' items by then? Will anyone alive today ever walk into a pro pool tournament where no one is using a wood cue?
Your thoughts?"
…well, if the Canadian fires are kept to a minimum along with the consensus science
increase of carbon foods for trees, I’m thinking cues made of wood will maintain their
long lived natural place of use; imagine the crazy dollar lost from cue futures because
of this past forest fire.
Yet still, break from the norms will occur, like an acrylic top in place of slate and the billiard game that determines "who's the best" .
increase of carbon foods for trees, I’m thinking cues made of wood will maintain their
long lived natural place of use; imagine the crazy dollar lost from cue futures because
of this past forest fire.
Yet still, break from the norms will occur, like an acrylic top in place of slate and the billiard game that determines "who's the best" .
I think that the evolution of cue making will continue.
Wood collector's efforts will never be in vain.
I don't think at this time that the Revo carbon fiber composite shaft is ready to take over maple shafts, although I have moved toward a low deflection cue made of Dymondwood.
Dymonwood is a laminated, composite, resin impregnated hardwood that allows for difficult low deflection construction but a consistent product.
For now low-deflection Dymondwood cues are difficult to produce and not suitable for mass production in my opinion.
I don't doubt that there will be more materials used in the future with different successes just as there are currently with traditional maple shafts.
JoeyA
Wood collector's efforts will never be in vain.
I don't think at this time that the Revo carbon fiber composite shaft is ready to take over maple shafts, although I have moved toward a low deflection cue made of Dymondwood.
Dymonwood is a laminated, composite, resin impregnated hardwood that allows for difficult low deflection construction but a consistent product.
For now low-deflection Dymondwood cues are difficult to produce and not suitable for mass production in my opinion.
I don't doubt that there will be more materials used in the future with different successes just as there are currently with traditional maple shafts.
JoeyA
I miss New Stroke......he made some great posts....and many were funny as hell.
But on this post, I think he failed to realize that every time you stroke through your bridge
hand, the cue will get bigger....talk about starting with a tooth-pick and ending up with a log......and on a humid night, the cue ends up thinner than a pencil.
Come back, New Stroke, I wanna argue about this.
Maybe in the future we will have plastic cues and use wooden balls.
Plastic cues won't replace wood as long as they make maple syrup.
.
Plastic cues won't replace wood as long as they make maple syrup.
.
A lot has been tried already. Other than other sports pure strength (within limits) is not of advantage. It's more about consistency, accuracy.
Wood prices are hard to beat and the workability of hard rock maple is excellent which in the end is what matters, too.
Other than that I couldn't care less about sound or looks, as long as I can control the new material and it makes me sink balls and aim for position and has a resounable price.
Then again: I still laugh my balls off about the new Predator Revo and its price - my cheap Snooker shaft has less deflection and a great feeling already.
Cheers,
M (being very matter-of-factly again)
Wood prices are hard to beat and the workability of hard rock maple is excellent which in the end is what matters, too.
Other than that I couldn't care less about sound or looks, as long as I can control the new material and it makes me sink balls and aim for position and has a resounable price.
Then again: I still laugh my balls off about the new Predator Revo and its price - my cheap Snooker shaft has less deflection and a great feeling already.
Cheers,
M (being very matter-of-factly again)
I heard that about you.
Couple of thoughts, I guess. There will be more non-wood cues, but wooden cues will always be the standard. Unlike golf and tennis, there is nothing about wood that limits play.
That being said, working on the latest materials and technology, there are any number of materials on the commercial horizon. Several could be used as pool cues, but when I get my hands on something that seems remotely viable as the next cue material, I'll keep it to myself.
Freddie <~~~ loves wood