walnut pool cue???

[hanshewcustom-q]

just wondering if anyone has any info that might be useful for making a pool cue with a walnut forearm. have a guy that wants me to build him one but he is just now cutting the tree down. can walnut be kiln dried without splitting? just looking for some information as i have never dealt with this wood. thanks for any and all input.

james

 

[Ridge Runner]

Walnut is about 10% lighter than sugar maple (you would need a heavier handle wood) and not pretty for a cue IMHO. It will kiln dry OK. It is a very stable wood. If the tree is just know being cut, I hope your friend can wait a year or so for a cue.
If you have a local cabinet maker, he can give you lots of info about working with walnut.
John

 

[masonh]

i have some very nice looking curly crotchwood Claro Walnut but as RR said it is pretty light.i am going to use mine for handles cored.

 

[conetip]

I think there is something nice about making furniture or what ever out of a tree that you have had some sort of connection through. If you are capable of making him a cue from some it, I am sure he will be very happy with the results indeed.My grandfather used to pre split wood with an axe. This way, you find the straight natural grain of the wood.It was sawn into 4 feet lengths. Only the straight pieces would be carefully racked and allowed to dry slowly over a long period of time. Usually 3 to 4 years for pieces that were up to 3 inches thick and no more than 4 inches wide abouts. This was a native wood of NewZealand that he did this to. Some of these trees take 500 to 800 years to be fully grown.From this he made some very nice furniture. The rest was just burnt as firewood. It seems a waist thinking of it nowdays, burning for heat.
Neil

 

[Mase]

just wondering if anyone has any info that might be useful for making a pool cue with a walnut forearm. have a guy that wants me to build him one but he is just now cutting the tree down. can walnut be kiln dried without splitting? just looking for some information as i have never dealt with this wood. thanks for any and all input.

james

This is a cue I use as my playing cue and it has a walnut forearm and butt. Came in at 19.3 oz and balanced at 18.75 in after adding some weight at the A joint.

 

[Dave38]

I am cutting some black walnut for forearms and also points. I glued up a set of points into curly maple and they look pretty good. One word of caution... I had an allergic reaction to the sawdust combined with dry skin due to my shop humidity being down to 17%. My doc said the dry skin is more sensitive to irritants, so I now have to wear long sleeves and a high neck shirt. and invest in a humidifier for the shop.
Dave