What's a good contrast wood for cocobolo?

[Rich R.]

I'm trying to find a good contrast wood for a wrapless cue design with cocobolo forearm and buttsleeve. What wood would go well in the handle?

I have redish cocobolo points, with veneers, into BEM.
I also have brown cocobolo points, with veneers, into BEM.
Both look great.
I would also recommend using curly maple instead of the BEM. I love curly maple and have one on order, with ebony points.

In another cue, I have a totally different look, with redish cocobolo points, with veneers, into ebony. It is absolutely beautiful, but it is definitely not the light colored wood you are looking for.

All of my cues have wraps, so I can't help you with a good handle wood.

 

[ridewiththewind]

"Lisa ----------> knows how to design an aesthetically pleasing cue."

Really? Just for fun, design me a cue with the only requirements listed below:

1. Wrapless
2. Cocobolo forearm and butt sleeve
3. Brass custom ringwork at A, B, C, D and E
4. Brass 3/8 x11 joint pin

For reference, the weight would be 19.0-19.25 oz and the balance point would be 19" from butt end. Budget is $1500 max.

This is just for fun, but depending on the design, I might actually go with it.

Know what? Anyone who wants to design me a cue with the above requirements can post their design. I'm curious as to what others with more cue knowledge/experience will come up with.

Well....you did not indicate if you are looking for a merry widow style, or points. Veneers or no.

Right off the top of my head, as to the rings....brass ring, brass dashes, brass ring. What I mean with the dashes, is sort of an 's.o.s.' kinda thing...dashes and dots, 'cept replace the dots with small squares. Probably doesn't make sense, but I can see it...lol.

The rest I am going to have to think about a bit, as I am currently in wrapless full splice mode in my brain.

Lisa

 

[jdelcue]

Illustration of Olivewood on Cocobolo (on a Ned Morris cue)...

 

[Bigtruck]

Holly Wood....

I'm trying to find a good contrast wood for a wrapless cue design with cocobolo forearm and buttsleeve. What wood would go well in the handle? I want a lighter colored wood. My top choices so far are:

1. Tulipwood
2. Ropey Bubinga
3. "Classic" Curly Maple

I think the tulipwood would make for a really interesting contrast wood, in that it has similar figure to the cocobolo, but is lighter in color. And I just like bubinga.

What do y'all think?

I had the Handle area of mine made with Holly. It has an "ivory" like effect.

Ray

 

[Fenris]

JD: Thanks for the olivewood pics. From the pics, it does look like olivewood would make a good contrast wood for cocobolo. I may have to add it to the list....

Big Truck: I almost forgot about Holly. I usually think of holly as an ivory substitute, as you can see why, but never thought about using it as handle wood. Out of curiosity, how white is holly?

Lisa: I can sort of see the rings you're thinking about. Something like this?

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That would be an interesting ring design.

Also, aside from the 4 required elements I listed, anything goes as long as it looks good and can be made for $1500 or less. If you must know, I will ALWAYS choose fancy ringwork over points. Ringwork, next to wood selection, makes or breaks a cue's looks for me.

 

[ridewiththewind]

JD: Thanks for the olivewood pics. From the pics, it does look like olivewood would make a good contrast wood for cocobolo. I may have to add it to the list....

Big Truck: I almost forgot about Holly. I usually think of holly as an ivory substitute, as you can see why, but never thought about using it as handle wood. Out of curiosity, how white is holly?

Lisa: I can sort of see the rings you're thinking about. Something like this?

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====================

That would be an interesting ring design.

Also, aside from the 4 required elements I listed, anything goes as long as it looks good and can be made for $1500 or less. If you must know, I will ALWAYS choose fancy ringwork over points. Ringwork, next to wood selection, makes or breaks a cue's looks for me.

Yep, something like that for the ringwork. I think that if you went with a coco nose and butt, with a segmented Gabon ebony handle, with the brass rings into coco...with two of the coc/brass rings in the ebony handle...making three segments....that would be an amazing looking cue. Also, the brass into the coco in the other obvious places...lol. I think a black phenolic wood/wood, big pin joint, and a skinny black phenolic buttcap would be awesome. The brass would add a richness to the entire cue.

The cue I currently have in build is a full splice, non-veneered wrapless. It is Bois de Rose (Madagascar rosewood) into a BEM nose. I have requested brass and satinwood trim rings, along with some satinwood butterflies in the butt. And a big ol' brass 3/8x11 pin. I am leaving the phenolic joint color to the maker, as well as to if it will have a buttcap or not, and possibly bumperless. We'll see how it turns out, when ever it is completed.

Lisa

 

[Fenris]

Which cuemaker is building it?

Also, do you happen to have pics of other cues you have designed in the past? Curious as to your design aesthetics.

Thanks.

 

[bigpocket]

I had the Handle area of mine made with Holly. It has an "ivory" like effect.

Ray

Holly not a very stable wood it be ok for points and stuff. I would think that It would have to be cored for sure if ya used holly i have heard that it not that hard and movies quite a bit.

 

[ridewiththewind]

Which cuemaker is building it?

Also, do you happen to have pics of other cues you have designed in the past? Curious as to your design aesthetics.

Thanks.

Here is a link to the cue I designed, and later had to part with due to an unforseen financial obligation :

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=44679&highlight=skip+weston

I also helped 'zeeder' a bit with a design he was working on for his upcoming James White cue he currently has in build. He had a basic design idea, which is amazing, btw, I just helped a bit with respect to adding some color and refining the ringwork...and suggestion for point-type and veneers. He is another one with a VERY good eye for cue design...you may wish to ask for his opinion as well.

If someone asks, I will give my suggestions....I have been told I have a good eye for color...lol. It's weird, but I just 'see' designs and color combos in my mind's eye quite vividly. I can 'see' the completed cue, and it usually turns out just as I visualized it.

The reason I suggested ebony for a handle, as I felt it would provide a nice feedback throughout the cue, as well as a slightly more stable handle wood. Plus, I think the contrast might be nicer for the coloring of the coco you have described.

I will PM you the about the maker of the cue currently in build.

Lisa

 

[ridewiththewind]

Hey Fen....to answer your question, via PM, as to whether or not satinwood is a tonewood....take a look at this, and I think it will answer your question....lol. Since I play guitar, I would venture to guess that it will have a tonal resonance somewhere in the range between maple and spruce....likely closer to maple, which produces crisp, clean highs in the tonal range. Here is it coupled with a band of rosewood, but you get to see the earthy contrast I was trying to allude to in a earlier post. It is why I felt, for a lighter wood handle option aside from the more traditional maple, I felt it would work with the cocobolo so well.

Lisa

 

[ridewiththewind]

Here is another pic, showing the beautiful rich color of satinwood, Notice the chatoyance (shimmer, luminance) it has as the light hit's it from different angles.

Lisa