Why isn't snakewood more popular?
- Thread starter alstl
- Start date
alstl said:
Hard to get? No, not really.
Expensive? Very.
Hard to get without defects already seasoned? Yes. Sometimes the more figured it has the more defects it has. The less figure, the more stable, but nobody wants letterwood (another name for snakewood that some vendors use when the wood is unfigured) in a cue, they want snakewood.
Hard to season? Yes, it is very dense and can take many years.
Hard to keep defects from developing? Yes.
Stable in use? Maybe. There are cases of it used as a handle or forearm, and even when cored it has busted or even exploded, and not necessarily from abuse. One case the guy was down on a shot and in the middle of a practice stroke and it just popped loud enough for the people around the table to hear.
Supposedly if allowed to season a very very long time, like decades, it becomes stable. I have seen a picture in another forum of a bow made of snakewood that apparently was quite stable.
Kelly
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My guess is they sent the snakewood out to be stabilized or acrylic impregnated to make it usable for a bow. I only use it for inlays, points and bott sleeves because it is very prone to cracking.
Hi Mark,
Chris
www.cuesmith.com
www.internationalcuemakers.com
Hi Mark,
Chris
www.cuesmith.com
www.internationalcuemakers.com
alstl said:
I wouldn't say you should avoid it, don't do that based on my post. It seems to be used with success, but it is expensive and you may have to use CA glue with it and accept potential loss. Points, sleeves, and inlays I think should be ok if the wood is dry.
Kelly
Kelly_Guy said:Maybe, but that wasn't the indication. I would have thought the same. I can't find the reference, but it seems like it was from an 80 year old half log. I might be confusing that part with something else though.
Kelly
That's a sweet looking bow. It looks sort of laminated. I have a old stick bow that's put together kind of like It looks, It is wood with laminates in between. Not sure what Kind of resin was used but It has a backer sheet of some type that It was soaked in, that's in between the woods. It does'nt resemble fiberglass matting, more like a fine weave canvas, paper backing, or something simular. I am suprised someone would use snake wood in a bow, but it sure looks nice.
Greg
Kelly_Guy said:
No problem, I enjoyed looking at the bow. I'm not a cuemaker, just thinking that snakewood really stands out and wondered why it wasn't used more. I was thinking a cue with snakewood windows and points into ebony would look sharp, but if it's going to fall apart I understand why it isn't used more.
This bow was built out of multiple pieces glued together instead of a long bow of one piece of wood.Kelly_Guy said:Maybe, but that wasn't the indication. I would have thought the same. I can't find the reference, but it seems like it was from an 80 year old half log. I might be confusing that part with something else though.
Kelly
alstl said:
You shouldn't have any problem with a cue just havijng snakewood points and windows. The cue in my avatar has 4 lo points of snakewood with snakewood windows and it's held up fine. I think that the problems occur when a large single piece of snakewood is used for either a handle or forearm. If you like snakewood, it's a great wood for points and windows, or even a butt sleeve.
Zack
I have used Snakewood in alot of my cues. It works great for points, windows, and other inlays. I have used it several times for butt sleves with no problems. If you like the look of Snakewood, and most people do, Don't be afraid of it, enjoy it in your next cue.
Chris
Chris