Wood Types ?

stevekur1

stevekur1

The "COMMISH"
Silver Member
Hey,

in the next month i am going to be commissioning a cue maker to build me a cue, and i am at a crossroads on what types of woods to use in the butt section.

does anyone out there in cue making land have any photos of assorted wood types.

all help would be greatly appreciated !

Thank You
Steve
 
Rather than look at unfinished wood, I suggest that you look at some cues that have been finised to get a more realistic view of what to expect in your new cue. There are many web sites on the internet to look at; just do a Google search on "custom cues".

Good Luck inl your quest,
 
Also, if you have a favorite color (or colors), it can help to keep that in mind as well.

Purpleheart is a popular cue wood, and is, well, purple! It can be had with a flame figure as well, which can be quite nice!

There is also Yellowheart and a few species with a greenish tint and orange tint as well as the browns and red-browns that are more typical to wood species.

Now think about the entire design. If you really like turquoise for example, maybe you want to use that as your main inlay material with some silver trim. If you go with a lighter colored wood (maple for example) the silver won't 'pop' like it would against a dark ebony, blackwood or even cocobolo.

If you will have points with veneers, you may want to keep those colors in mind as well. You don't have to have everything match perfectly; however complimentary colors are really nice. Also, traditionally the butt sleeve is the same wood as the points in a point cue. You can have what ever you may want, but to simulate the look of a full-splice, it is often done that way. You can of course not do it that way if you like. The possibilities are quite limitless!

Here's some highly figured pieces to look at and get ideas from...

http://www.bellforestproducts.com/exotic-wood/
 
The most important wood that you will select is the species you choose for the forearm. This choice should be based on 'tone' rather than purely visual appeal. A pretty wood is nice to look at, but you're actually going to play this cue, right?

Woods used in musical instruments are chosen for their tonal qualities. If they happen to have some visual appeal, so much the better. Purity of tone in an instrument translates directly to the 'hit' in cues.

Super highly figured pieces will most definitely trip your trigger from a visual stand-point but may not offer the tone/hit that you're looking for.
I believe that the early masters chose straight-grain Maple for a reason.
That's not to say that straight-grain Maple is the only wood suitable for a forearm, as we as builders have advanced somewhat since their (the masters) time and have found other woods equally as tonal and pure in hit. Most all Rosewoods have gained favor for the application of a forearm. They offer excellent tone, can be very visually appealing and most are easily attained. There's at least one exception to this. Brazilian Rosewood is believed by many to be the premier tone wood but has become very difficult to attain of late. High demand for this wood has driven it to the point of near extinction. It's very difficult to come by today. Because of this, when it is available, it's usually quite expensive.

Some woods that are not classified as Rosewoods are very suitable for forearms as well; Ebony for example. It very much classifies as a tonal wood yet is not a Rosewood. Think of clarinets, piccolos, etc.

The wood you choose for the forearm will define the hit of your cue. You should be prepared to determine what you want in your cue, superior hit or drop-dead mind-boggling gorgeous figure. It's possible to be close to each if you're willing to compromise.
 
And as important as the wood chosen is the construction techniques employed in the construction.

Great pieces of wood individually, assembled poorly, will not resonate as a single piece, which is the ultimate goal of the construction. You can hide a lot of 'sins' in a cue!

For 3-piece butts, using pins, having the pin holes drilled excessively deep, ill-fitting threads relying upon glue to fill the 'gaps', faces of mating parts not cleaned up perfectly flat and perpendicular to the centerline and these sorts of things can take the most wonderful pieces of wood and render them kindling.

So, I know you have chosen your maker, and I assume you are pleased with their work. I am stating this more for to add to the last post...
 
KJ Cues said:
Most all Rosewoods have gained favor for the application of a forearm. They offer excellent tone, can be very visually appealing and most are easily attained. There's at least one exception to this. Brazilian Rosewood is believed by many to be the premier tone wood but has become very difficult to attain of late. High demand for this wood has driven it to the point of near extinction. It's very difficult to come by today. Because of this, when it is available, it's usually quite expensive.
Click to expand...

I probably should not let this cat out of the bag but the rosewood in some of the old house cues can make excellent forearms.
Once it is finished with Auto clear coat it is amazing how really nice it looks.
Plus it is super stable and has been around pool tables for a long time
(it knows what it is to do).

Willee
 
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