wood

[bubsbug]

I went to the wood shop to purchase some maple wood to make a couple hundred core blanks. After cutting a couple, I am having second thoughts. Do you think these would make good shaft blanks. The wood is very white in compareson as to other mapel i have seen. The grain is straight, tight and uniformatve. 20+ grain lines. the second pics show the worst one but even it has good uniformative lines. Should I attempt to make shafts or keep them as core blanks. Last week I made 200 purple heart blanks!

 

[rhncue]

I went to the wood shop to purchase some maple wood to make a couple hundred core blanks. After cutting a couple, I am having second thoughts. Do you think these would make good shaft blanks. The wood is very white in compareson as to other mapel i have seen. The grain is straight, tight and uniformatve. 20+ grain lines. the second pics show the worst one but even it has good uniformative lines. Should I attempt to make shafts or keep them as core blanks. Last week I made 200 purple heart blanks!

I can't see the first two pictures as they are out of focus but it makes no difference. If the wood meets your criteria for shaft blanks then it is fine for core wood and vise versa. They both need straight grain and the more lines the better. As far as I'm concerned, if the maple is not good enough for shafts then it is also not good enough for coring.

Dick

 

[Cue Crazy]

You ever thought about coring with one of your laminated dowels? If In Your position I have to admitt the thought would cross My mind. I've shot with a few cues that were laminated cored, and they pocketed balls very easily when balanced well. You can core with PH also.

 

[bubsbug]

You ever thought about coring with one of your laminated dowels? If In Your position I have to admitt the thought would cross My mind. I've shot with a few cues that were laminated cored, and they pocketed balls very easily when balanced well. You can core with PH also.

Nope, to expansive, $45 forearm core Blank???? PH-purple Heart, Yes I have made 200 of them last week 1"x1"

 

[olsonsview]

PH nice for coring

I often use it for that if it is very straight grained Bugs! Though Maple is lighter, and works easy.
Yeah, laminate cores are pricey, but great if you want an ultra stable core. I have used some flat lams for coring woods that move a lot.

 

[Murray Tucker]

Nope, to expansive, $45 forearm core Blank???? PH-purple Heart, Yes I have made 200 of them last week 1"x1"

"It's too expensive" are three words that a cuemaker should not use when selecting components for their cues. Quality must come before price.

 

[Varney Cues]

"It's too expensive" are three words that a cuemaker should not use when selecting components for their cues. Quality must come before price.

tap tap tap

 

[BarenbruggeCues]

Always buy the most expensive shaft wood and BE maple you can find.
It stays straighter longer.

 

[qbilder]

That wood looks great from the end grain, but the most important picture is the one you never posted, which is how straight the grains runs along the blank. Straight grain is paramount, then begin considering other factors such as gpi & density & such. If that wood is straight grained than it should be great shafts. If it's something you'd like to see on a cue you buy from a custom builder, then it's good. If it's something you'd be upset about seeing on a cue you bought, then don't use it.

 

[bubsbug]

I have talk to many many people about how to select proper wood, epically shaft wood. I get as many difference answers as Quaker's has oats. I am so confused! This summer I purchased approx 200 shaft dowels from many different cue makers here on AZ. I purchase good one's bad ones and everything in between. Now, I have examined them, weighed them bounced them for tone, smelled them, licked them for taste. Now some have nice tight grain, straight grain, 5 gpi, 20 gpi. some are whiter than others. After researching this I realized that sometimes I got screwed, but hey it was an education. My biggest finding was that grading of wood is very subjective. What some CM's call A, others call AA, AAA,or even A+. So how can a beginner sutch as myself decipher what is good or bad when there is such a discrepicency among CM's. This is why I chose to do laminate shafts, and after making quite a few of them I realize that they too have their own problems. I am now ready for good solid maple wood, especially since my taper shaper is due here this week.

My summary of wood! Tell me how far off I am. Its like picking a watermelon. Some say it has to have the right thump, other say it has to be dark green, and even others say that the growth lines have to be close together. Does this sound familure? Well I am beginning to believe that the only way to tell if the watermelon is any good or not is to cut the damn thing open and taste it.

Shaft wood is similar! turn your wood round as described in Hightower?s book! If the wood keeps moving its bad wood. If it stays straight then its good wood to use. Everything after that is personal taste, White vs. dark, solid hit, vs. weak hit, (which probably collates to ring count and spacing of grain line) So if it stays straight its good wood. A friend of mine sells probably 1-200 cues a month from all manufactures imagable, im in his shop everyday looking at shafts and frankly I don?t think that a consumer can tell a difference so long as it is straight. I see such a wide variety of personal wood traits on each cue!

Now, with all of this in mind what is the best way to buy wood. It would seem logical that you need to buy large amounts of wood at cheep prices and play the WILL BE GAME. Will it be a good one or bad one, as opposed to buying a $30 blank that may end up bad anyways. It's a crap shoot, and sometimes people get good at predicting the odds. HOW FAR OFF AM I?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????