Most expensive wood

[robsonj]

Hi, just interested to know what the most expensive kind of wood used in cue making either now or historically??, I'm thinking snakewood or some kind of burr wood??

[ste bed]

snakewood ,pink ivory are probably up there but the most expensive wood in the world out of cue making is agarwood .

[KeithinFrance]

I always thought it was exhibition grade walnut, but I've never heard of "agarwood".

[totlxtc]

Full figured snakewood, Amboyna Burl, Even figured Curly maple, Pink Ivory are all expensive woods.

Agarwood i believe is only expensive due to the oil it produces, not the actual wood product.

[ste bed]

Full figured snakewood, Amboyna Burl, Even figured Curly maple, Pink Ivory are all expensive woods.

Agarwood i believe is only expensive due to the oil it produces, not the actual wood product.

true but it is very expensive

[Watford]

Like Myrrh then?
Never see either on a cue!

[noel]

This "African Blackwood" looks cool and damned expensive... they say it's musical grade and used for things like oboes, but is this ever used as cue butts?

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...2BSI%26otn%3D4



=o)

Noel

[KeithinFrance]

Full figured snakewood, Amboyna Burl, Even figured Curly maple, Pink Ivory are all expensive woods.

Agarwood i believe is only expensive due to the oil it produces, not the actual wood product.

Pink Ivory is not only rare, it's also dangerous! As I understand it, tradition was that only the chief/king of the tribe in whose territory the Pink Ivory tree grew had the right to chop it down and anyone else who tried to so do was sentenced to death!

Don't know why it's so much more readily available today than in the past, though.

[platt]

Pink Ivory is not only rare, it's also dangerous! As I understand it, tradition was that only the chief/king of the tribe in whose territory the Pink Ivory tree grew had the right to chop it down and anyone else who tried to so do was sentenced to death!

Don't know why it's so much more readily available today than in the past, though.

because the tribe chopped all the other trees down and left loads of pink ivory trees..........lol

[trevs1]

Pink Ivory is not only rare, it's also dangerous! As I understand it, tradition was that only the chief/king of the tribe in whose territory the Pink Ivory tree grew had the right to chop it down and anyone else who tried to so do was sentenced to death!

Don't know why it's so much more readily available today than in the past, though.

I know what you mean Keith, I had a piece fall out of some racking and hit me on the head a few years ago.

Very dangerous.

[trevs1]

Hi, just interested to know what the most expensive kind of wood used in cue making either now or historically??, I'm thinking snakewood or some kind of burr wood??

Yes, I think that's pretty fair to say, though there are other timbers which can occasionally be available which are extremely costly.

Snakewood and burr timbers are normally sold by weight, and so, as snakewood is arguably one of the heaviest timbers readily available, it's not good news when you want to buy it.

Likewise with burrs, they are also often sold by weight, but, the issue with these is that they're random shaped and sized, and can be unpredictable once cut, so can yield a lot of waste in comparison to what you can get which is useable.

Other pricey timbers are those which display an unusual appearance for the species, and these can be many.

One example of this unusual appearance is highly figured maple, the sort seen in guitar production, where it's appearance is very different to the more 'normal' timber it produces. Other species can be far more dramatic, and rare, and cost an absolute fortune.

I guess it's supply and demand.

[robsonj]

has anyone ever used lignum Vitae in cue manufacture, its certainly got enough weight??

[robsonj]

A quote off wikepedia re lignum vitae

For this same reason it was widely used in shaft bearings. Commonly used in ship's propeller stern-tube bearings, due to its self-lubricating qualities, until the 1960s with the introduction of sealed white metal bearings. According to the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association website, the shaft bearings on the WWII submarine USS Pampanito (SS-383) were made of this wood. (Source:http://www.maritime.org/pamphist.htm) The after main shaft strut bearings for USS Nautilus SSN571; the worlds first nuclear powered submarine were composed of this wood. Also, the bearings in the original 1920's turbines of the Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant on the lower Susquehanna River were made from lignum vitae.

how amazing is that!!

[Asi]

Pink Ivory is not only rare, it's also dangerous! As I understand it, tradition was that only the chief/king of the tribe in whose territory the Pink Ivory tree grew had the right to chop it down and anyone else who tried to so do was sentenced to death!

Don't know why it's so much more readily available today than in the past, though.

Still waiting for my new TW cue. its spliced with pink ivory. hope Trevor survived ...

[totlxtc]

Im doing a cue with some Pau Rosa. Ok its not expensive but looks lovely.