Most expensive wood

[Oldgit]

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.

AHHH!!! That explains a lot Trevor!!

[ChatLag]

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!!

That is really cool....
I dream from now on to have a cue with a splice of lignum vitae formerly used in USS Nautilus or something like that... Not only rare wood but also a piece of wood with a history.
I also like bog oak. Thousands of years in moor and now on my cue....

[totlxtc]

I also like bog oak. Thousands of years in moor and now on my cue....

Ask Mike for Bog Oak......

[ChatLag]

Ask Mike for Bog Oak......

I don't think that i have the heart to do... sounds like too much f**c in the answer...

[totlxtc]

I don't think that i have the heart to do... sounds like too much f**c in the answer...

Either that or you will have a turd spliced on

[ChatLag]

Either that or you will have a turd spliced on

Well, if it is a petrified turd from tyrranosaurus rex....

[Oldgit]

Well, a couple of years ago myself and Adr147 had a long discussion about which wood we should use on a cue to make it absolutely outstanding and Andrew had a photo of a Scottish 'Dirk' (dagger) with the handle made from 'Karelian Birch' which is a highly figured wood from Siberian or Northern Finnish forests. The really figured pieces are used for very expensive furniture or musical instruments. I spent ages researching and finally tracked some down from a supplier in Northern Finland. We paid a lot of money for it and when it was delivered I selected what I considered was the 'best of the best' and took it to John Parris workshop in London with my Parris Ultimate that he had recently made me and John agreed to change the front splice to Karelian Birch. We (me and Andrew) sent all the rest to Dave Brown at Craftsman Cues and he produced some stunningly nice cues.

When John Parris had finished my Ultimate he returned it to me and it looked wonderful......shimmered in the light and really did look spectacular. However, once I had use the cue for a few weeks the lovely shine seemed to disapear and the cue didn't feel as silky smooth as woods like tulip, ebony etc so I sold the cue to a pool player in Jersey and it eventually ended up in Australia and last time I saw it was on ebay!!

Another time I got Stamford Cues to make me a cue with a 'Tiger Myrtle' front splice and again it looked incredible when it was new but also, again, after a few weeks the butt felt 'rough' to the touch so I sold that cue to a guy in Canada.

A lot of rare and exotic woods may look stunning but are not suitable for cue butts!! Take it from me!!

Oldgit

[trevs1]

Well, a couple of years ago myself and Adr147 had a long discussion about which wood we should use on a cue to make it absolutely outstanding and Andrew had a photo of a Scottish 'Dirk' (dagger) with the handle made from 'Karelian Birch' which is a highly figured wood from Siberian or Northern Finnish forests. The really figured pieces are used for very expensive furniture or musical instruments. I spent ages researching and finally tracked some down from a supplier in Northern Finland. We paid a lot of money for it and when it was delivered I selected what I considered was the 'best of the best' and took it to John Parris workshop in London with my Parris Ultimate that he had recently made me and John agreed to change the front splice to Karelian Birch. We (me and Andrew) sent all the rest to Dave Brown at Craftsman Cues and he produced some stunningly nice cues.

When John Parris had finished my Ultimate he returned it to me and it looked wonderful......shimmered in the light and really did look spectacular. However, once I had use the cue for a few weeks the lovely shine seemed to disapear and the cue didn't feel as silky smooth as woods like tulip, ebony etc so I sold the cue to a pool player in Jersey and it eventually ended up in Australia and last time I saw it was on ebay!!

Another time I got Stamford Cues to make me a cue with a 'Tiger Myrtle' front splice and again it looked incredible when it was new but also, again, after a few weeks the butt felt 'rough' to the touch so I sold that cue to a guy in Canada.

A lot of rare and exotic woods may look stunning but are not suitable for cue butts!! Take it from me!!

Oldgit

Bloody hell Mike, don't start with the stories about what cue you had from where, the forum only has a certain amount of space to fit a single post in to.

[platt]

LOL....I might have known Andrew was in there somewere..

[tinytim139]

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

I have african blackwood instead of ebony on my cue and the finish it takes is very nice

[Oldgit]

Bloody hell Mike, don't start with the stories about what cue you had from where, the forum only has a certain amount of space to fit a single post in to.

My cue stories were from the days before myself and Adr discovered that Trevor White could walk on water and made cues good enough to eat!!

Oldgit

[archalf1471]

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.

that would explain an awful lot i think!!!!!

[archalf1471]

If anyone has the time, get hold of TW and ask about New Zealand Kauri wood. Some of this timber is literally 1000's of years old I imported some via a good friend in NZ and had it sent to TW to use on a cue for me.

However what with one thing or another it has never got used and to my knowledge is just sat in his workshop so if anyone is looking for something a little special and unusual for a splice or two then feel free to utilise the timber. Not wanting to put words in his mouth but knowing the man I am sure Trev if he has the time will happily incorporate it in a cue for someone or talk to a potential customer about it.

[KeithinFrance]

If anyone has the time, get hold of TW and ask about New Zealand Kauri wood. Some of this timber is literally 1000's of years old I imported some via a good friend in NZ and had it sent to TW to use on a cue for me.

However what with one thing or another it has never got used and to my knowledge is just sat in his workshop so if anyone is looking for something a little special and unusual for a splice or two then feel free to utilise the timber. Not wanting to put words in his mouth but knowing the man I am sure Trev if he has the time will happily incorporate it in a cue for someone or talk to a potential customer about it.

I had never heard of this wood before, thanks, as a wood fanatic this is very interesting!! I googled it and found some brilliant sites in NZ which sell it; it seems to come in a variety of colours, I don't suppose you can remember what shade the bit(s) were, can you?

[noel]

My guess for Rarest most expensive wood...

Precisely the amount in the tongue-twister... How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

I understand that the correct answer is about 5.72 fluid litres.
Priceless.


=o)

Noel