Why do you choose ash over maple?

[Shanghai Matt]

Krpton maybe right, but i once heard John Parotte said ash is better then maple. moreover, mr.Davis who sat right beside him in the discussion hadn't said anything and seemed to agree.

well, at least i'm one of those who completely agrees with John. i've tried so many good maple cues and many ash cues, almost always ash cues came on top. i hit them with the same skill and techniques, trust me scientificaly, it is possible should one type of wood able to generate more cue power and spins than another type, just like golf clubs, tennis rackets, etc.

i'm not saying that i'm the smartest guy or my opinion is the only correct one. all i'm trying to do is sharing my experience with all of you. wise man listens to opinions, trust me

i think it's likely that both of them prefer ash as thats what theyre used to.

but as far as being able to generate more spin with ash than maple... seems pretty laughable to me to be honest. give me 2 cues (1 ash, 1 maple) of identicle spec, with the same tip size and type, and i guarantee that I'd generate the same action on the white with each.

having an ash cue doesnt somehow allow you to hit the white further to the side than a maple cue as far as I'm aware!?

[noel]

Ouch!
I have tried many good ash cues but I prefer maple because it's tighter grain doesn't snag on my whiskers.
*



=o)

Noel



*
However... having used a new TW ash cue and enjoyed it's exquisite painless finish...
I could be tempted...

[poolqjunkie]

Well, I just wanted to ask why some of you prefer ash, that's all.
Personally, I can pay with both. I think the sound it makes upon striking of the ball that is different--ash seems to be a bit more quiet, which I attribute to its shock absorbant characteristic.
I also feel that 3/4 hits a bit louder than one piece.
May be I am hearing/feeling things that are not there? i dont know.

[Fatboy]

i play alot better with maple, but that what i have used for the last 24 years, however I get alot more side, screw and power with ash, but my potting is terrible.

I'm all over the place, a dead white and potting great with a maple cue, or a live white and poor potting with a ash cue, I have 20 hours of playtime with a ash cue and 24 years(way to many years) of play time with a maple cue. Perhaps that explains the difference.

I took a ash cue to a America pool table and that was a mess too for me, nothing worked.

best
eric

[unclevit]

trust me, i've been using both types for several years. ash generates more cue power and spins on the white. don't ask me for reasons, coz i don't know. this opinion is just from my own expericence, that's all.

I may be wrong on this, but perhaps its the shaft flex that also plays an important part in cue power, not to mention about your butt hand, cue speed, etc.

[Mr O]

For me personally, I find that I can deliver an Ash cue through straighter than Maple. Not sure why, maybe it's the grain helping.
Also I prefer the feel of the Ash on the bridge hand. With maple sometimes it's like the cue isn't there, cause Maple has a tighter grain it can be incredibly smooth when conditioned properly, just not used to it I suppose
I find I can get along with old maple a lot better than with a new cue

[Tomhet]

I use maple because i've got a beard. And often my beard hair gets stuck in those fine lines in the ash wood. And when cueing it pulls out my beard hair sometimes. Not funny Though i like the feeling with ash more.

[TooDark]

Not that good ability wise to notice the difference but not playing too badly(for me:biggrin with my lovely Andy Travis 1 piece maple and elk combo at the moment:encouragement: and I've always used ash cues in the past.

[MikeTheBigMonster]

well, i got ash and maple. both...

it's very clear mentioned that woods are different from one to another. it depends on the cue made from a good cuemaker, or shall i say "it must be lucky to get a good wood from this cuemaker". I play very fine with both my cues... there is nothing much different when i use my ash and maple becuase i am lucky enough to get almost similar cue that just vary between the shaft wood. the only different is the visualisation of the cue LOL, one with stripes.. or whatever you call it and the other is nude! ultimately, i like to carry my maple cue around because less people have it in my club. hehe

[karlos fandango]

I have played with Maple and Ash..I will say there is no difference in playability as long as both are not mega whippy...Its all down to aesthetics i guess...and i like a nice piece of ash as i find maple a bit boring.

[sberry]

Agree with that, a good cue is a good cue and there's no difference in playability of the two woods unless it's in your head.

[toppotter1967]

Hear Hear
It is down to pesonal preference I played with maple for years then bought an ash but when I went to Tony Glover to buy my cue I went back to Maple again its personal preference.

Agree with that, a good cue is a good cue and there's no difference in playability of the two woods unless it's in your head.

[sootyvrs]

Some say that the Ash grain can assist with sighting a shot but I find it's quite the opposite and more a hindrance than advantage, hence preferring maple cues.

[vmax4steve]

Why do cuemakers stop at Ash or Maple, what about other types of hardwoods such as Oak, Chestnut, Elm, Willow etc. Surely these other hardwoods are just as good.
Does anyone have any experience of cues made from other hardwoods that they could share with us ??

Myself I have two cues, one Ash and one Maple. Have had the Ash cue for over twenty five years and the Maple one is a relatively new one of the same spec. They both play very well with no discernable difference in the strike, but the feel on the bridge hand of the Maple cue is too smooth for me and it gets quite sticky very easily. My Ash cue is a handmade one that is perfectly straight but not perfectly round. I can turn it around between my fingers and feel very small ridges in the wood not just from the grain either.
These ridges are not felt when running the cue in my bridge but obviously it means that the whole surface of the cue isn't touching my bridge thus making it less sticky, which is a feel that I like. When playing with the hand spliced but lathe turned Maple shafted cue I need a cue glove to annul that sticky feel but play just as well/badly as I do with my Ash cue.

There is wood reclamation yard near where I live and, as a woodworker for many years, I bought some Ash and small pieces of dark hardwood, (Wenge as it turned out) and had a go at making a cue myself. Have made two actually, one 58 inches long and the other 57 inches long, both one piece. Both cues are similar to my playing cue in that they are perfectly straight but not perfectly round but what was noticeable when making them was that the grain in the Ash was hardly discernable until I applied an oiled finish, and even then it is not so pronounced as in most Ash cues that one can buy.

I would like to ask the cuemakers on this forum if they have ever made a cue with an Elm shaft as I really fancy one myself as a friend of mine has a cue case made from elm and the grain and colour is very attractive. No offers to make me one please as I would have a go at doing that myself, just would like others experience of the making process using that particular wood.

Final thought on wood/material preference,
as a believer in genetic memory, as human males evolved as hunters and toolmakers working with stone, wood and metal, maybe somewhere in the deep recesses of the human consciousness there is a need to use/hold/feel such tools very similar to those used by ones ancestors and whatever woods they used in prehistoric times.
Could be that all a cue needs to make it perfect aesthetically would be a flint badge.

[trevs1]

Oak tends to be far too heavy and too stiff also.

Chesnut tends to be a little soft, and for a cue, is pretty coarse to get a decent finish on also.

Elm is unstable.

Willow is far too light and soft for cues.

There are numerous timbers that could (in principle) be used to make a cue, but, most do not have the characteristics of ash and maple. The reason these are preferable is due to the fact that they are strong, relatively stiff, have good shock resistance and are (usually) readily available.