Ash vs. Maple - Cuemakers Choice

[snookerloopy7]

The main reason for cuemakers using ash more than maple is down to the splicing difficuty, cue makers find it hard to keep to their high standards when splicing maple. where as ash requires less effort.

[JonLonergan]

The main reason for cuemakers using ash more than maple is down to the splicing difficuty, cue makers find it hard to keep to their high standards when splicing maple. where as ash requires less effort.

Could you clarify why you believe this to be the case? the process is exactly the same. Splicing requires care and attention to detail to ensure it is done to a high standard whether the shaft is made of ash or maple

[trevs1]

Hi all, I heard Steve Davies commentating at the UK Champs and he said that ash is more prevalent in recent years as a shaft wood because "cue makers waste more of the maple than ash in the cue making process"? I am not sure this statement is true but if any cue makers out there can shed light on the validity of this statement and clarify the process that would be different between the two woods.
Thanks
DeanH

Personally, I don't think there's any truth to that.

I guess S.D gets his info from the experiences of other people (cue makers) and has not gained any of this knowledge from his own cue making exploits.

When that is taken into consideration, he could arguably be made to believe a number of things which are factually innaccurate about making a cue, or a number of cues.

There's obviously no doubting the fact that either timber can and does make excellent cues. From the guys you all watch playing the game on TV over the years using ash AND maple to win major ranking tournaments, it's clear to see isn't it. If one of the timbers offered a significant advantage to the other, surely, everyone would be aware of it and would be using that timber practically exclusively.

The main difference is obviously in the appearance, but there are subtle differences in them which can be noticed at times in how they feel to use also. However, having said that, it does largely depend on the overall finished specs of the cue in question, because an adjustment here or there can make a maple cue of certain specs, feel more like a typical ash cue of similar specs.

Maple is the more expensive timber by some margin, and I guess as a result, will (or should) cost more in the finished cue. Still, when you consider how many people these days place enormous importance on the grain patterns an ash shaft displays, ash can actually be more of a pain to source in the desired quality than maple can be, even though the price of maple is higher.

Finally, there is no greater degree of difficulty in making a cue from maple than ash. They both have their own characteristics which mean they need slightly different attention in use, but there is nothing to speak of in terms of how problematic they are in producing cues of a high standard.

At the end of the day, it's much like asking what sort of weight is best, or what ferrule size is best. It's a matter of choice, and will always be open to the subjective selection of the person wanting to use it.

[DeanH]

Trevor, many thanks for you insightful comments, and that one wood-type is not easier/hard to work with than the other but more down to the maker's and user's wishes and requirements that make more of a difference.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
All the best
DeanH

[trevs1]

Trevor, many thanks for you insightful comments, and that one wood-type is not easier/hard to work with than the other but more down to the maker's and user's wishes and requirements that make more of a difference.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
All the best
DeanH

It's ALWAYS down to the user (or customers) wishes.

They dictate what gets made by the power of the money they have to spend. If there was a sudden swing in popularity towards using maple, then the trend of ash being more abundant would be reversed.

[tornado taylor]

I'm glad you commented on this trevor as I was wondering myself if there was any benefit in going for maple over ash or the way round.

[toottut]

please help me clear some doubts about cues.

is cue tension/vibration good? the shorter the better?

[johnstaceyuk]

hi
ive always had maple cues. when ive tryed ash cues in my opion i would say the maple seem to strike the ball firmer. as for pear i was under the imprecion it trended to warp more than the other two.

[deant1982]

hi
ive always had maple cues. when ive tryed ash cues in my opion i would say the maple seem to strike the ball firmer. as for pear i was under the imprecion it trended to warp more than the other two.

It is more of pain to make, as it takes longer to dry to the same level as ash/maple. It need to be left to settle longer, and requires a lot of weight on it (I was told) to keep it straight. After this, it takes longer again to settle again between the processes than the other 2. If they are left a month, pear should be left at least 2 or 3, making it a much longer process to make a pearwood cue.
If they are left a similar length of thime, they are all PRONE to warping, but not guaranteed to. The big difference is when they DO warp. Ash/maple move a few mm, pearwood goes quite spectacularily wonky. It also doesn't just warp one way, it goes all directions.
If you can get a pearwood cue that is fully settled and straight, they are brilliant playing cues, but have a reputation of being "whippy". If you like a less stiff hit, try one, it'll be a winner!

[JimB]

Hi everyone ... new member here and lovin' the forum, still doing a lot of back-reading but there's a lot to catch up on lol!

I've used steamed pear in the past (not cue making) and I reckon part of the problem with it is being able to actually see the grain ... we all know the importance of selecting straight grained woods to avoid warping as much as possible and it's a relatively easy task with ash and maple but pearwood grain can hide it's true direction remarkably well, this being the case it's just as possible that pearwood is every bit as stable as maple and ash as long as you're fortunate enough to hit on a straight piece to being with.

oh yea ... long time maple user here, I have ash cues but prefer the maple feel and reaction

[deant1982]

If Pear has settled fully, and time is taken to make the cue, there shouldn't be a problem. Its not the grain (or lack of) showing or hiding straightness, it is the wood itself. The way cues are made would ensure they are round and straight (check out Robert Osbornes web page, in the manufacture or production tab there are pics showing his set up. This set up would pretty much ensure they are straight) although it is the movement of the wood itself that causes the bending, and for some reason pear wood moves a lot more than most.

[Fatboy]

I cant screw the ball back with a ash cue, I can with a maple pool cue just fine. I can get more spin in general with a maple cue than ash. However I have a friend(he is 23, i'm 44) who came over and he used my ash cue and he is a snooker player, i'm a pool player and he said "The ash cue is much more powerful than the maple cue". I watched him run the line up with 15 reds and never miss once-on match pockets. He is a much better player than me(pool and snooker), he has never ran a 147, I think his hi break is in the low 130's.

I still cant get much spin on the white with my ash cue, its clearly me, not the cue. I'm the problem. I played so many years with a pool cue that adjusting to a proper snooker cue is very very difficult. I can do everything better with a pool cue, I'm a pool player. My friend plays both games to a very high standard and its clear after watching him use my Parris cue, thats the way forward for snooker-not a maple pool cue.

I'm sure if I played with the ash cue long enough I could make it work better for me, I'm not sure how long that would take. Years ago when I was 18 i could switch between pool and snooker easy. Now I cant, I have been putting my time into pool the past few years. Its amazing how much difference there is between ash and maple. I cant make a ash cue work on a pool table either.

[Fatboy]

If Pear has settled fully, and time is taken to make the cue, there shouldn't be a problem. Its not the grain (or lack of) showing or hiding straightness, it is the wood itself. The way cues are made would ensure they are round and straight (check out Robert Osbornes web page, in the manufacture or production tab there are pics showing his set up. This set up would pretty much ensure they are straight) although it is the movement of the wood itself that causes the bending, and for some reason pear wood moves a lot more than most.

What makes woods move the most is the change in humidity, 40 year old cues that are straight are more immune than new cues or cues made with improperly seasoned woods. In america you can travel 500kms and go from 10% to 90% relative humidity. This change can cause a cue to move in as little as 2 weeks, some times doing permanent damage. Sometimes a cue will move out of being straight for a while then move back to being straight, i have seen that as well over a 1-2 year period. Wood is a funny unpredictable thing,