Pear Wood use in cues question

[allanr5]

here's a question for you all, I read all the time especially about vintage and/or antique cues the use of pear wood (I'm assuming the shafts) was it because ash and maple were not explored properly or is it actually a superior wood that has become commercially unpractical have other fruit bearing hardwoods been used to make a decent cue? its just one of those inquiring minds need to know things any comments are welcome TIA

[perpetualboredom]

Speaking to to a couple of makers the reason it's not used as much today is just that, it plays generally more whippy than ash or maple shafts, add this to modern slim tapers and tips vs the 11mm plus you might have seen with antique cues and you're going to end up with a lot of wastage or very wobbly cues. Not to say you can't get stiff pear in modern specs - I have some! but you'd have to spend a lot of time looking for the right boards, and time is money. The feel of pear in my opinion is 2nd to none in terms of smoothness.

[jim evans]

Greenpeace is also very smooth Dave at craftsman as one put aside for me

[jrc750]

Greenpeace is also very smooth Dave at craftsman as one put aside for me

I guess you mean greenheart Jim
My greenheart cue is the smoothest thing ever

[shanerayner28]

Pear Wood use in cues question

U got a good buy there jrc750

[jim evans]

Predictive txt Wank init

[old school]

I agree with " perpetual " , pear wood shafts are very difficult to find , in a playable condition.I am lucky in that I have 3 x playable pear shafted cues ( I had 5 )and yes they tend to be softer through the shot ( taper for taper ) than ash or maple , but they are fantastically smooth and if you find a good one, my advice " keep it ". As to why pear was used on vintage/antique , there are many reasons.Between the late 1800s and early 1930s ( 1870-1930ish) most of the top quality cues and or Presentation cues were pear , but it is not a stable wood and likely to warp , hence if you find a " good un " keep it.Andy Hunter can explain it better on his website under " Cue Manufacturers and Manufacturing " or articles under " Pear Wood Shafted Cues ".Supply of good quality ash and maple between the wars may also have had some effect.Hornbeam is another really smooth wood , like Greenheart , it also has the advantage of being less " sticky " through your bridge in hot clubs or on hot days.

[allanr5]

great info so far thanks !! I really like this section of the forum you can learn so much, lots of expertise out there any other comments? is anyone using alterative hardwoods for shafts in modern day cues with any success or has through trial and error maple and ash become the woods of choice just curious Thanks

[jim evans]

first cue i made i used iroko,will do another one now i think i know what ime doing lol

[old school]

Dragon cues offer oak and hickory as shaft alternatives and used to offer pear . B & W Billiards used to offer pear shafts as a custom option. Any cue made in a timber other than ash or maple will attract a premium and cost more , typically £30 + more .You have to realise that with pear it is really difficult to source good quality shaft material , so cue builders dont offer it so much.However a good custom builder might cede to a request for pear , but it will cost.

[allanr5]

hi Jim Evans, Irocko ? never heard of it so of course I had to look it up very interesting wood highly spiritual to the Nigerian people it is commonly referred to as African teak although not related to the teak family has an interesting quality of being yellow when new then as it ages turns more to brown used alot in certain musical instruments but here's the kicker -- the dust has been found to be carcinogenic so please protect yourself accordingly when working with this wood --- I love the name -- how does it play have you made a decent cue from it ?

[jim evans]

i made a 3/4 jointed not used it since i made it about 18 month 2 yrs ago it played ok ,i just spliced wood i had at the time

[jim evans]

iroko

just read what carcinogenic means and i shant be using it again lol

[jim evans]

also read about iroko cant find anything what mentions cancerous

[trevs1]

Jim......

I think if you have a good read into the stats of those working in the timber industry, there are some real nasty issues related to it.

There have been numerous studies conducted into various timbers, and many are known to be contributary / causal regarding cancer, including hard maple.

No end of timbers are linked to it, but some to greater extent than others.