Do any cue makers use English Ash any-more?

[golferson123]

couple of bottles of whisky every Xmas to the yard manager

[johno]

Do any cue makers use English Ash any-more?

Great post and pics, just goes to show it"s a minefield in selecting the right bits of timber,and even then you're not sure if they will turn out completely as you would expect.

[itsnoteasy]

Thanks for that Trev, it's good to get an insight into what it takes , I didn't have a clue there was that much work involved.

[Leo]

How often do,you take this trip to the timber yard Trev?

[jim evans]

and this is why i buy dowels,not got the ability or inclination,lol

[vmax4steve]

As I'm not doing it professionally (yet) I source my hardwood from a reclamation yard near my town and look for offcuts for sale on ebay where there is the option of mouse over the image for a good close up of the grain.

The ash offcuts I bought yesterday were the first good pieces I've seen on ebay for about six months. I will cut them into 33mm square blanks (as they are 33mm thick) and leave them for at about a year before shaping them into tapered dowells, leave the dowells for six months before taking them down a few millimetres at a time with a month between planings, taking out the bends as they move and then leave them at two mill oversize for three months before the final shaping and splicing on of the hardwood for the butts.

This process will be speeded up providing the wood doesn't move at all, if it does then there are longer waits between planings.

I have five pieces that I have already left for about six months that I look at everyday and so far movement has been unnoticeable, so I will start on these after xmas.
I have dropped hints all year about a lathe for a xmas pressie but I think a trip down to Axminster tools will happen in the spring when my frozen pension fund becomes available. Thank you Mr. Osborne you upper class, public school tory b*st*rd

[Wayne G]

Thanks Trevor and jrc750 for your info. Very enlightening for many of us. Hat's off to the cue makers, I don't think we fully appreciate what they go thru to deliver unrealistic expectations from natural materials that are not perfect.

[eaoin11]

Anyone who has spent all bloody day searching through stacks of boards at a timber yard would testify that it can be a disheartening process. I just cannot imagine spending that same amount of time looking through boards of native ash, because I know I would be wasting my time. I may get some good material from it, but I am far less likely to manage that than I would be if I was looking through packs of USA timber. That's just how it is.

The fact that you recall cues made (or supposedly made) from native ash is not any indication that it will provide a softer feel either. When I first started to make cues, I made dozens using native ash, as that was all I was aware of. Many of them were hugely variable and had harder or softer contact sounds. There was certainly no "definitive" native ash sound, or response for that matter. What you recall was purely chance, and nothing more. As you say, when considering cues, go into it with no preconceptions and you will be doing yourself a favour, no matter who you are or what you are looking for.

Yes it likely was chance, but these cues were all reasonably high end so perhaps the shafts were just well selected and well made compared to what I had previously been used to. I can completely understand what you say about preferring USA timber, thanks for the pics that JRC posted and the detail on what is involved.

Can I ask who is this local cue maker?

Yes it's Zak, of Zak's Custom Cues based in Brisbane. The ash he was using earlier was (supposedly) English ash but there was a period of time in the late 90's and early 2000's when the ash available seemed to change, it wasn't very straight grained or densely grained by comparison. The ash that Zak has now though is producing some nice hitting cues and honestly, I think the ash we are seeing from a lot of makers has never been better in terms of how the cues hit and look.

[DeanH]

yep heard of Zak's, thanks

[trevs1]

Thanks Trevor and jrc750 for your info. Very enlightening for many of us. Hat's off to the cue makers, I don't think we fully appreciate what they go thru to deliver unrealistic expectations from natural materials that are not perfect.

Hi Wayne, hope you are doing well and that you're not too freezing over there.

Please don't confuse what I do with what some others do. Names may appear on cue badges, but that doesn't mean they ever visit places like the one in the images.

[trevs1]

How often do,you take this trip to the timber yard Trev?

As few times a year as necessary Leo, which is usually at least twice / three times.

Why do you ask.?

If anyone fancies a trip to the South West early next year to give me a hand, let me know. It ain't fun lifting them all day alone I can tell you. I'll buy lunch too.

[darrenlowe79]

Do any cue makers use English Ash any-more?

lunch and a free cue trev you have a deal lol

[trevs1]

Nope, just lunch.

Edit to add...... and bus fare home.

[Leo]

As few times a year as necessary Leo, which is usually at least twice / three times.

Why do you ask.?

If anyone fancies a trip to the South West early next year to give me a hand, let me know. It ain't fun lifting them all day alone I can tell you. I'll buy lunch too.

Just a general question as I was just interested.

[Byrom]

Please don't confuse what I do with what some others do. Names may appear on cue badges, but that doesn't mean they ever visit places like the one in the images.

So have you ever used or sourced other places for ash? - Have you ever ever used this Siberian ash or had a supply of old mature ash of the type that was used back in the early 90's from a reclamation yard or something like V-max searched for?

You source your own ash - which is very different to what others do as you say - why do you do it differently than them and what is the difference in quality from what you get to what they get?

Also - if a person sourced an old cue or piece of ash have you ever built a modern cue from it or would you?

Finally - Merry Christmas to you and your family.