Mike Wooldridge Virtual Cue Maker 2016

[MikeWooldridge]

Why don't you like maple?

i don't like playing with it. i think it's horrible. and that's based on trying loads over the years. the only ones that come close to feeling nice are the ones that are slimmer than normal but i've never used one that i like as much as ash.

i don't like working with it either but that's not a problem, there are much worse woods to deal with. it does tend to bend in different directions though and needs more care taken with it than ash.

[itsnoteasy]

I love how smooth it is, I changed about six months ago, recently I had a go with an ash cue, and when sighting I couldn't get on with all the mess on the shaft as I looked down the cue lol, looks like I'm stuck with maple. Is maple more expensive than ash, as there always seems to be a slight increase in price if you ask for a maple shaft, or is there more wastage or something like that, sorry for all the questions, I don't get a chance to ask the experts much

[barrywhite]

I love how smooth it is, I changed about six months ago, recently I had a go with an ash cue, and when sighting I couldn't get on with all the mess on the shaft as I looked down the cue lol, looks like I'm stuck with maple. Is maple more expensive than ash, as there always seems to be a slight increase in price if you ask for a maple shaft, or is there more wastage or something like that, sorry for all the questions, I don't get a chance to ask the experts much

Sorry to butt in, but IME it also tends to warp over time more than ash due to it's closer grain I think. But Hendry obviously won 7 world titles with a Powerglide maple that was too big for him, and only cost £85 out of the glass case in his club. So it can't be that bad! lol I switched back to ash, I can't be fussing over the delicate nature of maple.
What I don't like is how easy even rock maple dents; you have to treat it with kid gloves around the table.

[itsnoteasy]

Already put a dent in mine luckily not where I cue, lumbering off the table like a beached whale after a stretching shot, cue up in the air like a fly rod , caught the shade lol, mind you it was all done while looking stylish

[barrywhite]

Already put a dent in mine luckily not where I cue, lumbering off the table like a beached whale after a stretching shot, cue up in the air like a fly rod , caught the shade lol, mind you it was all done while looking stylish

Everyone knew you did it on purpose. lol

When I owned one, I found that the thinnest of pins (dressmaker's hem pin I think it was) was useful for dabbing tiny holes all over the dent area as many times as you can. Then a drop of water on your index finger tip and just touch the cue; the wood expands and the dent comes out. Sometimes requires a few drops for a bad one. Then buff it up with a soft cloth or smooth it with very fine sand paper, like 1-2000 grit. I just got fed up doing it all the time; not that careful with cues me. lol

[golferson123]

Sorry to butt in, but IME it also tends to warp over time more than ash due to it's closer grain I think. But Hendry obviously won 7 world titles with a Powerglide maple that was too big for him, and only cost £85 out of the glass case in his club. So it can't be that bad! lol I switched back to ash, I can't be fussing over the delicate nature of maple.
What I don't like is how easy even rock maple dents; you have to treat it with kid gloves around the table.

think you will find its significantly harder than ash!

[barrywhite]

think you will find its significantly harder than ash!

I know that, but it dents so easily, a curiosity of maple v. ash. Like itsnotsoeasy says, it's so smooth over the bridge but I've never been able to generate as much spin, it doesn't yield the same way ash does, it's a stiff old stick. Too stiff for me and I'm not going to buy a skinny one to try and get some whip because I like a broad taper that floats across the bridge, so every maple I've used has been pretty stiff as a result. I haven't owned a pear, some say it's somewhere in between. I simply don't know. Anyway, apologies for going off topic on this thread.

[itsnoteasy]

To be fair mine is as stiff as you could get a cue to be I reckon, but I have no trouble with shots, as long as you time them right, I don't think it matters ,with most shots, maybe some on the extreme ends but I couldn't play them anyway, I have never had someone show me what a good cue should feel and react like so I am very naive on this.

[golferson123]

problem with ash is not only do you have to find one that looks like you like em but plays well too, unlike maple its mostly about playability

[Ramon]

problem with ash is not only do you have to find one that looks like you like em but plays well too, unlike maple its mostly about playability

agree 100 prct.
the problem is , find a good quality maple (in terms of playability), is not easy. ( more difficult comperd to ash ) imo.
But if you can find one with good quality, then you gonna enjoy playing with it. that's for sure .

[barrywhite]

[/B]

agree 100 prct.
the problem is , find a good quality maple (in terms of playability), is not easy. ( more difficult comperd to ash ) imo.
But if you can find one with good quality, then you gonna enjoy playing with it. that's for sure .

Mags plays some corking shots with maple, Stephen Lee as well. But the timing as itsnotsoeasy points out has to be really spot on. So nice across the bridge and it needs less oiling. Cleaning it is so easy. As quite a blank canvass it looks so good against butt splices and vaneers as well. Oh no! I'll have to take me JD maple for a spin now. lol

[Ramon]

Mags plays some corking shots with maple, Stephen Lee as well. But the timing as itsnotsoeasy points out has to be really spot on. So nice across the bridge and it needs less oiling. Cleaning it is so easy. As quite a blank canvass it looks so good against butt splices and vaneers as well. Oh no! I'll have to take me JD maple for a spin now. lol

he's right . playing with maple , requires a good timing.

[Erwan_BZH]

I just swapped back to ash last week and so far so good. I have played with a Jason Owen maple the last two years and I have to say it is a fantastic cue. The glide offered by maple is really enjoyable, cleaning is easy and it is nice looking. But fragile also. A small contact and you have a dent on the shaft, which is very, very frustrating.
What made me swap back to ash (besides the need of a slightly longer cue) was the lack of firmness in the shot. Let's be clear, with a proper maple cue, proper timing, you can develop the cue ball as mucha s with ash, there is no question. But I felt the stroke was not as solid as with ash. I was missing the solid ash stroke. And it's clearly a different feeling...Might be stupid but gives me more confidence in the stroke, especially amongst the balls, around the pack, when you just need little stuns and screws...

[TheRowdyOne]

but maybe you could send your idea to parris?...

If it was about the shafts would it have to be emailed in Chinese?

[narl]

Mags plays some corking shots with maple, Stephen Lee as well. But the timing as itsnotsoeasy points out has to be really spot on. So nice across the bridge and it needs less oiling. Cleaning it is so easy. As quite a blank canvass it looks so good against butt splices and vaneers as well. Oh no! I'll have to take me JD maple for a spin now. lol

Never noticed any real difference between maple and ash in regard to having to time shots better. Used a maple legend for quite a few months and besides the lack of grain and it being a bit smoother over the bridge those were the only real 2 differences I noticed.

If i had the cash on hand id definitely give one of mikes maple vintage cues a whirl if i could get one with the deep red burr wood like in the pic on the website. Looks really nice.