How old is your cue really?

[Shockerz]

I was trying to answer a question the other day when someone asked me how old a Horace Lindrum cue was that I was trying out.

It wasn't the age of the cue that really interested me but I wondered how old the wood would be prior to making the cue.

I wondered what the average age of a piece of wood would be that is taken from the heart of a tree (heartwood) prior to making the cue.

It just interested me to wonder what the total age of a cue would be as we don;t normally think in those terms.

My father has a cue that was old when it was given to him when he was 7 (I think) and he is 78 in a few weeks and still pretty straight. It would be interesting how old the wood is.

Just a thought!

[itsnoteasy]

I was trying to answer a question the other day when someone asked me how old a Horace Lindrum cue was that I was trying out.

It wasn't the age of the cue that really interested me but I wondered how old the wood would be prior to making the cue.

I wondered what the average age of a piece of wood would be that is taken from the heart of a tree (heartwood) prior to making the cue.

It just interested me to wonder what the total age of a cue would be as we don;t normally think in those terms.

My father has a cue that was old when it was given to him when he was 7 (I think) and he is 78 in a few weeks and still pretty straight. It would be interesting how old the wood is.

Just a thought!

sorry but this made me chuckle.

[DeanH]

How old is your cue really?

The only cue that I know where the shaft timber is known to be of an age is the B&W Ye Olde Ash cues where they sourced some Ash boards from a Royal Navy yard which had not been used by RN and were approx 80 years old when purchased. All other cues where probably made with timber that was a lot younger.
Some old makers have said they sourced timbers and leave to mature before using for shafts but no real dates.
Anyone's guess.

edit- the "approx. 80" above, is not definitive, could be anything from 50 to 80 yrs - see post later.

[Shockerz]

sorry but this made me chuckle.

Don't laugh at me I'm a little delicate flower nowadays and will sulk.

If you take my old mans. It could have been cut from a tree that is a 100 years old, was 50 years old when he got it and that was 70 years ago so the wood could (I repeat could) actually be over 200 years old in effect.

[billabong]

The only cue that I know where the shaft timber is known to be of an age is the B&W Ye Olde Ash cues where they sourced some Ash boards from a Royal Navy yard which had not been used by RN and were approx 80 years old when purchased. All other cues where probably made with timber that was a lot younger.
Some old makers have said they sourced timbers and leave to mature before using for shafts but no real dates.
Anyone's guess.

. . . but do you know when the YOA was made ? Obv this would need to be taken into account to get the OP's actual age of the wood.

[DeanH]

. . . but do you know when the YOA was made ? Obv this would need to be taken into account to get the OP's actual age of the wood.

Andy Hunter says that the YOA cues were "piloted" from 1924 (ish) and most of the production would be early 1930s

[billabong]

Andy Hunter says that the YOA cues were "piloted" from 1924 (ish) and most of the production would be early 1930s

I've seen his center split optioned one. Not many of them around.

[Big Splash!]

The only cue that I know where the shaft timber is known to be of an age is the B&W Ye Olde Ash cues where they sourced some Ash boards from a Royal Navy yard which had not been used by RN and were approx 80 years old when purchased. All other cues where probably made with timber that was a lot younger.
Some old makers have said they sourced timbers and leave to mature before using for shafts but no real dates.
Anyone's guess.

Very likely to be angel ash then. Should be hell of a player.

@shocks, yours is likely to be angel ash as well.

[DeanH]

I was trying to answer a question the other day when someone asked me how old a Horace Lindrum cue was that I was trying out.

It wasn't the age of the cue that really interested me but I wondered how old the wood would be prior to making the cue.

I wondered what the average age of a piece of wood would be that is taken from the heart of a tree (heartwood) prior to making the cue.

It just interested me to wonder what the total age of a cue would be as we don;t normally think in those terms.

My father has a cue that was old when it was given to him when he was 7 (I think) and he is 78 in a few weeks and still pretty straight. It would be interesting how old the wood is.

Just a thought!

. . . but do you know when the YOA was made ? Obv this would need to be taken into account to get the OP's actual age of the wood.

The age of the wood used in the first YOA cues has no relation to the wood used in the Horace Lindrum cue or the OP's father's cue.
I have no information as to the age of timber used in the "old days"; but have seen some articles discussing that preWW1 old aged timber was more readily available than post-WW1, how old the timber is across the following years, no idea, your guess is as good as anyones
As BS is always saying, Powerglide used to advertise that their cues were made from 20(25?) year old timber.

Shockerz - what Horace cue was it? a picture rectangle badge or a Club Cue with round disk? Any retailer badge?

[100-uper]

The only cue that I know where the shaft timber is known to be of an age is the B&W Ye Olde Ash cues where they sourced some Ash boards from a Royal Navy yard which had not been used by RN and were approx 80 years old when purchased. All other cues where probably made with timber that was a lot younger.
Some old makers have said they sourced timbers and leave to mature before using for shafts but no real dates.
Anyone's guess.

I wouldn't be so confident of putting a date to the wood used for "Ye Ole Ash" cues. In 1930, they were being advertised as "50 year-old wood from an English battleship." This was wood reclaimed from old wrecks when deepening harbours around the country, sold to offset the costs. So it's not clear whether the 50 years relates to the date the ship sank, or the date the ship was originally built. I suspect the former, as this would be the length of time exposed to sea water.

[billabong]

The age of the wood used in the first YOA cues has no relation to the wood used in the Horace Lindrum cue or the OP's father's cue.
I have no information as to the age of timber used in the "old days"; but have seen some articles discussing that preWW1 old aged timber was more readily available than post-WW1, how old the timber is across the following years, no idea, your guess is as good as anyones
As BS is always saying, Powerglide used to advertise that their cues were made from 20(25?) year old timber.

Shockerz - what Horace cue was it? a picture rectangle badge or a Club Cue with round disk? Any retailer badge?

Apologies Dean , for posting something that made you feel the need to mention B.S.

That's what I was ( doing a poor job of ) getting at. There's no way of telling for each individual cue.

[billabong]

Very likely to be angel ash then. Should be hell of a player.

@shocks, yours is likely to be angel ash as well.

I feel like I'm letting myself down by biting, but no. Not all air dried cues are "hell of a player".


It still depends on each individual bit of wood.

[DeanH]

I wouldn't be so confident of putting a date to the wood used for "Ye Ole Ash" cues. In 1930, they were being advertised as "50 year-old wood from an English battleship." This was wood reclaimed from old wrecks when deepening harbours around the country, sold to offset the costs. So it's not clear whether the 50 years relates to the date the ship sank, or the date the ship was originally built. I suspect the former, as this would be the length of time exposed to sea water.

Understood that dating is awkward but I am sure I saw an article that gave some indication to the age of the timbers, the "50yr old" + dates of RN = approx. 80, but still Approximate, sorry to all if what I wrote came across as definitive.
But for the life-of-me I cant find the article

[DeanH]

Apologies Dean , for posting something that made you feel the need to mention B.S.
That's what I was ( doing a poor job of ) getting at. There's no way of telling for each individual cue.

your sins are forgiven my son!
I did feel slightly queasy when I was typing...
:wink:

[100-uper]

Understood that dating is awkward but I am sure I saw an article that gave some indication to the age of the timbers, the "50yr old" + dates of RN = approx. 80, but still Approximate, sorry to all if what I wrote came across as definitive.
But for the life-of-me I cant find the article

I'd be very interested in the name of the ship if anyone knows it. Up to now I've not been able to find a reference. Perhaps B&W didn't know themselves. Probably bought from an Admiralty warehouse or auction. Incidentally, does anyone know what ash would have been used for on a wooden warship? I know the hulls were oak and the masts/spars pine, so what was made from ash? - handrails? stairways?