The torrification process has been around for a while and involves
heating wood under a vacuum. This drives out moisture and
crystalizes any resins in the wood. Depending on the temperatures
used, the wood will become darker in color. Proponents claim that it makes the
wood more stable, improves its tone (it was originally used for musical
instruments), improves the color and reduces its weight.
A nice, easy-to-understand article that describes the process is
HERE.
After working with these blanks for a while, I've found that the KW
blanks are STABLE. They cut very cleanly, smell wonderful and a higher percentage remain straight over time. Even
warped dowels or wonky grain aren't a serious detriment to their straighness, contributing
to a higher number of salvagable shaft blanks.
They are slightly lighter in weight but I doubt that it lends any
appreciable LD characteristics to the shaft unless modifications are
made to the tip end of the shaft and the ferrule.
Although it's not something I recommend, I cut a warped 1" dowel down to
.575". The next morning, the shaft remained dead true, so I cut it
to size & installed a ferrule & tip. It's still straight & has a
nice, crisp hit!
Prices &
options shown below.
| Finished KW shaft alone |
$275 plus* |
| Single KW shaft with cue order |
$75 additional* |
| Spare finished KW shaft with cue order |
$250 plus* |
The addition of fancy trim rings, layered tips, extra length or inlays
will add to the cost.
*The prices for the finished shafts shown above include a 1/4" black
linen collar, a Tomahawk ferrule that is 3/4" long and threaded 3/8-16
through, a single layer tip and clearcoat
approximately 4" from the joint face. Note that different ferrule
lengths or materials are available per request.