Specifically, the question is; why is it called the 'A' joint when discussing construction but then it's suddenly the 'C' joint when referring to ring placement ? A little confusing isn't it ? If it were referred to as the 'C' joint from the get-go, would anyone be more confused ? Listen, I'm not here to campaign for a broad reshuffle of cue terminology. I'd just honestly never heard it referred to as the 'A' joint until I landed in this tree. It's no biggie, I'm open enough that I can adjust. It's like one of those questions that I'd ask in school and drive my teachers nuts.
Why 'A' joint ?
- Thread starter KJ Cues
- Start date
To add to your dilemna, the C ring you are referring to is B to Prather.
They call the rings on the shaft and butt collars as both the A rings.
Thnx Dale, never knew that.
They call the rings on the shaft and butt collars as both the A rings.
Thnx Dale, never knew that.
maybe this might help
Here is a copy from Prether brochure hope that help a littleJoeyInCali said:
I think everybody has their own terminology. Most builders I know refer to the handle/forearm joint as the "A" joint, and the rings there as the "A" joint rings. But most players & cue nuts I know understand that this area is called the "A" joint but still refer to the shaft & joint rings as "A" & "B" rings and the "A" joint rings as "C" rings.
To be honest, I think it's an apples & oranges thing. The rings have their own position titles & the joints have their own position titles. I have never until now heard anybody refer to the "A" joint as anything else, but often when talking about rings it's the "C" position. It's a builder thing as opposed to a cue nut thing. I call them cue nuts because they always need cues, like kids trading baseball cards Myself included.
I don't know exactly why it happened this way. It's the way I learned, was confusing at first but kinda makes sense now that i'm a builder.
To be honest, I think it's an apples & oranges thing. The rings have their own position titles & the joints have their own position titles. I have never until now heard anybody refer to the "A" joint as anything else, but often when talking about rings it's the "C" position. It's a builder thing as opposed to a cue nut thing. I call them cue nuts because they always need cues, like kids trading baseball cards
Myself included. I don't know exactly why it happened this way. It's the way I learned, was confusing at first but kinda makes sense now that i'm a builder.
qbilder said:I think everybody has their own terminology. Most builders I know refer to the handle/forearm joint as the "A" joint, and the rings there as the "A" joint rings. But most players & cue nuts I know understand that this area is called the "A" joint but still refer to the shaft & joint rings as "A" & "B" rings and the "A" joint rings as "C" rings.
To be honest, I think it's an apples & oranges thing. The rings have their own position titles & the joints have their own position titles. I have never until now heard anybody refer to the "A" joint as anything else, but often when talking about rings it's the "C" position. It's a builder thing as opposed to a cue nut thing. I call them cue nuts because they always need cues, like kids trading baseball cards
I don't know exactly why it happened this way. It's the way I learned, was confusing at first but kinda makes sense now that i'm a builder.
Confuse.. You are 100% right.
I always thought the A joint was named because of how the the spliced points were connected to the handle. I mean the spliced point look like "A" to me with the tenon at the bottom.
That's one of the reasons I often call It the handle joint when refering to that area. It may not be so technically correct, but Usually that gets people in the general area that wouldn't normally know where the "A" joint is in a cue. There does seem to be some confusion from person to person, and at times there has been for me also. As far as how it originated though, It being the first joint to see work makes sense to me.
I'm pretty sure SouthWest calls the ring at the A joint the A ring.
KJ Cues said:
KJ Cues said:
Sorry guys, just kidding about the 'first butt joint' part.
The real answer is the 'A' joint is a semi-descriptive construction
reference, as mentioned, sort of. Most cues are joined by turning a tenon on the handle and boring a hole in the forearm.
If you were to slice the cue lengthwise, the outline of the tapering
cue butt and the top of the tenon looks somewhat like a printed 'A'.
The a,b,c,d,e terminology IMHO, has nothing to do with construction
per se, but merely indicates the places where deco rings are located.
Ring locations are fairly recent, Dick at billiardcue.com was the
first person I ever saw use it. I have no idea who started it.
Rings at the front of the wrap used to be called 'Bushka' rings.
A term attributed to, or at least popularized by Gus Szambo.
Rings behind the wrap were just 'rings in the butt sleve'.
Dale<The Termenologyator>
Joint names (A,B,C,D,E) have been called different names depending on the cue maker. Here is what I do with the cues I build.
A= Above wrap
B= Below wrap
C= butt Cap
D= Disconnect, where shaft disconnects from butt
E= Extra joint for jump pin
I'm sure this is different than most cue makers, but it makes complete sense to me and to customer as I explain it to them.
Zim
A= Above wrap
B= Below wrap
C= butt Cap
D= Disconnect, where shaft disconnects from butt
E= Extra joint for jump pin
I'm sure this is different than most cue makers, but it makes complete sense to me and to customer as I explain it to them.
Zim