Why not one piece butt

Does cored count?

Why not a one piece cue?

jackpot said:

I ask this in ask cue maker section but thought maybe I would get
more response here. I have had cues that are solid, develop a click
or buzz after a period of time. I am not hard on cues and they were
not cheap cues. I have also read on here about this happening to
others. Other than cosmetic reasons what is the reason for so many
parts glued and screwed together ? Weight distribution maybe ?
Warping should not be, shafts are much thinner and most good ones
stay straight. Seems like a one piece butt, other than the pin would
be, and stay solid. It seems like much-ado about nothing. But I could
be wrong, I usually am.
jack

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I have made a few one piece butt sections.

The wood hung for a few years, slowly being cut down to size like a good shaft.

The grain ran straight from butt cap to the joint.

They were all 30" butt sections to go with 30" shafts.

The last one was all Curly Maple and it would have weighed in around 16 oz so I added 1.5 oz of Brass under the Pin and another 1.5 oz under the butt cap.

The buyer has at least 8 of my cues and this was the design he wanted this time. He got the cue last week and showed it around, many people loved the hit and I put a Le Pro tip on it, If it ever warps, he will call and let me know. It's last cutting was around one year ago, it was tapered just oversized and it was perfectly straight before I finished it, I have zero worries.

Yes, the one piece can work great.


Many people would be surprised that some cues with wraps on the handles are one piece butt sections, the first cue I ever dissected was just that and yes, it did warp but I was not dissecting a top quality cue either.


When a cue gets a wrap, in my opinion, it needs to be a top quality piece of wood under the wrap, the grain should be straight and tight. The ability to carry the load is diminished somewhat when you remove the wood for the wrap, if the grain runs off under the wrap, the energy of the hit will travel with the grain, that makes two areas where you lose a good hit.


Everyone reading this should visit the "Ask the Cuemaker" section down below, wonderful people who make cues full time for a living and there is always great discussion for those interested.

Thanks, Dave.

In part they can be visually boring. Weight distribution can come into play too I think. But one piece butts certainly exist. Few months back there was a great looking one piece curly purple heart Sugar Tree floating around...almost bought it, great piece of wood.

jackpot said:

I ask this in ask cue maker section but thought maybe I would get
more response here. I have had cues that are solid, develop a click
or buzz after a period of time. I am not hard on cues and they were
not cheap cues. I have also read on here about this happening to
others. Other than cosmetic reasons what is the reason for so many
parts glued and screwed together ? Weight distribution maybe ?
Warping should not be, shafts are much thinner and most good ones
stay straight. Seems like a one piece butt, other than the pin would
be, and stay solid. It seems like much-ado about nothing. But I could
be wrong, I usually am.
jack

Click to expand...

How about a sneaky pete using diamond wood technology?
The butt can be treated where you want the weight...
..a lesser amount at the joint in lieu of collars..
..an even lesser amount at at the tip end in lieu of a ferrule.

I'd like to place an order for the second one...I've always want a re-pete

According to DeanoC you are a cuemaker?

Why dont' you tell us?

Are any of the cues left in vehicles in the summer or winter? While you may not be hard on the cues, temperature changes can have effects on both epoxy and other glue joints that may cause what you're describing.

My $.02

Chuck Starkey has made butts, including the pin, from one solid piece of maple.

i had a one piece regular maple butt, was the best playing cue i ever had
and ugly so i never worried about it getting messed up much

beneath_the_sur said:

i had a one piece regular maple butt, was the best playing cue i ever had
and ugly so i never worried about it getting messed up much

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I have a one-piece, highly figured birdseye butt that is the best looking cue I've ever owned.

PhilosopherKing said:

I have a one-piece, highly figured birdseye butt that is the best looking cue I've ever owned.

Click to expand...

ive often wanted one like that,

Most butts are 15 oz . or more if you want a 19 oz cue.
Since shafts are around 3.5oz to 4 oz .

The best place to add weight to a butt is near the middle .
Hence, 2-section butts ( the buttsleeve is really just a tube that goes in the handle's bottom tenon ) are the most common.
The longer the wood, the less stable it is .

Also, when you splice cues for points, the bottom part is usually parted off and faced . Can't have that with 29" long piece unless you wanna add bondo or epoxy on those divots at the bottom.


Now, consider this.
Acoustic guitars are made of different woods.
And those combinations make up for their great sound.

JoeyInCali said:

Most butts are 15 oz . or more if you want a 19 oz cue.
Since shafts are around 3.5oz to 4 oz .

The best place to add weight to a butt is near the middle .
Hence, 2-section butts ( the buttsleeve is really just a tube that goes in the handle's bottom tenon ) are the most common.
The longer the wood, the less stable it is .

Also, when you splice cues for points, the bottom part is usually parted off and faced . Can't have that with 29" long piece unless you wanna add bondo or epoxy on those divots at the bottom.


Now, consider this.
Acoustic guitars are made of different woods.
And those combinations make up for their great sound.

Click to expand...

You just changed my mind...most of my old cues that stood the test of time are half splice.
And I told Pete the Cop that I liked plain cues...four point ebony...but with inlays on the points...
...he told me that was a good thing...the inlays strengthened the fore-arm.

Thanx

According to dean

jackpot was"WAS" a cue maker

now he has time on his hands to ask tough questions

Larry vigus made me several one piece butt cues that I loved

I don't think they were coring cues back in jacks day

Also,I have had hundreds of cues and never had the problem Jack is describing


Idid see Jerry Franklin repairng one of his cues thar developed a noise
he said he thought it occured because people were hitting the side of their
cue with their hand to watch the shaft vibrate

Jerry said"these idiots don't know what they are doing"

I said"I have been doing it myself"

He said "well there you go"

I wondered what he meant

I had Larry Vigus make me about 5 of these 1 piece cues in different woods
they all played good,solid etc
but people kept buying them too fast

Harvey Martin

Weren't almost all (except the ivory butts) of Harvey Martin's cues made with one-piece birdseye maple butts? I have a few - they hit just fine.