Question about Jacobys shaft straightener

R

RiverCity

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I saw the youtube video about the tool, and being a cheapskate, I just made my own. I had a really bent OB shaft that got damaged in the mail, and the tool got it rolling pretty straight. A little clean up and it was a good shaft again.

My question, its been a while since its been discussed that I could find. Has anyone got any long term data about the shafts that have been straightened in terms of did they stay straight, for how long etc?

Thanks!
Chuck
 
Nuts4Tascarellas said:
I have one that I straightened with that tool about 2 years ago. Still straight!
Click to expand...

Thanks!
The one I did a couple of weeks ago is still straight too.

The picture below (had just received the shaft) was taken after I already partially straightened it by hand (was pissed when I got the box, cause I knew it wasnt going to be good), but you can still see theres a good curve. The triangle box it came in had been bent/ripped completely in half and taped up. the shaft had about a 15-20 degree bend to it. Now its pretty straight, not perfect if you ran it on a lathe, but more than straight enough to be playable.
 
Here was the one I made, I was just going to go with the bolt and dowel rod, but decided to go fancy and put a cheap bicycle grip over the dowel, and a vinyl cap on the end. To note, I sanded and buffed the bearing surface on the bolt as well.

 
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Lol, let me spend more making one than buying one from an innovative company in the industry. :groucho:
 
ideologist said:
Lol, let me spend more making one than buying one from an innovative company in the industry. :groucho:
Click to expand...

4 or 5 bucks vs 25? Sure, let me waste $25 on a 50 cent bolt and a screwdriver handle, when I can build one for 1/4 to 1/5 of the price.
If you like to waste money on shit you can easily build for a fraction of the cost go right ahead, I was raised differently apparently.

Heres a good deal for you..... 5 "tip protectors" for 12 bucks.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/221517089219?lpid=82&chn=ps
Heres the site you buy them in bulk for 8.5 cents a piece. You can buy 1000 for 85 bucks and resell them to pool players 5 at a time for 12 bucks, sell 8 sets and the rest is gravy. :)
https://www.stockcap.com/store/short-caps.html
 
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Chuck, I can appreciate your innovation but you don't need a tool to straighten a shaft.
Rolling and bending on a table works just as well, maybe better.
No metal touches the wood, just your hand. Cost : $0.
 
Chuck Fields said:
4 or 5 bucks vs 25? Sure, let me waste $25 on a 50 cent bolt and a screwdriver handle, when I can build one for 1/4 to 1/5 of the price.
If you like to waste money on shit you can easily build for a fraction of the cost go right ahead, I was raised differently apparently.

Heres a good deal for you..... 5 "tip protectors" for 12 bucks.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/221517089219?lpid=82&chn=ps
Heres the site you buy them in bulk for 8.5 cents a piece. You can buy 1000 for 85 bucks and resell them to pool players 5 at a time for 12 bucks, sell 8 sets and the rest is gravy. :)
https://www.stockcap.com/store/short-caps.html
Click to expand...

Oh, I thought they were $10. Sorry for my ignorance!


I'll pass on the tip protectors though, I'll just dip my cue in candle wax before putting it away.
 
KJ Cues said:
Chuck, I can appreciate your innovation but you don't need a tool to straighten a shaft.
Rolling and bending on a table works just as well, maybe better.
No metal touches the wood, just your hand. Cost : $0.
Click to expand...

Thats my usual method, but the picture I posted above was after trying to straighten it by hand. It was 15-20 deg before I did anything. I got maybe half of that out, but couldnt get it any straighter cause I felt like I was about to break the thing.
I found this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPkxZa6GJ9c , and thought what the hell, give it a shot. Like I say, it got it straighter than I could manually.
Like you say the metal does dent the shaft a bit, but on a shaft thats unplayable otherwise, its not a bad last resort.
 
ideologist said:
Oh, I thought they were $10. Sorry for my ignorance!


I'll pass on the tip protectors though, I'll just dip my cue in candle wax before putting it away.
Click to expand...

Its all good, and just to note, the 4-5 bucks was for 2 (even cheap bicycle grips still come in pairs). :thumbup:
 
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing Chuck.
How much of a dent/mark does it put onto the shaft?
Is it really noticeable, or only if you know what to look for?
Thanks,
Neil
 
conetip said:
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing Chuck.
How much of a dent/mark does it put onto the shaft?
Is it really noticeable, or only if you know what to look for?
Thanks,
Neil
Click to expand...

I would compare it to using the little glass rod they sell to smooth out dents, but not as bad because the hook is shaped closer to the shaft than a straight glass rod. Its not super bad, but it does leave marks that are felt if you spin the shaft between your fingers. I dont currently have a lathe, and I was easily able to smooth the shaft back out with a few passes on the rough side of a Qwiz. So on a lathe, I would think just hitting it with a high grit for a second or 2 should do it.
I dont know if its worth the trouble for very minor warps/rolls, but if the roll is bad enough to make it a distraction and/or unplayable, it seems to be a pretty good option IMO.
 
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You got me thinking that to use this simple tool properly will take quite a bit of technique and timing, meaning that you could twist the hook to be in a larger contact area of the shaft leaving less of a localised high pressure area.
Neil
 
For all you cue shaft experts, do you think it would also be effective/safe for straightening laminated shafts such as Predators?
 
victorl said:
For all you cue shaft experts, do you think it would also be effective/safe for straightening laminated shafts such as Predators?
Click to expand...

The shaft I used it on an older OB classic, and it worked fine. On the pamphlet that comes with the "store bought" version, it says

"Performance shafts, maple shafts, laminated shafts, virtually any shaft"

I dont know exactly how it works, or if the description in the video is right, but the video says something like " it works by compressing one side, while stretching the other".

I had seen more than one person doing something similar over the years with a master padlock. I didnt ask them at the time, and assumed they were just 'rubbing' out a dent(s). I should have asked, because like I say its a neat option when hand straightening isnt working. Ive tossed shafts over the years that I feel this might have fixed.

Neil, I found it doesnt take a bunch of pressure, and I think you are probably right. If you have a junk shaft to play on, you can probably learn to lessen the marking/denting with a good technique.
 
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