Shaft Taper Develoment

nksmfamjp

nksmfamjp

Refugee...
Silver Member
This is for cue makers and knowledgable buyers. . .

How do you develop a shaft taper? Do you cut one thick and just keep fine tuning it until you geet a "just right"? Then, do you let customer's specify, or do you require your taper be used. Seems like this would have a huge impact on the play and hit of a custom cue that a cuemaker wouldn't want some random buyer to choose his/her own tapaer because it could "hurt" or "ruin" the hit of the cue. In addition, otheer's would be shooting with that cue with a none standard cuemaker's ttaper. Does that make sense?

As a cue buyer, what are you looking for in taper?

I used to like a long 13mm length, but now I like a shorter like 8" 13mm length, then a slightly convex taper up to the joint taper at about 5" from the joint. If I had the tools, and skills, I can see where I would love to get a semi-finnished blank to customize!
 
nksmfamjp said:
This is for cue makers and knowledgable buyers. . .

How do you develop a shaft taper? Do you cut one thick and just keep fine tuning it until you geet a "just right"? Then, do you let customer's specify, or do you require your taper be used. Seems like this would have a huge impact on the play and hit of a custom cue that a cuemaker wouldn't want some random buyer to choose his/her own tapaer because it could "hurt" or "ruin" the hit of the cue. In addition, otheer's would be shooting with that cue with a none standard cuemaker's ttaper. Does that make sense?

As a cue buyer, what are you looking for in taper?

I used to like a long 13mm length, but now I like a shorter like 8" 13mm length, then a slightly convex taper up to the joint taper at about 5" from the joint. If I had the tools, and skills, I can see where I would love to get a semi-finnished blank to customize!
Click to expand...
Well it has taken me years to get the taper that I feel is the best for my cues. I will slighlty alter it for my customers but nothing drastic! It does make a diferrence on how my cues play. My taper is 11" - 12" on my cues. That is where I think they hit the best at 12.85m/m.

Hope this helps!
 
You try and try and try till you get the hit and feel you like.
I don't like the commonly known as " pro-taper" which nowadays really means NO TAPER or straight barrel/cylinder.

I have mine set at 3/4 to 1 MM taper in one foot depding on the tip size.
Cueball squirt/deflection can be argued all day and all night but I like to have some stiffness around the bridge hand.
Also for consistency, I match the first 4 inches from the joint with the butt's taper.

I also make my own ferrule. That is a project itself. I don't like the 1 inch small tenon ferrules.
 
Last edited:
nksmfamjp said:
This is for cue makers and knowledgable buyers. . .

How do you develop a shaft taper?
Do you cut one thick and just keep fine tuning it until you geet a "just right"? Then, do you let customer's specify, or do you require your taper be used. Seems like this would have a huge impact on the play and hit of a custom cue that a cuemaker wouldn't want some random buyer to choose his/her own tapaer because it could "hurt" or "ruin" the hit of the cue. In addition, otheer's would be shooting with that cue with a none standard cuemaker's ttaper. Does that make sense?

As a cue buyer, what are you looking for in taper?

I used to like a long 13mm length, but now I like a shorter like 8" 13mm length, then a slightly convex taper up to the joint taper at about 5" from the joint. If I had the tools, and skills, I can see where I would love to get a semi-finnished blank to customize!
Click to expand...



How do you develop a shaft taper?
i stole mine from my mentor ,
then tweeked it a little ;)
the only alteration i've made from my standard taper was for blowfish
he wanted the stiffest taper as possible
me thinks he got his wish
 
Last edited:
nksmfamjp said:
This is for cue makers and knowledgable buyers. . .

How do you develop a shaft taper? Do you cut one thick and just keep fine tuning it until you geet a "just right"? Then, do you let customer's specify, or do you require your taper be used. Seems like this would have a huge impact on the play and hit of a custom cue that a cuemaker wouldn't want some random buyer to choose his/her own tapaer because it could "hurt" or "ruin" the hit of the cue. In addition, otheer's would be shooting with that cue with a none standard cuemaker's ttaper. Does that make sense?

As a cue buyer, what are you looking for in taper?

I used to like a long 13mm length, but now I like a shorter like 8" 13mm length, then a slightly convex taper up to the joint taper at about 5" from the joint. If I had the tools, and skills, I can see where I would love to get a semi-finnished blank to customize!
Click to expand...

I cut my shafts to a standard pro-taper with .900 at the joint end and .520 at the ferrule end which is over sized so that I make modifications for individual customers. Some like a standard Pro-taper which is measured from the tip 12 inches back, and others like an extended Pro-Taper which I make 16 inches back. My standard ferrule diameter is .510 or 13MM, however, by taking my shafts to finished size above I can keep the diameter to 13.5 or go down in size to 12.75 do to the customers wishes.

My shafts are also 30 1/4 to 30 1/8 finished turned so I also have little problem meeting the length requirement of my customers, however, I prefer shafts 29 inches long and 13 1/8 mm for the ferrule diameter.

In the end I like my finished blanks slightly over sized in diameter and length to meet customer requirements, and I like to finish my shafts by hand.

Just mt thoughts
 
Last edited:
I cut my shafts to a standard pro-taper with .900 at the joint end and .820 at the ferrule end which is over sized so that I make modifications for individual customers. Some like a standard Pro-taper which is measured from the tip 12 inches back, and others like an extended Pro-Taper which I make 16 inches back. My standard ferrule diameter is .310 or MM, however,
DAMN! That is huge!
Then really small.:eek:
You mean .520 and .510.
 
JoeyInCali said:
I cut my shafts to a standard pro-taper with .900 at the joint end and .820 at the ferrule end which is over sized so that I make modifications for individual customers. Some like a standard Pro-taper which is measured from the tip 12 inches back, and others like an extended Pro-Taper which I make 16 inches back. My standard ferrule diameter is .310 or MM, however,
DAMN! That is huge!
Then really small.:eek:
You mean .520 and .510.
Click to expand...

You are correct Sir, that was a typographical error, thanks for the correction.
 
I've spent a long time developing my taper. I want every BLACK HEART CUE to play like every other one, so I only have 2 tapers. One for break cues & all others have the same taper, for playing cues...JER
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top