shaft/butt joint size difference
- Thread starter luke
- Start date
The best thing to do is to play with it and see how you like it. Roll it on the table and if it doesn't wobble too much, it shouldn't be much of a problem.
If they have a variance of .002", you will miss the 9-ball about 33.333% more often.\
Aftermarket shafts have .840" joint size or so.
Cues fall around .835 to .860" joint sizes.
1/16 is way too much size difference.
It won't affect playability but it'd look ugly imo.
Aftermarket shafts have .840" joint size or so.
Cues fall around .835 to .860" joint sizes.
1/16 is way too much size difference.
It won't affect playability but it'd look ugly imo.
Last edited:
Thats right on the money. I knew a guy who had an old Palmer cue from 1970, he had matched up some old national shafts he got for next to nothing (that were way off) and he could shoot the lights out. He consistantly was making $300-$400 per week playing tournaments in 1994 when I first met him. His winning streak continued for several years mismatched joint and all. If it bothers you bring it to a cue guy and have them add or subtract the proper amount for a better match.
I kinda chuckle a bit when someone uses fractions of an inch when referencing dimensions in a cue. I know you probably don't have calipers, not everyone does. They would be nice to have in situations like this though.
1/16" (.0625") is quite a bit so I have to assume it's a rough 'guesstimate'. That's the problem with fractions.
As a rule, we work in thousandths of an inch.
To answer your question though, it would be nice if you had a clean match at the jnt. but it's not going to affect the way the shaft plays. It will play the same regardless of what the jnt. dia. is of the cue it's installed on.
If the shaft doesn't play well, it's not the handle's fault.
If the discrepancy isn't too great and you were really concerned about this, new ring-work could be installed to take-up the difference.
.010/.020" isn't unreasonable.
Here's another option, one that I quickly acknowledge would be rejected by most people.
If the joint diameters are considerably different (shaft vs. butt), the main problem to me is feeling the sharp edge of whichever one is larger. I had a butt and shaft I wanted to use together, but they differed by about 30 thousandths. This created an annoying edge when they were screwed together. The butt was larger, so I just beveled (at about 45 degrees) the edge of the butt's joint face slightly until the inside (smaller) diameter of the bevel was approximately the same as the diameter of the shaft. Annoyance gone.
Note 1. This needs to be done on a lathe to keep the bevel uniform. If you don't have a lathe, any cue repair person would be able to do it very simply.
Note 2. You probably don't want to do this on an expensive cue. Potential buyers just might not understand.
If the joint diameters are considerably different (shaft vs. butt), the main problem to me is feeling the sharp edge of whichever one is larger. I had a butt and shaft I wanted to use together, but they differed by about 30 thousandths. This created an annoying edge when they were screwed together. The butt was larger, so I just beveled (at about 45 degrees) the edge of the butt's joint face slightly until the inside (smaller) diameter of the bevel was approximately the same as the diameter of the shaft. Annoyance gone.
Note 1. This needs to be done on a lathe to keep the bevel uniform. If you don't have a lathe, any cue repair person would be able to do it very simply.
Note 2. You probably don't want to do this on an expensive cue. Potential buyers just might not understand.
How does the edge come into play?
Perhaps a black electrical tape around the shaft collar would help.
I got a chance to use it and really didn't notice any problem. It played much better than the whippy shaft I had before. The difference in size didn't bother me.
Joey, I guess if I replace the bumper with a smaller one I won't miss the 9-ball anymore! lol!
It can be felt every time the hand slides past the joint.
And if you play with chin on cue and a long back swing, your chin may cross the joint!