More Joint and Pin Questions

[prewarhero]

Please excuse me if these are overly sophomoric questions.

If the idea of making a better playing cue (insert own definition here) is aided by a tighter fitting joint, or put differently a more solid connection between shaft and butt, wouldn’t it stand to reason that a joint that is piloted (that grabs and secures) would offer that better tighter more 1 piece feel?

If the above is true (and it may not be) doesn’t it also stand to reason that a piloted joint that is wood threaded around the base of the shaft would offer a better connection than say metal on wood?

People say that big pins are better. Why does a cue-maker use anything but the bigger pins?

I am having a cue made for me. I have noticed that there are two things that contribute most to the stiffness and hardness feel of a cue, the shaft and the joint/pin. I prefer that much of the solid feel from a cue be derived from the joint.

Thoughts from our esteemed members are greatly appreciated.

 

[jhanso18]

None of your premises has ever been proved.

How tight is optimal? Is tighter better, or is tight enough best?

dld

You really better stop using common sense in your responses, or you're gonna get banned!

 

[EasyEJL]

wouldn’t it stand to reason that a joint that is piloted (that grabs and secures) would offer that better tighter more 1 piece feel?

not disagreeing that it changes the flex characteristics of the cue, but why would you think it would be any tighter? I think a piloted allows for maintaining tightness with less perfect threading and/or surfaces on the butt/shaft but I don't see how its any tighter. When the face of the shaft meets the face of the butt, thats as tight as its going to get. The other issue when you start to play with joints is balance. a 3/8x10 wood to wood setup has less added weight at the joint than a metal to wood with metal threaded insert does, which significantly affects where the balance point is. Before we jump into that there isn't a perfect balance point, its fairly individual player to player so no, one isn't in and of itself better than the other in that regard either.

 

[GBCues]

Please excuse me if these are overly sophomoric questions.

If the idea of making a better playing cue (insert own definition here) is aided by a tighter fitting joint, or put differently a more solid connection between shaft and butt, wouldn’t it stand to reason that a joint that is piloted (that grabs and secures) would offer that better tighter more 1 piece feel?

If the above is true (and it may not be) doesn’t it also stand to reason that a piloted joint that is wood threaded around the base of the shaft would offer a better connection than say metal on wood?

People say that big pins are better. Why does a cue-maker use anything but the bigger pins?

I am having a cue made for me. I have noticed that there are two things that contribute most to the stiffness and hardness feel of a cue, the shaft and the joint/pin. I prefer that much of the solid feel from a cue be derived from the joint.

Thoughts from our esteemed members are greatly appreciated.

"I am having a cue made for me."
So it sounds like you have already selected your cuemaker - these are questions you should be discussing with him/her. If your CM is not a member of this forum and you go back to him, in mid-build, and say "those guys said you should be doing it this way", I doubt that he's going to be real receptive.
But to each his own.
My 2 cents,
Gary

 

[Mcues]

Joints

Each builder chooses the joint that best represents his idea of what a cue should feel like,
hit like, and also longevity.

Mario

 

[prewarhero]

not disagreeing that it changes the flex characteristics of the cue, but why would you think it would be any tighter? I think a piloted allows for maintaining tightness with less perfect threading and/or surfaces on the butt/shaft but I don't see how its any tighter. When the face of the shaft meets the face of the butt, thats as tight as its going to get. The other issue when you start to play with joints is balance. a 3/8x10 wood to wood setup has less added weight at the joint than a metal to wood with metal threaded insert does, which significantly affects where the balance point is. Before we jump into that there isn't a perfect balance point, its fairly individual player to player so no, one isn't in and of itself better than the other in that regard either.

Thank you for that response. It was very helpful.

 

[prewarhero]

"I am having a cue made for me."
So it sounds like you have already selected your cuemaker - these are questions you should be discussing with him/her. If your CM is not a member of this forum and you go back to him, in mid-build, and say "those guys said you should be doing it this way", I doubt that he's going to be real receptive.
But to each his own.
My 2 cents,
Gary

Thanks Gary. It was more general. I am having lots of cues made by different makers. My questions were more along the lines of trying to understand the relationship between the above mentioned parts better in the face of a choice to garner a certain feel.