Something I've noticed about 3/8" x 10 shafts

B

bdorman

Dead money
Silver Member
When I screw my 3/8" x 10 shaft just a couple of turns it sits solidly on the pin. No wobbling or looseness. Screw it down all the way and it remains solid.

But with my metal-to-metal cues (5/16" x 14, etc) the shaft wobbles horribly until the final tightening of shaft to butt. Even with only one turn left to go, it's loose and wobbly. It's not solid until the shaft is screwed tight against the butt.

There's just more contact between the shaft and butt with a 3/8 x 10 than a 5/16 x 14.

Obviously there are great hitting metal-to-metal threaded cues. Lots of them in the For Sale section that "hit a ton" and "lights out."

But I wonder if the 3/8" x 10 connection is why that cue feels the best to me.
 
bdorman said:
When I screw my 3/8" x 10 shaft just a couple of turns it sits solidly on the pin. No wobbling or looseness. Screw it down all the way and it remains solid.

But with my metal-to-metal cues (5/16" x 14, etc) the shaft wobbles horribly until the final tightening of shaft to butt. Even with only one turn left to go, it's loose and wobbly. It's not solid until the shaft is screwed tight against the butt.

There's just more contact between the shaft and butt with a 3/8 x 10 than a 5/16 x 14.

Obviously there are great hitting metal-to-metal threaded cues. Lots of them in the For Sale section that "hit a ton" and "lights out."

But I wonder if the 3/8" x 10 connection is why that cue feels the best to me.
Click to expand...
It depends on who and how the parts were manufactured. Metal to metal threads are a jam fit. In other words as they screw together they finally jam together and stay tight. You notice when you take it apart you don't actually unscrew it, you just break the jam loose and it loosely unthreads.

This stuff is not being made for NASA and the precision can varie. If you measure 5/16 screws you find they are .003 to .005 undersized. They have to be made this way other wise the screw and insert may lock up once screwed together and you could not get it open so a little slop is needed. With your cue joint it is actually a little worse. 5/16x14 is pretty coarse. If it were say 5/16 x 32 you would not notice it as much.

With a metal into wood you don't have this problem, you can make it as tight as you want. Also the cuemaker has some control in this department. They can drill and tap an undersized hole and control just how tight they want it to be. In fact they can get a pretty darn good almost perfect fit. Also, because the shaft threads are wood to some degree the threads will conform to the screw making an even better fit.
 
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bdorman said:
When I screw my 3/8" x 10 shaft just a couple of turns it sits solidly on the pin. No wobbling or looseness. Screw it down all the way and it remains solid.

But with my metal-to-metal cues (5/16" x 14, etc) the shaft wobbles horribly until the final tightening of shaft to butt. Even with only one turn left to go, it's loose and wobbly. It's not solid until the shaft is screwed tight against the butt.

There's just more contact between the shaft and butt with a 3/8 x 10 than a 5/16 x 14.

Obviously there are great hitting metal-to-metal threaded cues. Lots of them in the For Sale section that "hit a ton" and "lights out."

But I wonder if the 3/8" x 10 connection is why that cue feels the best to me.
Click to expand...

That's the only joint I use. I have had the exact same experience with them
Started with a Mali then a DP and my sons McDermott
 
I went from a 5/16X14 Jacoby to a radial jointed Josey. Guess I just like the letter J?

Anyway, I too wondered if the joint has anything to do with my preferring the Josey. It just feels better to me with metal to wood.
 
I think any material that can successfully be used as a pin will have pretty much the same feel in a given cue.

You will recall the test that has often been referenced here, where the. Taped up cues could not have their constructions identified.
 
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