Chatter Line?
- Thread starter Mitchxout
- Start date
It very well may be. I'd still like to know what causes maple shafts to have the 2 straight lines 180 degrees apart?
Most woods have it if you look close enough. (Ziricote has a beautiful chatter line) I remember seeing it for the first time in high school working on the wood lathe and asked my wood shop teacher about it. He told me it was Gods way of showing us that the wood was straight after being turned down. Of course I looked at him like he was crazy! He showed me how my piece of wood was straight as an arrow and grabbed another piece that had warped and said look down it and follow the line....see how it is off? It is crooked! Funny thing is I still look for the line in all turned wood to see if it is straight or off before i even roll a cue. If you were to check I would be willing to bet that it is stiffer on the chatter line than it is on the sides.
You are simply looking at the side of the grain instead of the face of the grain.
Yes Chris, the old timers also referred to these as "the feathers" of a shaft. It was also a saying to shoot with the feathers up. I believe this was supposed to reduce side deflection in the shaft. Whether truth or myth I have no idea, but I remember the old timers saying that 40 years ago,
Alan
I'm not a wood worker. Everyone else seems to know what I'm asking about, though.
I am a wood worker and have never heard of a chatter line. The feathers are probably run out annular rings on the face grain side and the 180 degree separated lines sound like the medullary grain on the quarter faces.
In my distant machine shop past of lathe turning, chatter occurred when I turned different laminated, non-wood, materials.
It's possible that the chatter line is where repetitive oscillation occur and usually at a specific rotational speed. That one line struck by the tool will have a consistent rhythm.
Where the grain isn't equally repetitive the odd oscillations would cancel themselves out.
I could be wrong, this is just a guess about "Chatter Line".
It's possible that the chatter line is where repetitive oscillation occur and usually at a specific rotational speed. That one line struck by the tool will have a consistent rhythm.
Where the grain isn't equally repetitive the odd oscillations would cancel themselves out.
I could be wrong, this is just a guess about "Chatter Line".
I apologize for my terminology. I'm asking about the the 2 vertical lines, opposed from each other that run the entire length of the shaft. Hope this is clearer.
That is a picture of the medullary rays in hard maple. They grow straight out from the center of the tree to the bark and are a lot more obvious in other woods especially oak and beech
AHHhhhh, got it. Wood grain center line.
A good cue maker will take a wood square and find that grain line and use them to find it's centers.
Next time your in a discount store and take a look at the China made sticks. It'll be rare to find a shaft with straight grain from tip to joint.
Cue shafts are graded for there grain straightness.
AAA shafts will have near perfect straight grain and no run out.
AA and A grades will have a little to noticeable grain run out and those are more prone to warping.
A good cue maker will take a wood square and find that grain line and use them to find it's centers.
Next time your in a discount store and take a look at the China made sticks. It'll be rare to find a shaft with straight grain from tip to joint.
Cue shafts are graded for there grain straightness.
AAA shafts will have near perfect straight grain and no run out.
AA and A grades will have a little to noticeable grain run out and those are more prone to warping.
Not what they're talking about. Look at the brown specs. Those are what they're talking about.
The most simple of tests, is to set up the shaft in a lathe and have it running true, being supported buy the handle with the joint and shaft unsupported. Then make up a washer type weight that fits onto the tip,ferrule end of the shaft. You need a reasonable amount of weight to deflect the shaft about 12mm or so. Then slowly rotate the shaft. You will find if there is any spine to the shaft or not. On regular shafts I have done this test to, they seem to have an area that sinks more than another. The side that is raised the most I call the spine side, the side that is the strongest. The difference I have seen is about 2-3mm. I have not done this test on any laminated type shaft, just Maple and Ash.
Neil
Neil
The result of using quartersawn lumber, nothing more, no harm no foul.
Years ago when I was working for my mentor, a golf club tester came in with a golf club tester.
He bent a shaft and the shaft spun and settled to its happy place.
He then marked the top of the golf shaft and tested it again.
Again, it settled on the same spot.
We did the test on a radial laminated cue shaft.
It too had a happy place.
That pretty much killed the 360* sweet spot claim.
Most often , that is not the center line .
So you're saying most cue makers are not doing there job right?