How is making a shaft for a break cue different than making a shaft for a playing cue

Lou Bones

Lou Bones

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I wanted to pose a question to the people here who make cues. I'm wondering what you do differently when making a shaft for a playing cue than for a break cue. What differentiates the two? Of course the tip will be different, but that's not the shaft, nor is it specific to making a shaft. I'm thinking about the materials that go into a shaft: e.g the pin, joint, collar, wood, ferrule, etc., and with the exception of certain materials (like phenolic), the same materials are used in both break cue shafts and playing cue shafts. So I'm really curious: what is different? What do you do differently when making one or the other? What's different about making a great playing shaft as opposed to a great break shaft?
 
All my break shafts are made from purpleheart, so the shafts from player to breaker are different. Purpleheart is slightly heavier and stiffer. Actually, even the butt of one of my break sticks is designed differently than a player to give a stiffer hit.

Alan

Phelps Custom Cues
 
Last edited:
Biggest differences are taper and overall diameter, jnt remains the same on both.
Break shaft has more of a conical taper whereas a game shaft typically has a pro-taper.
I like a 14mm break-shaft.

KJ
 
From a performance stand point, the Break shaft should be stronger and more stiff.

The less "give" that it has during tip to ball contact, the more power will go into the cue ball.

That's why you'll typically, larger diameters and shorter/fatter tapers.

Those are the basics. After that, you get into the more technical performance aspects.


Royce
 
Break shaft

Everyhing Royce said, although I'm a Purple Heart fan.

Mario
 
Last edited:
I build most of my break shafts out of laminated maple as it is stiffer. If someone wants a really stiff shaft I go with Purple Heart. I also tend to leave more shaft diameter on the break shafts taper. I would also use harder tip and harder ferrule.
 
I do a bit larger on the normal diameter with maple, but most break shafts I make are purple heart more often than not, and also, depending on the player, I offer Ipe or Bocote as a shaft. The stiffer the better, IMO. Ipe can also give almost a 2 oz increase in forward weight and still have a tip Dia. close to 13mm.
Dave
 
aphelps1 said:
All my break shafts are made from purpleheart....
Purpleheart is slightly heavier and stiffer....

Alan

Phelps Custom Cues
Click to expand...

Thanks Alan,
I had a break cue made a few years ago and I had specifically requested that the be made of purpleheart due to it being denser (or as you put it, "heavier and stiffer") than maple. However, I have never seen anyone else in any of the places I have played who uses a purpleheart break shaft. Moreover, there are some enormously popular and very well made production break cues out there by companies like OB, Predator, Mezz and others, and none of them use (to my knowledge) purpleheart shafts. So I was surprised (in a good way) by your (and many other) comments about the benefits of purpleheart in a break shaft.

More to the point of my initial thread: what your (and several other) comment(s) tells me is that one key difference between making a break shaft and a playing shaft may, depending on the cue maker, be the properties of the wood used.
 
RBC said:
From a performance stand point, the Break shaft should be stronger and more stiff.

The less "give" that it has during tip to ball contact, the more power will go into the cue ball.

That's why you'll typically, larger diameters and shorter/fatter tapers.

Those are the basics. After that, you get into the more technical performance aspects.


Royce
Click to expand...

Thanks Royce.
In addition to commenting on "how" they differ (ie. "larger diameters and shorter/fatter tapers"), you explained "why". The taper and diameter make the shaft stiffer and stronger, thus enabling it to transfer "more power will go into the cue ball".
That makes perfect sense. Thank you!
 
Break shafts have a stiffer taper, harder ferrule and bigger tip diameter. I know of no production cue that uses purpleheart in their break shaft, but Mezz do use ash and massaranduba wood in their deep impact Pro shafts.
I have a couple of custom break cue with purpleheart shafts and it`s a great wood for break shafts.
My dream shaft would be a break shaft constructed like the Mezz Deep Impact Pro shafts, but with a purpleheart core.
If anyone is up to the challenge please PM me :)
 
Shaft

Kim Bye said:
Break shafts have a stiffer taper, harder ferrule and bigger tip diameter. I know of no production cue that uses purpleheart in their break shaft, but Mezz do use ash and massaranduba wood in their deep impact Pro shafts.
I have a couple of custom break cue with purpleheart shafts and it`s a great wood for break shafts.
My dream shaft would be a break shaft constructed like the Mezz Deep Impact Pro shafts, but with a purpleheart core.
If anyone is up to the challenge please PM me :)
Click to expand...

Schmelke cues do
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top