My shaft was a bit too flexible. I was advised to soak it in cider, and damn if it didn't stiffen up a lot.
Squirt. End Mass and Cue Flexibility.
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My shaft was a bit too flexible. I was advised to soak it in cider, and damn if it didn't stiffen up a lot.
My shaft was a bit too flexible. I was advised to soak it in cider, and damn if it didn't stiffen up a lot.
After it was dried?
Good to know.
Be well
Just guitars. Yes, that's me. I'm a refugee from the engineering world. I may go back one day. When the twins came in 2014, instrument building/repair was no longer practical. I had some electronic stuff I was playing with for fun, and decided to give it a whirl. So, I'm basically back to engineering. :thumbup:
I'd actually like to try my hand at cue building. I'm a decent machinist, it turns out. When you have a career playing with robots and electro-optics, you learn to get pretty good making your own stuff or you never get anything done. Between that, woodworking and engineering, there might be some synergy here. It would be fun to do as a hobby. I'm not crazy enough to think I'd ever want to do it professionally. One crazy business is enough for me, thank you very much.
PM me your website if you have one. I don't have much for pics. I'm not much of a shutterbug. Here's one I built for myself that I happened to document. I don't normally do knockoffs, but I have a sweet spot for Teles. I wish I'd used a some better matching wood, and maybe a more highly figured top, but I just did it for myself as a prototype and slapped it together in about a week or so with whatever junk I could find. It looks like a Tele, but the lower horn is quite different. Essentially, it's unrestricted upper fret access, contoured heal, mahogany neck w/Pau Ferro, 25' scale, Barden pickups (I'm technically still a dealer, I think). Really nice sounding guitar. Perfect for a Jazz/Fusion/Blues thing.
I like to keep it simple.
Attachments
No, no! Don't try it! I was just throwing out a little filthy innuendo since Tramp Steamer hasn't been around much since he got ill. Hope he gets better soon, his schtick is a hard act to follow.
Glad you told me before I wasted the Hard Cider on the shaft.
I miss Tramp and his advise for pre shot routine that includes a pirouette.:smile:
Be well
Just guitars. Yes, that's me. I'm a refugee from the engineering world. I may go back one day. When the twins came in 2014, instrument building/repair was no longer practical. I had some electronic stuff I was playing with for fun, and decided to give it a whirl. So, I'm basically back to engineering. :thumbup:
I'd actually like to try my hand at cue building. I'm a decent machinist, it turns out. When you have a career playing with robots and electro-optics, you learn to get pretty good making your own stuff or you never get anything done. Between that, woodworking and engineering, there might be some synergy here. It would be fun to do as a hobby. I'm not crazy enough to think I'd ever want to do it professionally. One crazy business is enough for me, thank you very much.
PM me your website if you have one. I don't have much for pics. I'm not much of a shutterbug. Here's one I built for myself that I happened to document. I don't normally do knockoffs, but I have a sweet spot for Teles. I wish I'd used a some better matching wood, and maybe a more highly figured top, but I just did it for myself as a prototype and slapped it together in about a week or so with whatever junk I could find. It looks like a Tele, but the lower horn is quite different. Essentially, it's unrestricted upper fret access, contoured heal, mahogany neck w/Pau Ferro, 25' scale, Barden pickups (I'm technically still a dealer, I think). Really nice sounding guitar. Perfect for a Jazz/Fusion/Blues thing.
I like to keep it simple.
Sweet!
I'm mostly a violin guy, even though I'm a blues guitarist. Way more money in fiddles than guitars, at least for me. I don't really build guitars (although I have a Benedetto-style jazz guitar in the works with KILLER bigleaf maple back and sides), but I used to make lots of violin bows before it got impossible to get great pernambuco wood. I'm primarily a restoration guy, working quietly (and quite anonymously, thank you) in my small workshop on some really interesting old instruments. Pretty much retired at this point, though.
I thought about making cues myself, but got discouraged reading all the garbage about cue makers and their clients (anybody want to buy $600 worth of primo shaft wood Lol). A cue seems like a pretty easy thing to make to me compared to musical instruments (go ahead and flame me, folks), but tooling up is an expensive bear of a job, and I'm sure the learning curve is steep. I have tons of extremely old and very beautiful exotic wood that I've accumulated over the past 40 years or so that would work really great for cues. How often do you see a slab of pre-embargo Brazilian rosewood like this? It's 4' long, 22" wide and 1 1/2" thick. Paid $$$$ for it as a coffee table. Couldn't leave it just sitting there in a furniture shop.
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Sweet!
I'm mostly a violin guy, even though I'm a blues guitarist. Way more money in fiddles than guitars, at least for me. I don't really build guitars (although I have a Benedetto-style jazz guitar in the works with KILLER bigleaf maple back and sides), but I used to make lots of violin bows before it got impossible to get great pernambuco wood. I'm primarily a restoration guy, working quietly (and quite anonymously, thank you) in my small workshop on some really interesting old instruments. Pretty much retired at this point, though.
I thought about making cues myself, but got discouraged reading all the garbage about cue makers and their clients (anybody want to buy $600 worth of primo shaft wood Lol). A cue seems like a pretty easy thing to make to me compared to musical instruments (go ahead and flame me, folks), but tooling up is an expensive bear of a job, and I'm sure the learning curve is steep. I have tons of extremely old and very beautiful exotic wood that I've accumulated over the past 40 years or so that would work really great for cues. How often do you see a slab of pre-embargo Brazilian rosewood like this? It's 4' long, 22" wide and 1 1/2" thick. Paid $$$$ for it as a coffee table. Couldn't leave it just sitting there in a furniture shop.
Holy crap! How often = never.
I have to say that guitar builders are way ahead of the curve eliminating CITES materials from their guitars. It's become a major problem when traveling overseas. You never know if your guitar will be confiscated. I'm surprised so many pool players incorporate it in their cues. I wouldn't dare travel in or out of the US with anything like that. I guess no one bothers with pool cues for some reason.
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Science and design.
http://www.golfdigest.com/story/wha...Native&utm_content=Boeing&utm_campaign=XR16GD
Be well
It's interesting that you chose the story about Callaway & Boeing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callaway_Golf_Company
...In 1986, Callaway hired a billiard cue designer, Richard C. Helmstetter, as a consultant. Helmstetter later became chief club designer that same year and introduced computer-controlled manufacturing machines. With his help and the help of Glenn Schmidt, the company's master tool maker, the company developed the original Big Bertha driver using large-volume (190cc) steel clubhead. The Big Bertha driver grew to 290 cc in 1997.[6]...
You Stay Well.
In the early 70's we contracted an industrial design firm for a housing design for a hand held GPS unit. They had a 5 axis CNC milling machine and were machining different shape club heads out of a reinforced composite plastic polymer.
Today, they can do that with stereo lithography or 3D printing of plastics and metals for less cost.
They were also working with the government on strap on human robotic leg support and virtual screen glasses - new back then. Interesting.:smile:
There could be strong lighter cue shafts to come.
Be well
When John Daly was cracking driver head after driver head, someone made one for him out of a polymer with Kevlar.
I think that might have been the beginning of going bigger for more forgiveness, as the 3 'wood' was far bigger than any metal driver at that time.
It may have been Yonex, but I'm not sure.
You Stay Well.
A lighter shaft with thin graphite fibers.:smile:
Patents
Hollow graphite billiard cue with cross bracing
A principal object and advantage of the present invention that the combination of the longitudinally oriented graphite fibers and the biased graphite fibers gives great strength to the shaft.
Another principal object and advantage of the present invention is the shaft is hollow, reducing the weight of previous shafts. Also the hollow shaft allows for various types of flex or deflection to be built into the shaft
Be well
Patents
Hollow graphite billiard cue with cross bracing
A principal object and advantage of the present invention that the combination of the longitudinally oriented graphite fibers and the biased graphite fibers gives great strength to the shaft.
Another principal object and advantage of the present invention is the shaft is hollow, reducing the weight of previous shafts. Also the hollow shaft allows for various types of flex or deflection to be built into the shaft
Be well
Now you are following in the footsteps of fiberglass & graphite golf shafts.
At one time they had to test for the spine of certain shafts but now they are made to be more 'spineless' & radially consistent.
I have a golf shaft that I could put a tip on... but it's tip end weighted & stiff... so that would defeat the purpose... & it is .370 inches in diameter.
I think Wilson made an over the hosel one that was .585 OD. If I could find one of them in a Senior or Ladies flex, it might be fun to play around with.
The others that I have are too thin walled & would need an insert to support the tip.
There was a fiberglass shaft that was very flexible but was supposed to recover regardless of the swing speed. I think it was called FiberSpeed.
Anyway,
You Stay Well.
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Cue Shaft Flexibility
Cue Shaft Flexibility
" . . . and Flex and Bend ...
"Cue up" and listen close. The top half of a cue, the wood section extending from tip and ferrule to joint, is the shaft.
Many cues have a shaft more flexible than their butt that bends, springing back into shape after impact, when stick and cue ball encounter equal opposing force as Sir Issac Newton predicted. You can see a stick torque visibly when a hit is forceful with spin.
A shaft that "whips" in this manner keeps the tip on the cue ball's surface longer.
Some players love this extreme flexibility, generating spin on the balls with minimal effort. Others prefer a stiff shaft. The theory is that it's easier to control direction with a cue that doesn't vibrate and throw the cue off line.
Most basic cues, priced around one hundred dollars, have a shaft flex near the middle of these two extremes. Ask your dealer about your preferences if they carry more than one brand name. They can offer you a brand of stick that feels "soft" during the shot or one that has a reputation for a "rock solid hit", mainly due to its cue shaft flex properties.
By Matthew Sherman
Billiards Expert
2008
Typical tips are made of hardened, compressed leather and attach to the stick with glue. Softer tips provide more chalk retention and softer feel, but I use a hard tip for enhancing power shots, to keep the tip in round and consistent for a far longer duration, and to save money on changing tips.
Ultra-hard phenolic resin tips are common these days on specialty break cues, so that the cue ball takes off immediately upon impact and provides maximum break force....
Shaft and Taper: The shaft of the pool cue is the second most important component in a great pool stick. Shafts are most frequently made of hard maple for stability and longevity. Fiberglass and composite graphite have come into vogue in recent years as well.
while others desire a soft feel and some a rock hard cue, regardless of "hit".
In Search Of The Holy Grail Cue To Make You Play Like A Champ
A soft or "vibrating" cue may help you get added feel and "touch" on shots to control minute distances with the cue ball. And a hard-hitting cue will likely help beginners and intermediate with shot making accuracy but can also provide extra-unpleasant results on off-center hits and strikes using english. Whether a cue is soft or hard in feel (vibrations transmitted to the player's hands) it should always feel like utterly one unit when its two sections are brought together for play...
http://www.lessonpaths.com/learn/i/buying-a-highend-cue/cue-shaft-flexibility
Cue Shaft Flexibility
" . . . and Flex and Bend ...
"Cue up" and listen close. The top half of a cue, the wood section extending from tip and ferrule to joint, is the shaft.
Many cues have a shaft more flexible than their butt that bends, springing back into shape after impact, when stick and cue ball encounter equal opposing force as Sir Issac Newton predicted. You can see a stick torque visibly when a hit is forceful with spin.
A shaft that "whips" in this manner keeps the tip on the cue ball's surface longer.
Some players love this extreme flexibility, generating spin on the balls with minimal effort. Others prefer a stiff shaft. The theory is that it's easier to control direction with a cue that doesn't vibrate and throw the cue off line.
Most basic cues, priced around one hundred dollars, have a shaft flex near the middle of these two extremes. Ask your dealer about your preferences if they carry more than one brand name. They can offer you a brand of stick that feels "soft" during the shot or one that has a reputation for a "rock solid hit", mainly due to its cue shaft flex properties.
By Matthew Sherman
Billiards Expert
2008
Typical tips are made of hardened, compressed leather and attach to the stick with glue. Softer tips provide more chalk retention and softer feel, but I use a hard tip for enhancing power shots, to keep the tip in round and consistent for a far longer duration, and to save money on changing tips.
Ultra-hard phenolic resin tips are common these days on specialty break cues, so that the cue ball takes off immediately upon impact and provides maximum break force....
Shaft and Taper: The shaft of the pool cue is the second most important component in a great pool stick. Shafts are most frequently made of hard maple for stability and longevity. Fiberglass and composite graphite have come into vogue in recent years as well.
while others desire a soft feel and some a rock hard cue, regardless of "hit".
In Search Of The Holy Grail Cue To Make You Play Like A Champ
A soft or "vibrating" cue may help you get added feel and "touch" on shots to control minute distances with the cue ball. And a hard-hitting cue will likely help beginners and intermediate with shot making accuracy but can also provide extra-unpleasant results on off-center hits and strikes using english. Whether a cue is soft or hard in feel (vibrations transmitted to the player's hands) it should always feel like utterly one unit when its two sections are brought together for play...
http://www.lessonpaths.com/learn/i/buying-a-highend-cue/cue-shaft-flexibility
Playing golf well with the old steel shafted wooden head drivers is much more difficult than playing with the new very large high tech very forgiving heads that seem to send the ball out like a cannon.
That said, the game is still not easy for most even with the new high tech stuff.
But if someone where to say that there is no advantage to all of high tech golf equipment...
I'd have to agree with them with one caveat...
& that would be... IF one hits the ball in the center of the head & on the screws as they use to say.
But... if you do the same with the new high tech equipment, the ball will still go farther than a shot hit on the screws with the old equipment.
The real benefit comes when the ball is not hit perfectly.
The point being that one can still play quite well with the old equipment if they are hitting on the screws & not off center. In the old days some pros would draw & fade the ball using the gearing effect of the the curved face of the wood by intentionally hitting slightly off center to the toe or heel of the club. Most amateurs can not do that consistently & do not even try it. So... an inadvertent hit off center sends the ball to a place they did not plan for.
When metal woods came out the face was much more flat & it took that aspect of play away from the pros & that is why some pros delayed switching for as long as they could. That glat face did however help the off center hit for amateurs stay more on their intended line. Then some woods came out with curved faces to get the same effect as the old woods.
A similar thing happened with the golf ball. Many older pros stayed with the softer balata covered golf balls for control reasons for as long as they could & then switched to the Titleist Professional ball that was close to the old balata balls. Later that ball was phased out & replaced with the ProV.
The point is that things evolved & eventually players had to adapt or get left behind.
There are similarities between Golf & pool in many aspects but pool is lagging way behind & the reasons are monetary.
Pros do not play with clubs that do not fit them but many many amateurs do play with clubs that do not fit them & then wonder why they can not play even close to how a pro plays.
Sorry for what seems like an off topic rant but it really is on topic. Research & Development.
That said, the game is still not easy for most even with the new high tech stuff.
But if someone where to say that there is no advantage to all of high tech golf equipment...
I'd have to agree with them with one caveat...
& that would be... IF one hits the ball in the center of the head & on the screws as they use to say.
But... if you do the same with the new high tech equipment, the ball will still go farther than a shot hit on the screws with the old equipment.
The real benefit comes when the ball is not hit perfectly.
The point being that one can still play quite well with the old equipment if they are hitting on the screws & not off center. In the old days some pros would draw & fade the ball using the gearing effect of the the curved face of the wood by intentionally hitting slightly off center to the toe or heel of the club. Most amateurs can not do that consistently & do not even try it. So... an inadvertent hit off center sends the ball to a place they did not plan for.
When metal woods came out the face was much more flat & it took that aspect of play away from the pros & that is why some pros delayed switching for as long as they could. That glat face did however help the off center hit for amateurs stay more on their intended line. Then some woods came out with curved faces to get the same effect as the old woods.
A similar thing happened with the golf ball. Many older pros stayed with the softer balata covered golf balls for control reasons for as long as they could & then switched to the Titleist Professional ball that was close to the old balata balls. Later that ball was phased out & replaced with the ProV.
The point is that things evolved & eventually players had to adapt or get left behind.
There are similarities between Golf & pool in many aspects but pool is lagging way behind & the reasons are monetary.
Pros do not play with clubs that do not fit them but many many amateurs do play with clubs that do not fit them & then wonder why they can not play even close to how a pro plays.
Sorry for what seems like an off topic rant but it really is on topic. Research & Development.
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Go back to your cave with your mace, and clay balls. Why would you read 550 responses if you aren't interested?
Thank you kindly.
I didn't read any of the. They means to me nothing. Johnnyt
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Apparently they mean enough for you to rail against them in complete ignorance to what they actually say. Get over it.
Maybe you should go play some pool instead.
Thank you kindly.