Is there such a thing as a straight cue? How much roll is too much?

Agent 99

Agent 99

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Wanted to get some input on cues with a roll. Is there such a thing as a perfectly straight cue?

How much roll is too much?

How do you test a cue to see how straight it is? (Best Way)

How much will roll affect the playability of the cue?

If you bought a new cue and it had a roll, any amount of roll, would you send it back?

Thanks in advance.
 
You can show the same cue to 10 people and some will say it's perfect, some a little off, and some a lot off. It's really all about perception and that is difficult to judge because each person sees it differently. IMO, if you roll the cue across the table & it doesn't flop or wobble, it's just fine. If you sight down it & it looks straight, it's plenty straight enough to play with. If you have to put your face on the cloth to watch for variance in light under the shaft as the cue rolls, you're being a bit nit picky. That's my thought on it.

As for how to test one, between centers on a lathe with dial indicators is about the best way. Shy of that you can rest the cue on the table with about 4"-6" of the joint and entire shaft hanging over the rail, then roll it. It'll show you wobble that you can't see when rolling it flat across the table. By this time you're splitting hairs, though.
 
Agent 99 said:
Wanted to get some input on cues with a roll. Is there such a thing as a perfectly straight cue?
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I believe there can be. A lot of manufacturers take time to dry their wood, and lathe them to be as straight as possible. Perfect, I guess, is subjective like qbilder said. But short answer is yes.

Agent 99 said:
How much roll is too much?
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My answer was essentially going to be this, almost verbatim:

qbilder said:
IMO, if you roll the cue across the table & it doesn't flop or wobble, it's just fine. If you sight down it & it looks straight, it's plenty straight enough to play with. If you have to put your face on the cloth to watch for variance in light under the shaft as the cue rolls, you're being a bit nit picky.
Click to expand...

Agent 99 said:
How do you test a cue to see how straight it is? (Best Way).
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As qbilder stated, I sight it. I roll it while doing so. I also check on a table for wobble.

Agent 99 said:
How much will roll affect the playability of the cue?
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Whenever I played with a stick that wasn't straight, I always found myself compensating for it. I use to have to adjust on the fly, and figure out which way I wanted the curve to face. It's a pain trying to determine how a crooked stick is going to hit a cue ball. Adjusting to deflection on a stick with which you are unaccustomed can be bad enough. To have to factor this in as well? It's tough.

Agent 99 said:
If you bought a new cue and it had a roll, any amount of roll, would you send it back?
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Absolutely. Without a doubt. That's why I bought my stick straight from the certified dealer. I didn't want a middle man. No way am I going to have to fight and dicker with some online store about how the cue isn't straight, and if I had abused it or not. No ifs, ands, or wherefores. I picked mine up in person. Dealt with the issues I had right then and there, not that I had any.

On a side note, I bought my cue new. The reason I went straight to the dealer is that if something goes wrong with the stick, I have a warranty on it. Again, it just takes out the middle man. When making that kind of investment, I want to insure that it is as well protected as it can be.
 
I have a feeling you wouldn't like any of my cues. They are all bent, crooked, and otherwise warped.

A laser is straight. Cues...it's all relative.

Best way to tell? A lathe and a proper measuring device. Ask in the cue makers forum.

If you don't like it. If it isn't right to you. Send it back.

If we are playing pool and I let you check out one of my "good" cues and you lay it on the table to roll it I will snag it up and ask why you want to roll Cortland linen in chalk dust.

If I sell it to you I'll give you the best idea I can of how straight it is. If you disagree send it back and you will get your money back.

I will not tell you it is laser straight. Even if I think it is. Even if it's new. It's wood. It moves. No matter how seasoned and stabilized it is. That's my opinion.

If I buy it I expect the same courtesy. If you tell me it's laser straight then I will just be much more observant and critical.

I got a cue at a flea market for $3. I didn't check it. The shaft was S shaped when I got it home. Bent it over my knee and it came out darn nice. I gave it to a friend. He used it for a bar cue and loved it. $3 well spent.

I have only ever bought 6 new cues that I remember. They were all straight and still are. 3 were made in China, 3 in PI. Go figure...many think they are crap.

That's all I have to say on the matter.

Carbon fiber? New topic. The darn thing better be straight.
 
Biggest secret of all:

If a cue seems to be a bit warped, have a bit of wobble:

Put it in a case, nice dry closet, upright.

Play it now and then.

Sooner or later, it may become straight. Not necessarily, but maybe. I've brought some back to straight life.

All the best,
WW
 
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I roll the shaft and butt separate and together.

If there is a wobble I'll figure out which piece has the problem.


I've returned lots of new cues because of defects and for not being straight.

If you pay good money for new cues they should be right.

I never expect perfectly straight but it better be close.



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Carbon fibre is not guaranteed to be straight either. My carbon cue shafts are not perfectly straight, but are straight enough for pool. The max total error will be in the range of up to a 0.010 inch error , that will be somewhere in the middle of the shaft. The front 8 inches will be within about 0.004 inches. This comes from the stress in the making of the shaft and the various layers. Making the outside run dead true, may result in an uneven section at different places. The sectional change in a carbon shaft is not very desirable.
 
I had a Gina cue from Ernie's early days that was dead straight after some 40 yrs. I also had a titlist 26 1/2 one piece that was also dead straight after about 80 - 90 years. If aged correctly I think it will stay straight unless it is subject to severe temp. change like in the trunk of a car.
 
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I roll the shafts and butts separately on a table. If both are straight, I then put the cue together and roll it together on the table, then on the rail as Eric stated. If it wobbles quite a bit, I usually assume it is the joint facing. IMO a cue has to be really warped badly for it to affect playability. Unless it has an S shaped warp, you can generally find the "straight" spine and can simply shoot with that facing straight up or straight down and you wouldn't have much of an issue once you get used to it.
 
i just recieved the straightest cue ive ever owned, a 195 dollar production longoni carom cue
stunned, has a maple shaft, a perfect player

its dead centered shaft to butt, couldnt be more than perhaps .001 off, if that
 
"Rolling on a table" hides flaws when the table is off or when an oversized tip is the culprit in a wobble.

Turn the cue tip down onto the floor at a 45-degree angle or so and turn it as you sight down the cue. Light on the cue will show subtleties...
 
We're working with wood. It shrinks/swells/warps/straightens to & fro as the weather changes. It's inherently not perfect. The question is how much imperfect is too much? My opinion is that if it rolls good & sights good, it's good. If somebody expects more than that then they should probably build their own cues & see how it works out for them.

I find that most people who buy high end cues and/or collect cues seem to understand what's acceptable & what isn't. Even though it's a grey area that has yet to be quantified, pretty much all "cue nuts" I know have the same pretty standard idea of what's straight and what isn't. The problem comes in when somebody expects something from a cue that is virtually impossible. They buy a cue advertised as "dead nuts straight together & apart", only to find that they can see the light flutter under the shaft as the cue is rolled. They think they got ripped off and lied to. On the flip, jackass sellers often take advantage of the situation & attempt to call crooked sticks straight. Predators thrive in muddy waters. Without some kind of standardized rating like other materials carry, it's going to be a continuing issue.
 
Sometimes the taper on the shaft can cause a cue to seem to be wobbling, which is why you should always roll the shaft by itself on the table, separated from the butt. I prefer to set the entire cue (shaft and butt screwed together) across the width of a 9-foot table (50 inch clearance between the rails) and roll it - with the butt end on one side rail and the tip end on the opposite side rail. That is a more accurate way to determine any warpage, ruling out the shaft taper.
 
my main player has a wobble in it, but i dont let it bother me, i have no clue of knowing when or if its affected any of my shooting
 
My Cue came from Guido Orlandi & it is DEAD STRAIGHT. Guido is a fantastic Machinist-Cuemaker
 
If you put together and do the customary roll some may appear to be straight. That’s
enough for most people, however, if you get down and examine all sides and views
when you roll you will find a slight (or not so slight) wobble or lift, some kind of
imperfection. You just need to determine where you set the bar. If you like LD shafts
you’re probably gonna have to live with a slight roll. The one thing I’ve learned about
this stuff is that it really doesn’t affect playability in the cue.
Just pick something you like that meets your standard, that should do just fine.
 
BilliardsAbout said:
"Rolling on a table" hides flaws when the table is off or when an oversized tip is the culprit in a wobble.

Turn the cue tip down onto the floor at a 45-degree angle or so and turn it as you sight down the cue. Light on the cue will show subtleties...
Click to expand...

My method allows for different styles of taper also.
 
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