Dime Radius or Nickel Radius?

[Johnny Rosato]

Dime,,, it's prettier and worth more.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

PJ....there are certain power spin shots I can’t do with a tip that‘s too flat.
The hit of a round tip means the force of the shot is closer to the center of the shaft....for the power.
...you might be able to express this better...whether you agree or not.
I only know it by experience...I can do that Jimmy Moore/Mike Massey draw shot down the rail...
...if somebody hands me their cue to see the shot, I look at their tip...if it’s too flat, I can’t do it.

My experience is the same, but I think it's because a too-flat tip hits on its edge at maximum spin and doesn't get enough surface contact for maximum friction. There may be something to getting more power by hitting closer to center of the tip, but I doubt you can get much closer when hitting maximum spin.

pj
chgo

 

[David in FL]

Dime. Just looks better to my eye.

Closer to a quarter for break and jump cues though...

 

[BRussell]

I use a rolled-up $100 bill.

 

[Geosnookery]

I use a Snooker cue for all billiards. Need that Tasmanian Devil spin.

So more like an aspirin tablet.

 

[Pool Hand Luke]

I start mine out as a dime, but later when I get home from playing it's only 7 cents.

 

[9ball5032]

Started out at nickel. Then in-between. Now dime.

 

[ChopStick]

Penny. Had friend make me a tip file out of PVC with a perfect penny radius. The problem I always had with a dime is it flattens out too much too soon. I was always fooling with it trying to keep it just right. A penny has the arc closer to a dime and maintains its shape far longer. Less trimming, tip lasts a lot longer. After it gets broke in I rarely have to mess with it again. Plays as good as a dime for me.

 

[Black-Balled]

Why does the penny never get any respect?

A penny makes no cents, bob.

Its a singular truth.

 

[philly]

12.25 shafts.
Dime radius.
Looks and feels right to me.

Anybody here remember a "bell tip."
A cue builder around the Philly area, Doc Frye, used to make one where the ferrule was fluted out.
Furrule was smaller at the bottom and larger at the top where it meets the tip.
Some players in the Philly area used to use them in the mid to late 60's.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

I like Dime, but both are fine.

I keep mine touched up with 220 sandpaper.

 

[ceebee]

What does Dr Dave say about all this, he's the brains of this outfit...?

 

[ChrisinNC]

Years ago somebody pointed out that the closer the radius of a tip is to the radial arc of the surface of a cue ball, the better the contact/grip it is. For most sizes of tips that's a nickel. I don't know, but I've always had better results from a nickel radius. I also learned to quit grinding my tip to try and keep a specific radius, the chalking action and the thousands of impacts your tip takes will keep your tip in an optimal radius that fits how you're hitting the ball. Once a tip gets "seasoned" during play, it keeps that same radius for me throughout its life.

Based on that theory that a tip’s radius should match the radius of the cue ball for maximum tip / cue ball contact, wouldn’t that mean the tip’s radius would be that of a cue ball’s radius, which is way flatter than any coin, even a silver dollar?

 

[Patrick Johnson]

Based on that theory that a tip’s radius should match the radius of the cue ball for maximum tip / cue ball contact, wouldn’t that mean the tip’s radius would be that of a cue ball’s radius, which is way flatter than any coin, even a silver dollar?

Yes, that's true. For more reasons a radius that size won't work, see my reply in post #9.

pj
chgo

 

[Bob Jewett]

Based on that theory that a tip’s radius should match the radius of the cue ball for maximum tip / cue ball contact, ...

As I kind of mentioned above, a flat tip will have more contact area than with equal radii. Maximum contact is achieved if the tip has a negative radius equal to the radius of the ball -- a cupped/concave tip -- so that the entire surface of the tip comes in contact with the ball. You don't want maximum contact.

 

[Chili Palmer]

I fall between nickel and quarter. Break cue is more flat then a quarter, it's probably a 50 cent piece.

 

[chefjeff]

I quit chalking my break cue to reduce spin.

It's easier than creating a true stroke. Seriously, I don't chalk it cuz I'm hitting dead center. Stupid?


Jeff Livingston

 

[hang-the-9]

What if we had a convex tip that matched the radius of the ball, would that be the one to use for the straightest shots?

See my amazing drawing

 

[Patrick Johnson]

What if we had a convex tip that matched the radius of the ball, would that be the one to use for the straightest shots?

See my amazing drawing

View attachment 591737

You'd have to hit it so perfectly, I think that would make straight shots almost impossible. I'd go with flat and wide.

pj
chgo

 

[maha]

are you sure you guys are using convex and concave properly. patrick???

a normal cue tip is shaped sort of convex.