not a cuemaker but in 40yrs of playing i've never lubed any cue's pin. had a couple(only big pin w-2-w joints) that were close to needing it but not to the point i couldn't get it together/apart. nvr had any issue with a piloted/insert joint.
Where you live can definately play a role but if the threads were sealed at the beginning, it would definately help resist against humidity.
Unfortunately sealing wood threads is something most major manufacturers do not do.
I would say if you were dealing with joining two ordinary objects you would be correct. For two hard metallic objects to connect together there needs to be a certain amount of clearance. But in the case of wood, phenolic and different types of plastic they have the ability to compress, all the nicest fitting cue joints incorporate a little bit of compression. In the case of a piloted joint the slightest bit of compression on the pilot, in the case of the big pin into wood or phenolic a size on size fit with the pin. The cues that are built this way have a certain feel that a loose fitting joint doesn't provide. If I was to try and quantify the advantage it would be the cue feels like it transmits the feel of the hit better. I realize that this is subjective but this has been my experience. Having said that the cues built with this philosophy in mind are more subjective to seasonal change. That is where sealing and a touch of wax goes a long way to keep these types of joints operating nicely. Although I do have a few customers who prefer to hear the cue squeak when you screw it together.
And by that same logic more friction means there is more surface to surface contact. so in other words instead of just the faces of the joint being in contact, it is the entire joint. So I would argue that your suggested loss in tension between the faces is more than compensated by the larger surface to surface contact. A loose fitting thread is only bearing down on a small percentage of the thread when tight. The pin will be pulled to one side of the female thread. So to me the argument is what is more important, how tight the faces are being held together or how much surface area is in contact with each other. And in which scenario transmits the vibrations or feel of hit better.
That is funny that you say that. The only cues I have seen that come loose while playing are those that have loose fitting joint threads. If you think of a cue as an instrument like a guitar. The shaft being the neck and butt of the cue being the body. A luthier goes to great extent to join the two with as much surface contact as possible , and for good reason. So I guess it is a matter of how you perceive the purpose of a cue.
Well my faith based understanding of screwed joints (machine tools, instruments, cues)
Is the truism that "screws tension, dowels locate".
I do tend to make my modified (flat root) 3/8"- 10 G10 only joints a bit "snugger" than might be advisable from an engineering standpoint, but i cut them so about 3/16" to 1/4" of the barrel protrudes into the shaft for radial alignment. That should be a very snug fit. (It can require a clean-up cut on the barrel before installation and sizing other parts - the threads aren't always dead concentric with the un-threaded portion.)
The screw, radially, has very little effect on the stiffness of the cue. It is all down to the mating surfaces of the joint, and how much tension the screw can apply to keep them there. Joint screws in almost any material are shockingly easy to bend if the joint is not tight.
smt
