Could someone define "taper roll"?
- Thread starter brettincincy
- Start date
Man, for you guys that define a taper roll as a warp then every shaft that I've ever owned has been warped. I've seen only 1 or 2 shafts that were actually straight to the eye. I saw no taper roll or " warp " at all. I'll bet you that if you put it on a lathe and used an indicator, then the indicator would show a movement. Does that mean that the shaft is warped? If you cannot see a movement, but prove that there is a movement, then is it actually warped? Where do you guys draw the line? My definition of a warped shaft is one that has the tip come off the table when rolled and the butt is dead straight. Maybe it's just a wording thing, or maybe it's just me, but if the tip and the joint, and the butt stay on the table when rolled, then the cue is not warped in my opinion. But that's just me.
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I agree, taper roll is NOT a warp unless it causes the tip to lift off of the table. In fact, with a minor taper roll, if you are not intentionally looking for it by staring under the shaft, you wouldn't even notice it at all. Looking at it from the top, it rolls true. People just started declaring taper rolls to be completely honest about their listing. They shouldn't be beaten up for disclosing this, thank them for their honesty.
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No trick. Just a good shaft. That said, it might still have shown a variance in the light when rolled on a pool table. The demonstration was meant to show the accuracy of the joint work - not the straightness of the shaft.
See the video HERE
I agree. I recall seeing one shaft that I would categorize as 'dead straight' of the cues I have handled in the last 5 years. Funny enough, it was a 10 year old Viking. The Gina's, Southwest's, Hercek's, Scruggs, etc. all had more movement in the shafts then this lonely ole' Viking.
I am super picky for the buyers sake when I sell cues, but it seems like almost every shaft has some kind of variance when rolled. I would definitely not personally call most of these shafts warped. I think a lot of it depends in the person, and how picky they are when checking a shaft. I have rolled shafts and had a friend say it is dead straight, but I would list it as a tiny 'taper roll' if I was selling it.A lathe would seem to indicate whether a shaft is in fact is warped.
I was wondering why I play so bad....all my cues are warped!
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A lot of this is subjective...one man may say his shaft has slight "taper roll" and indeed, it is just a miniscule change in light...another may have basically a warped shaft and it's a wonder the tip stays on the table. You never really know unless you're there to judge for yourself. I'm not so sure about the whole rare as a unicorn claim. My Schon's two shafts are over 25 years old, years ago I had the tapers on both pulled back a few inches and turned down about 1/2 mm, and there is absolutely NO light variance when rolled, whether on a pool table or on a marble counter top. I also have a Joss shaft that's about 4 years old, same thing. The other two older Joss shafts have a little roll (I used to use a little Scotch Brite back when I didn't know any better). I've got 4 custom cue shafts and 1 after market shaft that all have some "taper roll". All are playable and I can't see movement when rolling the cue looking down the barrel. Go figure.
This was kinda my point. How straight would that shaft look if it hadn't been faced on absolute center, the hole wasn't dead nuts center-line, or threads not cut to snugly fit the pin? A slight variance in any of those machining steps would have resulted in a much different video, even if the shaft itself was dead nuts perfect straight. If the shaft was dead perfect straight but joint machining was even slightly off, then the shaft will show considerable light variance as it's rolled on the table, and somebody would swear it's warped.
Has anyone else noticed the best players worry the least about a cue being dead straight? If I see a real player pick up a cue off the wall, it seems the only thing they look at is the tip. Of course, they won't pick one that's jumping off the wall, but as long as it's reasonably straight it's ok with them.
Dead straight cues are overrated.
Dead straight stroke is underrated.
Aiming systems are overrated.
PSR is underrated.
Back to taper roll.
Some people hand sand taper shafts.
Those never quite roll perfectly .
Then again , Efren won a US Open with one.
Oh Wow! Mr. Crisp, aka Sugartree himself.
It has been a while. Welcome back Eric. Good to see you back.
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I've asked this question before and experts always disagree on the TRUE answer. A taper roll in my opinion is when the cue, put together, has a very slight lift to it. I personally do not THINK the shaft or the butt is warped. However, experts don't always agree with my thoughts on this topic.
I have three cues, two have NO taper roll with any of their shafts. I have a Meucci sneak a peak bought in 1989 which DOES have a taper roll to it.
Hope this helps,
Who would use sand paper on a shaft?
I certainly don't agree that "taper roll" is the same as warp. The best way I've heard it characterized is:
Imagine you have a straight steel rod. You then put the middle of the rod against a belt sander until the sparks go flying.
Now roll the steel rod on the table. Is the rod now "warped?"
No, it's just missing a portion of the middle, but it's still straight.
Just my $0.02.
oh yeah.....wrong forum....
Imagine you have a straight steel rod. You then put the middle of the rod against a belt sander until the sparks go flying.
Now roll the steel rod on the table. Is the rod now "warped?"
No, it's just missing a portion of the middle, but it's still straight.
Just my $0.02.
oh yeah.....wrong forum....
Way too many people...fine grit sand paper, scotchbrite, tons of stuff.
People don't think they are hurting the shaft, but over time, it does.
Also, as some others have said, it you have a dead stroke, you don't need a perfect shaft.
Joe
Taper Roll is the amount of light variation under the shaft when rolled. Pro taper shafts always have some taper roll to them because of the way they are cut. European tapered shafts may not show any light variation due to the way they are cut. European tapered shafts start at the bottom of the ferrule and have a gradual constant taper to the joint area. You can actually roll this shaft and may likely not see and daylight at all under the shaft. Pro tapered shafts are cut say 13mm from the tip maybe 13" back and then a gradual taper to the joint area. Even though you will see daylight under this style cut it does not mean the shaft is crooked. The shaft simply does not lay flat it's entire length on the table.