Cutting Points
- Thread starter CavinTan
- Start date
The only legit reason I can think of is, he'd rather not deal with it .
I don't really wanna argue but, imo, two-piece cores make for better hit and balance.
And anyone who insists he's never had a one-piece core warp gives me some doubt. They really mean they turned down the outside after the 1-piece core moved.
It is the nature of the beast . Long thin maple dowel are liable to move . That's why the largest manufacturer in Asia uses pie-laminates. Black Boar only uses the top 12" as forearm core. The middle is handle size.
That's been my experience. I never had horrible experiences with full length cores, but I only did a few before realizing I couldn't notice a difference in hit. It was neither here nor there. What I did notice on all of them was difficulty adjusting balance. Balance is a big one for me. Since it didn't benefit the hit and hindered my balancing, it was a no brainer for me to abandon the idea. That's not to say somebody else wouldn't find success with it. I don't discount the method. I just don't find it useful on my cues.
And there you have it right there. Loading a cue butt on both ends to achieve the desired balance is not a good way to go about it...IMO.
Utilizing a joint connection between the forearm and the handle allows any desired weight added to be added as close to the natural balance point of completed said cue.
If properly executed this...IMO....is why you pick up a cue that will have an actual weight of say 19.7 or 8 and feel like it may weigh in the low 19's. It just feels natural no matter how much it weighs because you have hit the balance dead on the nose and not tried to force it in an unnatural way.
Cues have been built with the A joint construction method for a long time with little to no problems if you understand why certain unwanted things happen and know how to counter act the situation. Certainly nothing wrong with an A joint constructed cue if you know what you're doing.
What if you mix 70,000 PSI epoxy with carbide dust and fill the cavities ?
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Back in the day I knew a few guys that were adding metal powder to the epoxy for added weight. I believe it was tungsten for the metal of choice. It was used in the golfing industry for adding weight to club heads. I don't believe the voids were as large as what has been pictured in this thread. They would drill and tap the holes to give the epoxy some tooth to hang on too.
Still a hit and miss system to where I would like to end up for the final weight of a cue.
When you can dry assemble your new build butt and taper it down to .005-.010 over size before permanently closing up the A joint I believe you have a much better understanding of how much weight to add and where the final weight is going to end up.
This is because I don't have or use one of those new handy dandy weight calculator systems that some use for all their parts before starting.
I do however use an excel spread sheet that was put together for me to calculate some things during the build...I just need to remember to use it.
All this crazy talk about not losing centers during the build.................
Here's a good practice session for you......cut a warped underwrap handle out of the cue and put all back together leaving the original finish untouched and unscathed with a perfect straight cue again. The cue owner was told by everyone else that it couldn't be done without a refinish.
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That's how I do it, pretty much exactly. It's a good time to choose the shafts, too. IMO shafts shouldn't be an afterthought, something you add when the cue is done. But that's a topic for another day.
That is a tricky feat for sure. I wouldn't be worried about getting everything center and straight. My concern would be securing the components without marring up the existing finish. Not impossible, especially on a wrapped cue, but not without risk. Wrapless cue would be a different animal.
The tricky part is the butt sleeve .Back in the day I knew a few guys that were adding metal powder to the epoxy for added weight. I believe it was tungsten for the metal of choice. It was used in the golfing industry for adding weight to club heads. I don't believe the voids were as large as what has been pictured in this thread. They would drill and tap the holes to give the epoxy some tooth to hang on too.
Still a hit and miss system to where I would like to end up for the final weight of a cue.
When you can dry assemble your new build butt and taper it down to .005-.010 over size before permanently closing up the A joint I believe you have a much better understanding of how much weight to add and where the final weight is going to end up.
This is because I don't have or use one of those new handy dandy weight calculator systems that some use for all their parts before starting.
I do however use an excel spread sheet that was put together for me to calculate some things during the build...I just need to remember to use it.
All this crazy talk about not losing centers during the build.................
Here's a good practice session for you......cut a warped underwrap handle out of the cue and put all back together leaving the original finish untouched and unscathed with a perfect straight cue again. The cue owner was told by everyone else that it couldn't be done without a refinish.
Heaven forbid if it had a weight bolt.
And this makes for a good argument for a phenolic band under the wrap at the A-J section. Makes for a great indicating material.
My shafts are completed and finished to size before I even put the pin in the butt. The only thing I have left to do is finish sand, polish up and install the tips. If I get one that wants to grow arms I wanna know about it before it leaves my shop. I'm not a cut it to finish size and the next day pack it in the shipping tube kinda guy.
Yeah, not sure you could do it on a wrapless without making it a 3 piece J/B style cue.
Underwrap cue was no problem just had to think outside the box on a couple ops.
Big risk=Big reward :thumbup:
Sure it had a weight bolt....
And a phenolic buzz ring style between the fore and the handle. That was the trickiest part of the whole maneuver getting all 3 pieces to come together straight on the glue up.
That's the way all of mine are. They stand on end in a bucket with a rubber band holding matched pairs together. No hanging, no sealing, no special treatment of any kind, just raw wood at finish size. When I choose a set for a cue I do the joint work, rings, finish, then ferrule/tip & sand/polish.
I have done this a few times without refinish also.
I saw a top manufacturer drill holes under the wrap and insert lead plugs to balance cues out in the 80s. I did it a few times for people back then also. I used fishing ball weights and epoxy putty.
A collet lined with pool felt inside a bearing is how I install weight bolts after the finish is on. That way the chuck is not spinning on the finish as many do. If the tap jams nothing spins on the finish to damage it. For all you metal lathe only cue builders, make use of your three prong steady rest and mount a bearing in it. Your accuracy will increase and it will help solve your issues of working on cues with the finish on it.
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