How does microsopic rips in cellular fibers effect the play of the shaft, not sure if you have theorized about that or have any thoughts?
Is it possible to straighten a warped cue shaft?
- Thread starter jviss
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How does microsopic rips in cellular fibers effect the play of the shaft, not sure if you have theorized about that or have any thoughts?
I honestly don't know if bending a shaft excessively will hurt the play, but I've seen break cues take a tremendous amount of abuse, often pushing against the cloth and bending. Over time they look OK but you can actually take the shaft and bend it into different positions and they stay that way! They lose their resiliency and rebound power.
I mean I don't know for sure but I've had shafts that I thought were duds and wondered what was going on with them. Instead of giving you a solid hit and good vibration they went "thud" and felt like a wet noodle.
Thanks for the replies in this thread, enjoyed them.
I'll never forget this: Sigel breaking and after each break, having to bend his cue back into position. Geeze! In fact, you can see from the pic there is a very unnatural bend in the wood. It's literally flat on the table before bending upward. No resiliency left in that shaft at all.
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Unless you are into "looks", don't bother buying anything but the Naked model. The only difference is that the "pretty" one has "artificial" points (paint or something). They are all the same Naked cue underneath.
Damn!
You are going to be stylin' now!
There are cues out there, somewhere of some type, that maybe play as good as a Becue, but I don't think you will find many that play "better". You'd have to get extremely lucky to run across one. With the Becue, you get one right of the box, every time.
Once again, if you decide to stay with the 5.1 shafts, I have a 31" white one that has your name on it.
I'm interested in a black Prime to go along with my two white Primes. I like the feel of the 5.1 because of its stiffness, but I prefer the taper of the Prime because of my closed bridge.
I'd like to try a 12.5mm Prime, both of mine are 12mm.
FWIW, for anybody out there who doesn't have a Becue, I think think the white shafts are WAY better to sight down than the black ones (of any brand). I don't think they make the white ones anymore, but the difference between the white and black shafts in sighting is night and day.
Looking down the white shaft is like looking down a laser.
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Damn!
You are going to be stylin' now!
There are cues out there, somewhere of some type, that maybe play as good as a Becue, but I don't think you will find many that play "better". You'd have to get extremely lucky to run across one. With the Becue, you get one right of the box, every time.
Once again, if you decide to stay with the 5.1 shafts, I have a 31" white one that has your name on it.
I like the feel of the 5.1 because of its stiffness, but I prefer the taper of the Prime because of my closed bridge.
I'd like to try a 12.5mm Prime, both of mine are 12mm.
I'm doing it man. Let's PM. I'll ship it Monday, if you like it, send me the white one. if you don't just send it back. Deal?
Chris
maple and ash
What happens at the cellular level has been a matter of curiosity for me for a long time. Maple baseball bats as far as I know never go dead. Ash bats are only good for one or two seasons before they break down when talking about those used by pro's.
A baseball bat bends far more than I ever realized when I see slow-mo or stop frame images. Probably as much as a break cue forced into the table.
Do cue shafts break down over time? Do we like the hit of a fresh shaft or one with cell wall damage? Seems like some room for exploration but we will probably never know if carbon fiber takes over the sport.
Hu
What happens at the cellular level has been a matter of curiosity for me for a long time. Maple baseball bats as far as I know never go dead. Ash bats are only good for one or two seasons before they break down when talking about those used by pro's.
A baseball bat bends far more than I ever realized when I see slow-mo or stop frame images. Probably as much as a break cue forced into the table.
Do cue shafts break down over time? Do we like the hit of a fresh shaft or one with cell wall damage? Seems like some room for exploration but we will probably never know if carbon fiber takes over the sport.
Hu
Hu,
When I was buying Predator shafts, the early 314 was hollow and pretty thin walled. I had to replace them every few years because the hit suffered. I am pretty sure it was the damage to the thin walls causing the shaft to weaken. The Tiger shafts didn't do it. Instead of hollow, they were laminated around a core and at the end they used a very light wood, if I recall balsa. They did not break down over time like a Predator. Pretty sure it wasn't my imagination.
Chris
This is the best advice ever given on the subject. Period.
I doubt it was too
Chris,
I doubt it was your imagination. Some are more sensitive to such things than others. Thanks for the response, confirms my suspicion that shafts, particularly some of these whiz bang shafts, can have cell wall damage. I was talking to one of the better snooker players across the pond by messaging a month or two ago but didn't think to ask him about his ash shafts.
Just the kind of thing I am curious about. Thank You again,
Hu
Chris,
I doubt it was your imagination. Some are more sensitive to such things than others. Thanks for the response, confirms my suspicion that shafts, particularly some of these whiz bang shafts, can have cell wall damage. I was talking to one of the better snooker players across the pond by messaging a month or two ago but didn't think to ask him about his ash shafts.
Just the kind of thing I am curious about. Thank You again,
Hu
I think shafts "break down" over time...wood shafts, that is.
Some more so than others. I think it depends upon the density and "quality" of the wood and how it is cut and treated.
I think the constant "bending" of the cue, during play, causes the fibers to break down and become more "flexy" in the area of the cue where it flexes the most.
I have some old shafts (30-40 years) that play almost as good as they did when I first had them made. They tend to be on the "thicker" side. I used to have all my shafts made at 14mm and I've hit thousands and thousands of balls with them and used them for breaking, too.
FWIW, it may be the way I always "baby" my equipment and keep things properly stored, but none of my shafts have ever really warped.
Most of my stuff is in mint condition, or close to it.
I think cues get gentle treatment compared to bats...bats get pressure like golf clubs.
I also suspect that shafts get tougher with age.
Allen Gilbert, the American 3-cushion champion from years ago, told me in the early 90s,
that he would retire a shaft when it got too strong....
...I assumed that was the result of losing more moisture.
And if I had a shaft that didn’t want to stay straight, I got rid of it.
justy fyi, i had a bad week and i am 2 bottles of jameson in with some good friends, so my advice is just throw away the warped cue and buy the shaft you want. you only live once so enjoy it.
Wow. This is kind of hard to process. How does one go from having such an apparently deep interest in and appreciation of the artistry associated with wood cues to being “completely over wood” and jazzed about the look of these graphics on carbon fiber? I can understand losing interest in a hobby or collecting, but to gain interest in the antithesis of what had previously been coveted and treasured ... Not criticizing. Just can’t process it.
You're quite right Seth, my hypocrisy is truly unbounded. I would like to explain, I have two distinct modes, collecting and playing. I still have a love of the artistic achievements of cue making and a deep appreciation for the craftsmanship involved in cue making. I love the history and admire the genius of the greats.
But I have ejected the wood and I am shooting with a piece of plastic from now on. It's synthetic for me all the way, baby! My cue is stricktly techno . I will be that guy playing with a graphics wrapped carbon fiber cue with those Italian shoes and Filler-like smirk. My mind is free from worry about warp, dings, sweat, and chalk stains.
I....am....free.
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Okay, phew, now I understand. All is well in the world (of pool cue addicts). Thanks for the explanation. Seth
Diveney did
About 5 years or so ago Pat Diveney cut me a heck of a deal on a Lake Salvage shaft that he said he would not be able to sell because of the imperfect looking color in one place.
So he made it into a 30" break shaft for my Ebony break cue he was making for me. About a year later it looked a bit crooked to me, not much though. Pat said to send it back and he would straighten it or send me another one.
A month or so later I got it back straight as could be and it still rolls and looks straight. Pat said he has thought about making a video on how to straighten shafts, but is to busy. Next time I get back to my birth place in Iowa I will try to stop by his shop and see if he has time to give me a demo.
Personally, it worked for me so far, but I can also see where it may not always work. Wood just has a mind of it's own some times.
I also believe based on what I have learned about Lake Salvage wood, submerged, etc. The time spent submerged n cold water changes the impurities in the woods molecule's. Don't ask me to explain it. LOL
About 5 years or so ago Pat Diveney cut me a heck of a deal on a Lake Salvage shaft that he said he would not be able to sell because of the imperfect looking color in one place.
So he made it into a 30" break shaft for my Ebony break cue he was making for me. About a year later it looked a bit crooked to me, not much though. Pat said to send it back and he would straighten it or send me another one.
A month or so later I got it back straight as could be and it still rolls and looks straight. Pat said he has thought about making a video on how to straighten shafts, but is to busy. Next time I get back to my birth place in Iowa I will try to stop by his shop and see if he has time to give me a demo.
Personally, it worked for me so far, but I can also see where it may not always work. Wood just has a mind of it's own some times.
I also believe based on what I have learned about Lake Salvage wood, submerged, etc. The time spent submerged n cold water changes the impurities in the woods molecule's. Don't ask me to explain it. LOL