Something to chew on, a brain teaser if you will, has anybody given thought to factors that cannot be seen? Shaft grading gives nothing but visual indications of quality. It doesn't tell you a thing about how good the wood actually is. Why would we assume that an organic material that's made up of layers, will exhibit a consistent density across each layer? In a shaft with 10 grains, there are 10 individual layers of wood, not unlike flat lam. Let's say they all run perfect straight from end to end. What if the layers on one side are heavier/denser than the other side? What happens when you put centers in the center of the ends? You get an out of balance shaft with inappropriate centers, which will inevitably warp. Without even testing the shaft for balance, you put those centers where you think they should be, or right in the middle because it gives you more meat. That's akin to jumping off a bridge without knowing how deep the water below is. You get lucky at times but other times it's a complete loss.
What if there were a way to test the shaft square or dowel to find it's true center of gravity, and place the center holes accordingly? Would it not only prevent many of the losses due to warp, but also allow otherwise unstable wood to correct itself by equalizing the stress with every cut? Man I bet yields would increase dramatically. Furthermore, not only would it significantly decrease loss, it would place the shaft's spine dead nuts center along its length. Hmmm I wonder how that would affect performance, having a shaft that hit exactly the same regardless of how it's held. So not only will it's stress be confined to the core center, its flex/reflex will be consistent axially. I think I know of a shaft company that attempts this by laminating wood. Too bad they didn't know it could be done much easier with solid wood, which brings up another topic.
When you buy a Ferrari, does the sales rep have to explain to you that it's a very fast, high performance car? Can you not assume that stuff already? Same with cues. If you're spending good money on a cue from a company or maker known for performance, if the cue isn't advertised as LD, why would you assume it deflects too much to play with? Why are makers who use solid wood shafts considered stone age, old school, behind the times? No real concern, just something I seen in passing that made me wonder. Some things to think about.
