Can I use it to shoot squirrels??
Automatic pool cue thoughts
- Thread starter Soberlife
- Start date
Yes you can! Simply grind the tip into bird food and lie in wait.
Anytime dude.Appreciate the tip!!
SlateMan
Registered
Okay, I just typed up a convoluted explanation and had ChatGPT clean it up! Here is my explanation with a bit of physics curtusey of "The Chat"
The advantage of the hollow aluminum cue was that I could place the added weight exactly where I wanted it. A conventional wooden cue normally uses a weight bolt in the butt, so the additional mass is concentrated near the end of the cue. That can make the cue feel noticeably butt-heavy.
My aluminum cue weighed approximately 14 to 16 ounces before modification. I removed the butt cap and filled the hollow cavity with sand until the fill reached just short of my normal grip position. I then added a beeswax barrier, approximately four inches of steel BBs, and another beeswax barrier to lock everything in place.
This positioned the cue’s center of mass almost directly beneath my grip hand. When I held the cue horizontally, gravity acted through the point where I was supporting it. Because there was almost no distance between my hand and the center of mass, there was very little rotational force—or torque—pulling either end downward. Consequently, the cue felt unusually light and perfectly balanced.
When I held it vertically, however, the illusion disappeared. My hand then supported the cue’s entire downward weight directly, making it feel extremely heavy—like Thor’s hammer to the unworthy.
The cue did not actually weigh less horizontally. What changed was its leverage and the amount of torque imposed on my wrist. Concentrating the mass near my hand also reduced the cue’s rotational inertia around my grip, making it easier to control and accelerate without feeling butt-heavy.
The short physics version is:
Torque=Weight×distance from grip to center of mass\text{Torque}=\text{Weight}\times\text{distance from grip to center of mass}
Because you made that distance nearly zero, the cue produced almost no twisting force when horizontal. That—not aluminum by itself—was the secret behind how light it felt. (Please ignore the weird wrist position in the bottom left...)
Paul Bell
Well-known member
Very interesting. Some here would disagree.
I presume you are familiar with McDermott's H-series cues with the butt that allows weights to be placed anywhere along the length of the butt --- like you did.
I have wondered what initial weight to buy in an H-series cue if you are used to an 18-ounce cue. It would seem that an 18-ounce H-series cue may weigh 17 ounces without weights making it impossible to add more than an ounce to it. Your comments suggest, however, that even if you like a lighter cue, a heavier cue may be okay if you have the ability to place weights anywhere along butt length.
I presume you are familiar with McDermott's H-series cues with the butt that allows weights to be placed anywhere along the length of the butt --- like you did.
I have wondered what initial weight to buy in an H-series cue if you are used to an 18-ounce cue. It would seem that an 18-ounce H-series cue may weigh 17 ounces without weights making it impossible to add more than an ounce to it. Your comments suggest, however, that even if you like a lighter cue, a heavier cue may be okay if you have the ability to place weights anywhere along butt length.