What's the best way to store your cased cues... vertical or horizontal?
I have heard from 'experts' who are at odds with each others excellence.
Thanks.
I have heard from 'experts' who are at odds with each others excellence.
Thanks.
Best way to store your cased cues... vertical or horizontal?
- Thread starter Balabushka
- Start date
I recently discovered a couple of shafts I had stored in a 12x24 rolling dealer case had warped approximately 12 to 15 inches from the tip. I had 24 shafts stored tip down and vertical. Of course my old growth (expensive) shafts developed the warp and my crappier (cheaper) shafts and break shafts stayed straight as damn arrow. Go figure. I would really like to know how to keep shafts from warping. 
this was our discussion before: http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=76952&highlight=storing+cues
Apart from humidity, extreme temperatures, & the very nature of the wood as a non-stable material that contribute to warping, gravity can also cause the cue to warp.
TO sum things up, in a vertical position, the entire cue is being pulled by gravity in only one direction. If it's in a horizontal position, the entire length of the cue is being pulled at different rates (just see what happens to the telephone/electric lines between poles). More so the mass of the cue is not evenly distributed due to its tapered construction.
IMO, it's still better to store your cues vertically inside the case if you're gonna store it for a LONG time. HOWEVER, it's a good practice to move your cues from time to time so that the wood fibers are not STRESSED (imagine yourself standing up on both feet or putting more weight on the other foot for a long time, you'll feel the stress in a few minutes unlike when you move from time to time, you'll be able to stand longer). Again, just MOVE the cues, I'm not saying that you have to rattle them inside.
Another reason for moving the cue(s) is that the case is not really standing perfectly vertical unlike when the cues are hanging like a pendulum...
I guess one of the reasons why RIP's cues warped inside his dealer case is that there's more STRESS to the shafts' tip area coming from joint as there's more mass present there... just like an inverted pyramid or standing on your hands. There'll even be more pressure to the tip area if the case's interior doesn't have a snug fit feature (like that of memory foams). If the tube has a snug fit on the shaft, especially shaft is stored tip down, then it's almost like hanging the cue as the opening is hugging the thick joint area resulting to less, or none at all, to the thinner tip area.
Of course it takes TIME for gravity to really act on your cue. If you use your cues often like several times a week, then I guess it doesn't really matter much if you cues are stored horizontally or vertically.
Apart from humidity, extreme temperatures, & the very nature of the wood as a non-stable material that contribute to warping, gravity can also cause the cue to warp.
TO sum things up, in a vertical position, the entire cue is being pulled by gravity in only one direction. If it's in a horizontal position, the entire length of the cue is being pulled at different rates (just see what happens to the telephone/electric lines between poles). More so the mass of the cue is not evenly distributed due to its tapered construction.
IMO, it's still better to store your cues vertically inside the case if you're gonna store it for a LONG time. HOWEVER, it's a good practice to move your cues from time to time so that the wood fibers are not STRESSED (imagine yourself standing up on both feet or putting more weight on the other foot for a long time, you'll feel the stress in a few minutes unlike when you move from time to time, you'll be able to stand longer). Again, just MOVE the cues, I'm not saying that you have to rattle them inside.
Another reason for moving the cue(s) is that the case is not really standing perfectly vertical unlike when the cues are hanging like a pendulum... I guess one of the reasons why RIP's cues warped inside his dealer case is that there's more STRESS to the shafts' tip area coming from joint as there's more mass present there... just like an inverted pyramid or standing on your hands. There'll even be more pressure to the tip area if the case's interior doesn't have a snug fit feature (like that of memory foams). If the tube has a snug fit on the shaft, especially shaft is stored tip down, then it's almost like hanging the cue as the opening is hugging the thick joint area resulting to less, or none at all, to the thinner tip area.
Of course it takes TIME for gravity to really act on your cue. If you use your cues often like several times a week, then I guess it doesn't really matter much if you cues are stored horizontally or vertically.
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I store my cues and shafts joint and tip up. I use a case that allows this arrangement.
Interesting thread.
I put my shaft in tip down and lean the case at an angle against a wall. I have never had a shaft warp unless it was within the first month of owning the shaft.....(which has only happened once)
My guess is that the best possible way to store a shaft long term would be to do what cue makers do....Hang the shaft from the ceiling....(or have various pins in the ceiling that you can screw the shaft onto)
My guess is that the best possible way to store a shaft long term would be to do what cue makers do....Hang the shaft from the ceiling....(or have various pins in the ceiling that you can screw the shaft onto)
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I lay my sticks and cases flat. Seems to work fine. Although, most rooms have stick racks that keep them vertical, but those often aren't the starightest sticks. Go with flat or as you say, horizontal.
All my cue butts are place pin up. For shafts, it all depends on the case. If it's loose, it's joint down. If it's tight (Talisman) it is tip down. I prefer the Talisman case way, as the shaft is actually hanging and not the tip of the cue holding all the weight. I bring out all my cues every week and play with them.
Desiccants are a case best friend. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desiccant
(Edited to add more info.)
Desiccants are a case best friend. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desiccant
(Edited to add more info.)
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Wow, great info from all, (opposing views, but great!).
I am intrigued by the "hanging from the ceiling" deal.
My wife would LOVE that. I could tell her snooty freinds that it's "modern art".
Seriously what has confused me more is the joint up oir joint down, butt up or down opinions. Looks like I am gonna wing it. The Dessicants I suppose are the little bags of poison stuff that eats moisture, yes?
I'll have to try that too. Thanks all.,
I am intrigued by the "hanging from the ceiling" deal.
My wife would LOVE that. I could tell her snooty freinds that it's "modern art".
Seriously what has confused me more is the joint up oir joint down, butt up or down opinions. Looks like I am gonna wing it. The Dessicants I suppose are the little bags of poison stuff that eats moisture, yes?
I'll have to try that too. Thanks all.,
I am about to get a custom on the expensive side with old growth shafts and although until this very day I always took great care this time I'd like to be even more careful.
It may sound crazy but reading the first post made me think hanging would be a good idea - and later I read more suggestions about it. I reckon that it would be a good idea to hang the shafts until I acquire a memory foam filled case. Besides, I like to keep not only the cues but the case itself in an environment that is rather settle in terms of temperature and humidity.
I just sold my Predator-Longoni LE case and it held the cues at two points, below the joint and below the tip. I kept the case laying mostly but nothing bad happened to the shafts in it.
I assume reading the shaft wax/sealent thread would be worth it too as that might help keeping the shafts in a more 'secure' condition - I'll go and read that now.
It may sound crazy but reading the first post made me think hanging would be a good idea - and later I read more suggestions about it. I reckon that it would be a good idea to hang the shafts until I acquire a memory foam filled case. Besides, I like to keep not only the cues but the case itself in an environment that is rather settle in terms of temperature and humidity.
I just sold my Predator-Longoni LE case and it held the cues at two points, below the joint and below the tip. I kept the case laying mostly but nothing bad happened to the shafts in it.
I assume reading the shaft wax/sealent thread would be worth it too as that might help keeping the shafts in a more 'secure' condition - I'll go and read that now.
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I lean my sticks against a cue holder. I've never had a problem with warpage.
I talked to Pete Tascarella recently and he really advises vertical. He said horizontal is a no no especially for old cues. A closed display case is great if you want to show them off, but any thing will work as long as hot air or cold air does not blow directly on them.
His opinion carries wieght with me.
His opinion carries wieght with me.
Cue storage...
I have had a good number of cues over the last 25+ years. I have always stored them in a case, standing vertically. When I had cases that would not stand vertically on their own, they would be placed in such a way that they were standing straight up and down, right next to a wall. Been using cases that can stand straight up and down on their own for almost twenty years now. I keep them in the most central closet in the house where the temperature and humidity are the most stable. Have not had a problem with warping at all, not even on some of the Asian import shafts.
I have had a good number of cues over the last 25+ years. I have always stored them in a case, standing vertically. When I had cases that would not stand vertically on their own, they would be placed in such a way that they were standing straight up and down, right next to a wall. Been using cases that can stand straight up and down on their own for almost twenty years now. I keep them in the most central closet in the house where the temperature and humidity are the most stable. Have not had a problem with warping at all, not even on some of the Asian import shafts.
Just a bump for an old thread.. I have 2 cases, a 2X4 Instroke foam case that seems to have a pretty tight fit (stores shafts tip down and butts joint down), and a 1X2 It's George.
Which of these cases would be better to store an expensive cue in long term vertically against a wall?
Also, does it help to keep the cue straight if it is taken out and used (moved) a few times a month?
Which of these cases would be better to store an expensive cue in long term vertically against a wall?
Also, does it help to keep the cue straight if it is taken out and used (moved) a few times a month?
I'm not so sure.........I've done both ways and have not had an issue. I keep one of my cues in an old coffin style Huebler case stored horizontally. I can't see how a cue can stand vertical in a case without leaning a little to one side, even if the case were perfectly straight up and down. The mere fact that you can slide the cue in and out of the case would mean that there is enough play for the cue to lean over ever so slightly inside the case. Therefore gravity would not be pulling straight down on the cue. I agree heat, cold, humidity are the bigger factors.