Can some one pleas tell my why snooker cues has brass ferrule ?

Newton

Newton

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This is something I have always wondered about since my early days as a pool player (with white ferrule) watching snooker on TV...
I know tradition is a major thin in UK so I guess UK cue builder could be tied to this...
But is there any playability tied to this ? I mean, the sound from the cues is "not very soft" and I guess the cues must be really hard hitters ? How about todays deflection type of discussion where we want less weight in the tip..?

And since I'm on the topic, why is the majority of snooker cues made out of Ash (I believe)? Anyone tried a pool shaft with the same wood ?

Was just trying to get some really old questions answered :D

N
 
I believe they started with brass because it was easy to work with and was very strong in a small size ferrule like 9 or 10 mm.It may also have to do with bullet casings being exactly 9 or 10 mm as well.
 
also the balls are a lot lighter, so if you have a plastic ferrule sometimes you can't feel the hit much
 
Newton said:
This is something I have always wondered about since my early days as a pool player (with white ferrule) watching snooker on TV...
I know tradition is a major thin in UK so I guess UK cue builder could be tied to this...
But is there any playability tied to this ? I mean, the sound from the cues is "not very soft" and I guess the cues must be really hard hitters ? How about todays deflection type of discussion where we want less weight in the tip..?

And since I'm on the topic, why is the majority of snooker cues made out of Ash (I believe)? Anyone tried a pool shaft with the same wood ?

Was just trying to get some really old questions answered :D

N
Click to expand...

I agree with the others about using what was available so that meant brass. I make a fair number of snooker cues and today 99% are using other than brass. My most common material is double black linen.

I have also made a number of 8-ball shafts out of ash. It is a little stiffer than maple and has a nice hit but personally I can't get over the feel of the grain.
 
The strength of brass and the very thin diameter of the ferrule wall is the primary reason brass is a popular snooker ferrule. Ash is supposedly a little stiffer playing than maple, so the small diameter shafts are more sought after in Ash.
 
Thank's all.

I have never played with one of these, but with the amount of popularity Snooker have in UK, we even have those guys on Norwegian telly as well.

Many times it looks like the tip has mushroomed a lot so I guess the practical diameter is larger than the initial brass ferrule.

But brass, I mean why not something lighter then? If the majority is using plastic these day's I would expect the top players are traditional and use brass for these reasons ? I have not seen a player with anything else than brass (on telly) but then I have not been glued to the screen a lot :)

So I guess Ash in a Pool cue shaft would not be worth trying then ?

Chris: Is the snooker cues hollow as the modern laminates or did you mean that the tenon has a really narrow diameter and not wall?


N
 
Not all but alot of snooker cues just have a brass tube on the end of the shaft. So it is not solid brass at the end.The ones I have seen have a 1/32 wall tube. They do this to reduce the shaft from splitting.The tip is glued to the wood and the brass tube.
Neil
 
Newton said:
.
Many times it looks like the tip has mushroomed a lot so I guess the practical diameter is larger than the initial brass ferrule.
Click to expand...

Joey answered your question regarding the brass ferrule. It was use way back then. So it has been a tradition.
I have fitted a brass ferrule on my breaking cue. I think the difference is very minimal.

Regarding the mushroom tip. Some snooker player prefer them and purposely cue to make it mushroom. This is because it will not allow player to put on unintended english on the cue ball. Special skill are needed to make a tip look mushroom and this is done only with a sharp blade.

There are a couple of new snooker cue on the market that are built like predator which has low deflection on c/b (not laminated / radially )

Ash are more prefer in snooker because it hit much more stiffer than maple. There are snooker cues made with maple wood, not many though. Stephen Hendry a 6~7 time World Champion uses a Maple shaft snooker cue.
 
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