Can you tell is a pool cue is fairly straight just be sighting down it with one eye?

confused

I'm thoroughly confused. What does it straight mean when it comes to a cylindrical device? Should it not roll flat? How else does one determine "straightness"? I mean, if the taper on the shaft is not consistent wouldn't that effect accuracy assuming a repeatable stroke and change depending on how the cue is "spun" during the stroke? And would not taper differences in the butt effect the tip placement especially with something like a slip stroke????
 
billiardthought said:
What about putting the butt on the table with the forearm resting on the rail and rolling it that way? What exactly is wrong with that?
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THIS^^^ is the best option IMHO
For those without and lathe and for that matter some with :shocked:...

If you know what to look for, sighting from bumper to tip while spinning the cue give you a good idea as well...
 
Ignore list.....................

Again, MAJOR props to the AZ'r who clued me in to this feature. Not seeing any of justin's posts is AWESOME. I just had to look at some of the responses to see that he hasn't changed. I now have 4-5 names on my IL and i love it. I'm sure some may have me on their IL and more power to them. They're probably already on mine. "Ignoring is bliss" is my new motto.
 
I've been rolling cues on pool tables for eons (both together and apart) so you can hang me out to dry now. I also like to sight down cues while slowly turning them. For me these are simply devices to help determine the overall condition of a cue and I have found them to be helpful, although not foolproof.

I dont usually carry a lathe around so you gotta go with what you got. IMO a small wobble isn't necessarily a bad thing, but a larger one is. By the way, Don Willis used to pick out a house cue with a nice curve to it. All his marks went off behind that move. A player like Shane could take a crooked cue and beat almost anyone not world class.
 
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mattp said:
I'm thoroughly confused. What does it straight mean when it comes to a cylindrical device? Should it not roll flat? How else does one determine "straightness"? I mean, if the taper on the shaft is not consistent wouldn't that effect accuracy assuming a repeatable stroke and change depending on how the cue is "spun" during the stroke? And would not taper differences in the butt effect the tip placement especially with something like a slip stroke????
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A cue is not a "cylindrical device". It is a Conic section... sorta. More like an
assemblage of similar but reducing conic sections all strung together.

Dale
 
For sale?

I looked, but didn't see a post in the FS section.
Is it for sale yet? Got a video, got a price?
 
justinb386 said:
I am meeting someone to purchase a cue, but there are no places anywhere around where the person lives, so I am just going to have to try to sight down it, to hopefully be able to tell that it is fairly straight.

I am not sure if it is even possible to tell how straight a cue is by just sighting down it.

Just curious to hear some opinions about what you think about this way of seeing if a cue is straight, if you do not have a pool table to roll it on?

Thanks.
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Per your title, yes.
 
Probably the oddest thing I've seen that I think does work (maybe? I have never tried it) was this guy who plays in a pool hall I frequent who would take a quarter then turn the cue upside down at a angle then at the mid point slide a quarter down it. If the quarter fell off he didn't use the cue.

I have no idea what that was about or why that specifically would show you that a cue is warped, but that's what he did.
 
Hollismason said:
Probably the oddest thing I've seen that I think does work (maybe? I have never tried it) was this guy who plays in a pool hall I frequent who would take a quarter then turn the cue upside down at a angle then at the mid point slide a quarter down it. If the quarter fell off he didn't use the cue.

I have no idea what that was about or why that specifically would show you that a cue is warped, but that's what he did.
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Sounds like a "get the suckers out of their chair" move to me. Years ago i would have gone for that and probably donated some $$.
 
garczar said:
Sounds like a "get the suckers out of their chair" move to me. Years ago i would have gone for that and probably donated some $$.
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He does some other weird things as well. I've seen him more than once lick his thumb then wipe the top of his cue and then shoot.

I think he's just a odd guy.
 
jay helfert said:
... By the way, Don Willis used to pick out a house cue with a nice curve to it. All his marks went off behind that move. ....
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I think all he had to do was let the bend hang down on long shots and he would effectively have a straight cue when he needed one. He would want the bend visible on easy shots, I would guess.
 
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