Coring to straighten cue?

r9ball

r9ball

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello, I am in IL and have a 98 SW with 6pts, ebony pts and maple forearm. It has gotten a slight warp at top of wrap or above it. Cue has not been abused or left in car,,, when not used it is always stored upright in a Porper type case.
I realize it is mostly impossible for a cuemaker to guarantee against any warping over time.
I noticed my warp probably around 2005. I talked to Laura and repair was going to be very expensive as I believe the forearm was going to be replaced, (then re-wrap, re-finsh which I know is necessary.)
My friend had an almost identical experience with his SW and identical woods. A well known respected cuemaker said he could cut it at the top of wrap and core it to straighten it and you would not be able tell. He also said it would not warp again. My friend does alot of cue sales and sells some of that cuemakers cues, so he got a very cheap price for the work. I saw the end result and was impressed.
I was wondering if this is a standard method of straightening a forearm and if the coring does permanently stop the the warp?
And what kind of price and time frame to have it completed.
Rick
 
Yes this is a repair I have done. I have had it fix the cue 100%. I have had it fix the cue 98%. It was much better then before repair in all cases. But this is a South West a valuable cue. Have them fix it pay the bill and move on. If the other cue maker make the repair it will effect the value of this cue alot.
 
breakin8 said:
Yes this is a repair I have done. I have had it fix the cue 100%. I have had it fix the cue 98%. It was much better then before repair in all cases. But this is a South West a valuable cue. Have them fix it pay the bill and move on. If the other cue maker make the repair it will effect the value of this cue alot.
Click to expand...

+1.

IMHO - it is entirely possible that the cue would warp again.

Dale
 
pdcue said:
+1.

IMHO - it is entirely possible that the cue would warp again.

Dale
Click to expand...
I agree with Dale. To add my own 2 cents on this, a stiff core would likely prevent the cue from warping again, but would not guarantee it. Re-coring the cue would also affect the hit as well as the value.

Alan
 
aphelps1 said:
Re-coring the cue would also affect the hit as well as the value.

Alan
Click to expand...

This is the first thing I thought. Pay all that for a Southwest hit.....then alter it?

Beyond the value......I wouldn't want anybody but Southwest to touch it.
 
r9ball said:
Hello, I am in IL and have a 98 SW with 6pts, ebony pts and maple forearm. It has gotten a slight warp at top of wrap or above it. Cue has not been abused or left in car,,, when not used it is always stored upright in a Porper type case.
I realize it is mostly impossible for a cuemaker to guarantee against any warping over time.
I noticed my warp probably around 2005. I talked to Laura and repair was going to be very expensive as I believe the forearm was going to be replaced, (then re-wrap, re-finsh which I know is necessary.)
My friend had an almost identical experience with his SW and identical woods. A well known respected cuemaker said he could cut it at the top of wrap and core it to straighten it and you would not be able tell. He also said it would not warp again. My friend does alot of cue sales and sells some of that cuemakers cues, so he got a very cheap price for the work. I saw the end result and was impressed.
I was wondering if this is a standard method of straightening a forearm and if the coring does permanently stop the the warp?
And what kind of price and time frame to have it completed.
Rick
Click to expand...

You cannot " unwarp " a bowed forearm.
If the top of the handle has a warp, the handle will be better off replaced.
I doubt if the 6-pointed forearm has a warp at the bottom. I think it's the handle/A-joint area.
A nice straight grain maple handle does not " need " coring imho.
The repair person will need to copy SW's taper for that handle to maintain the hit .
 
Could someone clarify this repair to me? The way I interpreted the original post was as follows:

1. Cue cut at strategic location into two separate pieces
2. One piece is drilled most of its length and a core is inserted into this hole
3. The added core straightens the original piece, which was warped
4. The two pieces are reassembled.

Is that how this repair is done? If so, I don't see how it can possible straighten out a warped cue. Thanks for any clarification.
 
r9ball said:
Hello, I am in IL and have a 98 SW with 6pts, ebony pts and maple forearm. It has gotten a slight warp at top of wrap or above it. Cue has not been abused or left in car,,, when not used it is always stored upright in a Porper type case.
I realize it is mostly impossible for a cuemaker to guarantee against any warping over time.
I noticed my warp probably around 2005. I talked to Laura and repair was going to be very expensive as I believe the forearm was going to be replaced, (then re-wrap, re-finsh which I know is necessary.)
My friend had an almost identical experience with his SW and identical woods. A well known respected cuemaker said he could cut it at the top of wrap and core it to straighten it and you would not be able tell. He also said it would not warp again. My friend does alot of cue sales and sells some of that cuemakers cues, so he got a very cheap price for the work. I saw the end result and was impressed.
I was wondering if this is a standard method of straightening a forearm and if the coring does permanently stop the the warp?
And what kind of price and time frame to have it completed.
Rick
Click to expand...

Rick,

If I were you I would sell the cue and cut my losses. Believe it or not there are a lot of people out there that knowingly buy Southwest cues with warps. I can not tell you why but I have seen it more than a few times. The power of the brand I guess.

Place an ad in the "wanted for sale" section for about 1,200.00 or so and be honest and say slight warp. I think you will be surprised.

Repairing that cue really does not make too much sense as there are a lot of things that can go wrong downstream and when you re taper the cue all the dimensions are going to get smaller.

I don't think anyone would give you a money back guarantee on a cue repair like that after having major surgery. Don't fall into a rabbit hole!:shocked2: I for one would not touch this with a ten foot pole as a repair job.

JMHO,

Rick G
 
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JoeyInCali said:
You cannot " unwarp " a bowed forearm.
If the top of the handle has a warp, the handle will be better off replaced.
I doubt if the 6-pointed forearm has a warp at the bottom. I think it's the handle/A-joint area.
A nice straight grain maple handle does not " need " coring imho.
The repair person will need to copy SW's taper for that handle to maintain the hit .
Click to expand...

I go along with Joey on this. More than likely is an A joint problem, and it could be movement at the A joint itself without noticeable warping. The forearm replacement I don't understand because its unlikely for the forearm to warp at the botton(as joey stated)

Of course when you cut it at the A joint you never know what you'll find but being a Southwest I'd be less concerned.

Anyway, is all speculation without actually seeing the cue. IMO

Mario
 
warped cue

the owner said it was ebony pts. in maple,the ebony has probaly shunk differently from the maple over time,which could require further work,IMO.
 
treed said:
the owner said it was ebony pts. in maple,the ebony has probaly shunk differently from the maple over time,which could require further work,IMO.
Click to expand...

Don't blame the ebony.

Just for fun, take a guess at how many cues with ebony points into
a maple front there are that didn't warp.

There is surely a reason why this cue warped - the woods involved
are probably the least likely cause.

Dale
 
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Unless im missing something how does this fix the warp in the forearm? I understand that if the handle to the forearm could have a plain maple core under the wrap that maybe the maple core moved. Making the forearm to have a wobble right at the top of the wrap then replacing that piece that connects the forearm to the butt could be replaced straightening the cues roll. But if the wood in the forearm has destressed and warped itself then unless u can have a drill bore a hole like a snake at the exact directions as the warp then force a straight core into it to force the wood to the cores shape then i'm missing something.
 
r9ball said:
Hello, I am in IL and have a 98 SW with 6pts, ebony pts and maple forearm. It has gotten a slight warp at top of wrap or above it. Cue has not been abused or left in car,,, when not used it is always stored upright in a Porper type case.
I realize it is mostly impossible for a cuemaker to guarantee against any warping over time.
I noticed my warp probably around 2005. I talked to Laura and repair was going to be very expensive as I believe the forearm was going to be replaced, (then re-wrap, re-finsh which I know is necessary.)
My friend had an almost identical experience with his SW and identical woods. A well known respected cuemaker said he could cut it at the top of wrap and core it to straighten it and you would not be able tell. He also said it would not warp again. My friend does alot of cue sales and sells some of that cuemakers cues, so he got a very cheap price for the work. I saw the end result and was impressed.
I was wondering if this is a standard method of straightening a forearm and if the coring does permanently stop the the warp?
And what kind of price and time frame to have it completed.
Rick
Click to expand...

Sorry for your problem with your SW cue. First and foremost the repair should be directed to SW cues. I also understand at times not always possible for different reasons. Concerning your cue....first should be determined exactly what and/or where the cause for not rolling properly is. Are you positive it is in the forearm or could it be at the A or in the handle behind the A or somewhere else along the cue? It could make a difference in the type of repair needed and the cost of the repair.

If it is for sure in the forearm the only way I can see to correct it would be replace the forearm. Otherwise you will be dealing with changing the dimensions of the forearm to get it back straight.

If it is at the A or in the handle you have some various options to correct what is not straight. This could include...handle replacement, rewrap and if in need of, a refinsh. If the finish is in good shape and the forearm straight, I have seen this type of repair done without refinishing the cue.
Time frame...depends on the workload of the repairing cuemaker but I would think a couple weeks should suffice with an otherwise normal work load happening in the shop.
Cost depends on the work to be done and really could not be estimated properly without holding the cue in hand.

If you do decide to have someone other than SW do the repair make sure they understand the parameters SW uses in their builds otherwise you could end up with something different and a known bastard cue. I know many have a different take on this approach and I hate to see you diminish the value of your cue.

Last but not in the least.....does it really bother you or effect the way you play with the cue? Is the not straight area that far out or just a little bump when checked? If not that bad have a qualified mechanic face the butt and shafts off between centers and continue enjoying the cue as it is.
GL on your decision.
 
No plans to sell it... especially not at a bargain price like $1200.

I will try to check it again to see where the problem is,, maybe I can get pics or video and post a link.

Q - Is there a sure way to tell if it is forearm, A joint or handle without having a lathe?
This closest cuemaker to me is 1.5hrs. I would not let him do anything other than chuck it up to find the problem.
 
More than once I've had a customer bring me a SW that was thought to be warped. More often than not they were purchased online from a higher humidity country. This will often cause the wood to swell a bit in the joint faces. After I cut a small pass making the face true then the cues suddenly roll proper...making the owners very happy. :wink:
 
r9ball said:
No plans to sell it... especially not at a bargain price like $1200.

I will try to check it again to see where the problem is,, maybe I can get pics or video and post a link.

Q - Is there a sure way to tell if it is forearm, A joint or handle without having a lathe?
This closest cuemaker to me is 1.5hrs. I would not let him do anything other than chuck it up to find the problem.
Click to expand...

Use a 12 inch straight edge and put it against the forearm on all the points around it. This may give you a visual of any not so straight areas on the fore.
 
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