Coring

A

Agent17

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I notice a lot of you talk about coring.

What part of an american pool cue butt is cored? Just the middle bit (I don't know the proper term).

Do you core the wood specifically to keep weight down or because you find some of the woods unstable?

How long is the bit you core out? And may I ask what tool/drill or procedure do you use to avoid/minimising overheating or binding?

Thank you.

p.s. By the way, what is the average preferred weight of an american pool cue?
 
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http://www.cuesmith.com/index.php?page=book_video
 
Agent17 said:
I notice a lot of you talk about coring.

What part of an american pool cue butt is cored? Just the middle bit (I don't know the proper term).

Do you core the wood specifically to keep weight down or because you find some of the woods unstable?

How long is the bit you core out? And may I ask what tool/drill or procedure do you use to avoid/minimising overheating or binding?

Thank you.

p.s. By the way, what is the average preferred weight of an american pool cue?
Click to expand...

I normally only core my fore arm and my sleeve unless I'm building a wood handled cue. I core for a number of reasons, add weight, lessen weight, stabilize the different woods and to sometimes change the balance point. You can get gun drills from about 6" to probably 20'. Mine is 16". If the drill is properly aligned to the bed there will be no binding. Heat is controlled by the feed rate and the amount of air you have flowing. When I bore there is very little, if any heat produced. A 1/4" twist drill bit produces much more heat than my 3/4" gun drill.

Dick
 
You can core the forearm (most common) and the handle also. Most butt sleeves are bored out also. The heat is kept to a minimum by using coring drills that are air cooled. The air not only cools the bit and wood, but removes the chips at the same time. Coring is done to adjust the weight either up or down and to add strength or stability. My coring bits are 18 inches over all length and will core up to about 15 inches. The average weight of American pool cues is 19 ounces.
 
Those who practice the coring: Do you all use parallel drills, or are there some variations also with conical borings? What is the advantage of conical cores and how difficult is the conical boring?
 
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I've heard that people like to core with various woods especially cocobolo. But since cocobolo has oils isn't it difficult to have the glue adhere to both surfaces?

Bloodwood is also a heavy wood like Cocobolo that doesn't have oily tendancies.

What other heavy woods make good hitting cores?
 
mrinsatiable said:
I've heard that people like to core with various woods especially cocobolo. But since cocobolo has oils isn't it difficult to have the glue adhere to both surfaces?

Bloodwood is also a heavy wood like Cocobolo that doesn't have oily tendancies.

What other heavy woods make good hitting cores?
Click to expand...

im not a cuemaker but i thought maple and purple heart were the main woods used for coring??
at least when i was reading about amboyna burl forearms that was my impression
 
Thank you very much for everyone's input.

I am much clearer on the whole process, and reasons why now.

One little thing though, is there a simple online diagram/picture pointing out handle, forearm, butt sleeve?

Forgive my ignorance, I am not sure on your terminology. I think I know what you are talking about, but a picture would make everything crystal clear.

I'm not an idiot/newbie/beginner. In fact, I am more than capable of making cues, but I am just not familiar with your terms, or the little features/details specific to the usa pool market.

So please bear with me in these early stages while I get a few things clear in my head. I just need a few quick 'lessons' then I will not bother you again with tiresome threads/questions.

Murray, your avatar is class, although a little frustrating... :D
 
GBCues said:
Here's your diagram:

http://www.prathercue.com/cue_diagram/cue_diagram.html

Gary
Click to expand...

Thanks, very informative. But I'm afraid it's confused me on a couple of issues... :sorry:

The bit I thought was the forearm looks like it's labelled as 'prong'? Or is prong the word for your splices?

Also, the 'handle' is the part where the linen wrap goes? In the diagram it appears to run from the base of the cue, inside a butt piece/sleeve at the bottom, and then screws into the forearm?

So, that 'handle' piece would run the entire length of the cue butt, if both forearm and butt piece were cored?

I have actually been trying to find other information and basic diagrams, and to confuse issues further, I found the link below where they are selling forearms. And fronts. What the hell is a front? :confused: :embarrassed2::grin-square:

http://www.cuecomponents.com/customforearms.html
 
A forearm, front, and a prong all refer to the same part of the cue. That would be from the A joint to the pin. The handle section I would consider the remainer of the cue from the A joint back and including the butt sleeve and butt cap. Although the butt sleeve and butt cap are separate entities, I would still consider them part of the handle as a whole. The main handle wood is generally cored with enough tenon to go into the forearm and enough tenon for the butt sleeve and butt cap to slide up on. Construction technique will vary from builder to builder.

Alan
 
aphelps1 said:
A forearm, front, and a prong all refer to the same part of the cue. That would be from the A joint to the pin. The handle section I would consider the remainer of the cue from the A joint back and including the butt sleeve and butt cap. Although the butt sleeve and butt cap are separate entities, I would still consider them part of the handle as a whole. The main handle wood is generally cored with enough tenon to go into the forearm and enough tenon for the butt sleeve and butt cap to slide up on. Construction technique will vary from builder to builder.

Alan
Click to expand...

Ahhh...so a prong IS a forearm (or a front).

Jeez! Listing 'fronts' and 'forearms' on a shop page sure does seem unnecessarily confusing. I thought they had to be different somehow :(

Anyway, that's all clear now, thank you for that.

But unfortunately, you just reminded me of that other term I keep seeing, and not knowing what everyone is talking about - A joint.

I could not see that on the diagram GBCues kindly pointed me towards.

So, from what you said, I assume the A joint is just the term for the part where the handle screws (or just slide fits with a tenon) into the forearm? Why it is called an A joint? Is the butt piece joint called a B joint?

Sorry folks, I'm nearly there with these boring questions :sorry:
 
Yes the A joint is where the handle and forearm are screwed together. I have no idea why it is referred to as the A joint. Maybe someone else can add to that.

Alan
 
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