Cue & Shaft Construction - Do You Care?
- Thread starter Fore Rail
- Start date
I'm talking full splice vs half splice. If some sort of steel assembly pin is used to connect the forearm to the handle etc. If the cue is made to accept a weight bolt / set screw or not.
Does one have to use a old school maple shaft, not something that is glued together. How bout that carbon fiber? Does a player mind that hunk of metal that sits inside a Revo?
That sort of thing.
Does one have to use a old school maple shaft, not something that is glued together. How bout that carbon fiber? Does a player mind that hunk of metal that sits inside a Revo?
That sort of thing.
Paul_#_
Well-known member
Here is something glued together. McDermott argues that gluing makes the shaft the "most radial consistent wooden shafts we've ever made". Its certainly a problem cue makers have---getting uniform wood. McDermott claims it found a solution.
Shaft Comparison
Compare our high-performance Defy, i-Pro, i-Shaft and G-Core shafts. Learn why they're the best shafts on the market.
www.mcdermottcue.com
The i-Pro and i-Pro Slim take your game to a whole new level with unparalleled performance and consistency. Their Octadic Laminated Construction, combined with a Triple-Layer Carbon Fiber Core, makes the i-Pro and i-Pro Slim the most radial consistent wooden shafts we've ever made. This unique design also maximizes energy transfer, allowing you to generate a higher spin rate while hitting closer to center cue ball
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Nope. I just like my cues to be pretty.
As someone who has created LD shafts in the past, I find the inner workings of different shafts & cues to be interesting.
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Some people - like me - have a passion about almost every aspect of the game. For me this includes cue collecting and cue building appreciation. So , yes , I am keenly interested in every aspect of how a master cue maker combines all of their skills to create a playing masterpiece that looks great too!
I feel fortunate to be able to extract joy and satisfaction from so many aspects of this game - from great play to cues to cases to tables etc. etc.
I have many other enjoyments / hobbies - billiards probably has the most opportunities to expand one’s interests across so many related areas- again- players, tables, cases, cues, stories, history, etc.
I feel fortunate to be able to extract joy and satisfaction from so many aspects of this game - from great play to cues to cases to tables etc. etc.
I have many other enjoyments / hobbies - billiards probably has the most opportunities to expand one’s interests across so many related areas- again- players, tables, cases, cues, stories, history, etc.
Paul_#_
Well-known member
This must be the most pieces of wood in any cue shaft --- 64--- the Jacoby Edge Hybrid shaft. Like McDermott, Jacoby argues this is a better shaft because of the glued pieces. See https://www.billiardwarehouse.com/cueobsessions/jacoby/jacoby_hybrid-edge-cueshaft.htm
Construction ___ Sixty-four precisely machined individual veneers compose the shaft. The veneers are stacked on edge, 90 degrees to the centerline.
Balanced Construction ___ The spliced laminated construction yields unprecedented symmetry and balance found in no other shaft, providing maximum stability and radial consistency in play.
Consistency ___ Because of the construction of the shaft, the individual characteristics of the veneers average themselves out. This yields a shaft that is more consistent than any other shaft in the way the shaft will react on each shot, along with the weight and playability of one shaft to another.
Balanced Construction ___ The spliced laminated construction yields unprecedented symmetry and balance found in no other shaft, providing maximum stability and radial consistency in play.
Consistency ___ Because of the construction of the shaft, the individual characteristics of the veneers average themselves out. This yields a shaft that is more consistent than any other shaft in the way the shaft will react on each shot, along with the weight and playability of one shaft to another.
Since I make and repair cues for a living, the details matter a lot and after doing this for years I have personal opinions on what the right/preferred method of a certain detail of construction. I don't think that these things absolutely is immediately obvious to a casual player, but some construction methods and certain glues and finishes are more durable than others and I'm always thinking: how does the cue look 5 or 10 years from now.
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Biloxi Boy
Man With A Golden Arm
Is beauty simply skin deep? For me, everything counts. Folks who possess certain physical attributes (see, for example, 'Sexy' Images of All Kinds, over in NPR) may do something for me, but I usually find myself wanting more -- a good intellect and a set of biceps cannot be ignored. Same way with pool cues. Its not just what you start with but what you do with it.
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I did not know that my plain maple shaft was “inconsistent” - funny- all these years I blamed just myself when I missed- I guess thatI should join the “no responsibility” generation
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
I barely even care if it's straight. The more I think about these things, the worse my game gets. The less I think about these things, the more sweet hits I'm a part of.
Nope
I never understood those shafts. It seems like a carbon fiber shaft with wood wrapped around it. If you want to make an LD shaft, that would not be the way to go. Carbon fiber is denser than wood, so a plain wood shaft without the carbon core could be made more LD. Similarly, a carbon fiber shaft without the outer wood wrapping could be made more LD. Okay, so they don't say the shaft is LD, rather they say:Here is something glued together. McDermott argues that gluing makes the shaft the "most radial consistent wooden shafts we've ever made". Its certainly a problem cue makers have---getting uniform wood. McDermott claims it found a solution.
Shaft Comparison
Compare our high-performance Defy, i-Pro, i-Shaft and G-Core shafts. Learn why they're the best shafts on the market.
The i-Pro and i-Pro Slim take your game to a whole new level with unparalleled performance and consistency. Their Octadic Laminated Construction, combined with a Triple-Layer Carbon Fiber Core, makes the i-Pro and i-Pro Slim the most radial consistent wooden shafts we've ever made. This unique design also maximizes energy transfer, allowing you to generate a higher spin rate while hitting closer to center cue ball
View attachment 797460 View attachment 797459 View attachment 797462
Hmmm....two shafts with identical tips hit the CB the same distance from the center with the same force, and one shaft results in a higher spin rate? Nope. Oh, so they are saying that with their shaft, you can swing your cue easier to get the same force? Doubtful, and how much easier you would be able to swing the cue would probably be negligible. Plus, if you've been paying attention, we all know that Mike Lambros's new joint imparts the most power and spin.
I find cue and shaft construction very interesting and the ingenuity seems endless. The marketing...not so much.
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Yes, not how they are constructed, but on how they tolerate their use and whether they last a long time.
Any butt or shaft that feels good and last a long time is at the point I don't care how it was construction, just that is was thusly.
One of THE best cues i ever had was a sub-$40 pos early Cuetec. Butt was covered in 'whiskey dents' and the shaft had that funky glass coating. I left in my car 24-7/365 and it never warped. Was made by someone making 'maybe' $2/hr and it was built like a tank. Made more $$ with that pos than any custom pretty cue.
The Old Jaybird
Well-known member
yup, same for me, I don't care how good I play, if I look good doing it, all show and no go for me!!
Yes. I like my maple from the Sahara