I just recently bought three new cues just to see which one I would like best. I bought them on recomendations from this forum. I asked everyone what cue was the best bang for the buck. I ended up buying a Dufferin, a Lucasi, and a Joss. The first two were about $100 each and the Joss was around $200. These were no frill entry cues. The only concern I had was that they were straight. I would not buy a cue that in my opinion wasn't straight, especially a new one. I tested them by rolling them three separate ways on a flat counter top where I could look under them at eye level. 1.) just the butt, 2.) just the shaft, and 3.) joined together (to test the joint). All the butts and joints were fine. The Dufferin had no noticable wobble. The Lucasi shaft was slightly bent but acceptable. The Joss shaft was noticably bent and the dealer replaced it for a good one. Technically, Mr. R Keech is right. Nothing is perfectly straight. It's what ever you're willing to accept as reasonably straight. I just think he worded it poorly. I'll accept probably a 1/16" of space under a cue when I roll it. Because the cue is made out of wood, it will move as it ages, some more or less. My McDermott that I've had for 30 or so years is still straight as an arrow. I hope these new cues fare as well, but I have no control over mother nature. I just try to store them properly (verticaly in a dry area) and hope for the best.
Cue Wobble?
- Thread starter VonRhett
- Start date
drivermaker said:
Thank you, Driver. I never used the word "perfect". I simply asked if the cue was straight, a question that I see dozens of times every day on Fleabay, and is certainly a condition of the cue that is an important factor when deciding whether to buy. And your response was the exact same as mine.
macguy said:
Offense taken. With EVERY cue I have EVER bought/sold, one of us asked whether the friggin thing was straight. And I'm willing to bet you've asked the exact same question. I never asked if it was "perfect", just trying to evaluate the cue. Is it straight, Y/N? "No, it has a slight wobble" would've been a typical response. We all understand that :straight" is a term normally used to describe a cue with no noticeable (naked eye) roll when rolled across the table. And where do you get off on saying that I was the smart ass? I simply said, "No, they dont, but I'll pass". That makes ME a potential problem? jeez. Get over yourself.
Well, it's obvious that most people agree - there's a BIG difference between "no cue is perfect" and "every cue has a wobble".
Go look at the cue listings in this forum - see any mention of "straight". Of course you do. That's all I was asking. Straight within the normally accepted tolerances of a players cue, not one that goes "flop, flop" across the table.
If that makes me a problem is your eyes, then let's make sure that we never get into a transaction. It's real simple.
So, what is the best way to see if the butt alone is straight without using a lathe?
Is it true that during the kilning process, the shafts have to be subjected to a high humidity treatment at the end so it will not warp as easily?
Is it true that Tad shaft never warp?
Thank you.
Richard
Is it true that during the kilning process, the shafts have to be subjected to a high humidity treatment at the end so it will not warp as easily?
Is it true that Tad shaft never warp?
Thank you.
Richard
I bought a cue from a very reputable cuemaker. One shaft was straight and the other had a wobble. It was so bad that the cue would flop over when laid on the table. I sent the shaft back for replacement. If one shaft was straight than I knew that he could and was capable of making straight shafts. The wobble may not have had much effect on playing but I paid a premium for a good shaft and I know that it would also affect the resale or value. Place two cues next to each other for sale. One has a wobble and the other doesn't. Which one will sell or which one would you buy?
Wobbles ??
I have over a dozen cues. Only 1 shaft has a "visible" wobble - Flipino cue (1 of 2 shafts).
3 of my cues are old McDermotts. I've laid them on my table and stared very intently as I rolled them. None have a visible wobble.
I'm sure all my cues have measureable faults as you get down to the thousands, but there's a big difference between straight and wobble.
I have over a dozen cues. Only 1 shaft has a "visible" wobble - Flipino cue (1 of 2 shafts).
3 of my cues are old McDermotts. I've laid them on my table and stared very intently as I rolled them. None have a visible wobble.
I'm sure all my cues have measureable faults as you get down to the thousands, but there's a big difference between straight and wobble.
I missed this thread the first time around, but it makes me think of a funny story....
Before I caught the custom cue bug, I used to shoot with a really, really old Meucci that had lost it's original shaft long before I got it. I picked up a 314 shaft for it and had used it with this setup for 4 or 5 years when I decided to get a new custom cue.
I was keeping the Meucci, since it was my first cue and I had used it for about 12 years, but I decided to sell the 314 shaft on eBay, figuring I could recoup a few bucks. I ran the auction, but didn't go into a lot of detail (how much info do you need on a used 314 shaft).
Someone emailed me and wanted to know if it was straight. It never really occured to me to check it....I had been playing with it for 4 or 5 years and never had any problems, but I told him I would.
I'm sure you have figured where this is going by now, but let me tell you I was literally shocked at the amount of warpage the shaft had developed over the years. When I rolled it on the table, the middle of the shaft had almost a half inch of variation!
I couldn't believe it. I was shooting with this shaft two weeks earlier and had no idea. I guess the warpage occured so gradually that I subconsiously learned to compensate for it without even realizing it. I have always "spun" the cue as I line up shots...kind of like a preshot ritual, I guess...and I had apparantly learned to line it up certain ways for certain shots, although I didn't do it to intentionally compensate for the warpage.
It definitely didn't have a detrimental effect on my game. Over the period I used that shaft my game improved gradually--about what I would expect given the relatively small amount of time invested.
Needless to say, I pulled the auction and actually still have the shaft somewhere.
As a result, I don't put too much weight in "straight." Mind you, I don't want a boomerang in my case, but a tiny degree of wobble is nothing to go crazy over.
~Chris
Before I caught the custom cue bug, I used to shoot with a really, really old Meucci that had lost it's original shaft long before I got it. I picked up a 314 shaft for it and had used it with this setup for 4 or 5 years when I decided to get a new custom cue.
I was keeping the Meucci, since it was my first cue and I had used it for about 12 years, but I decided to sell the 314 shaft on eBay, figuring I could recoup a few bucks. I ran the auction, but didn't go into a lot of detail (how much info do you need on a used 314 shaft).
Someone emailed me and wanted to know if it was straight. It never really occured to me to check it....I had been playing with it for 4 or 5 years and never had any problems, but I told him I would.
I'm sure you have figured where this is going by now, but let me tell you I was literally shocked at the amount of warpage the shaft had developed over the years. When I rolled it on the table, the middle of the shaft had almost a half inch of variation!
I couldn't believe it. I was shooting with this shaft two weeks earlier and had no idea. I guess the warpage occured so gradually that I subconsiously learned to compensate for it without even realizing it. I have always "spun" the cue as I line up shots...kind of like a preshot ritual, I guess...and I had apparantly learned to line it up certain ways for certain shots, although I didn't do it to intentionally compensate for the warpage.
It definitely didn't have a detrimental effect on my game. Over the period I used that shaft my game improved gradually--about what I would expect given the relatively small amount of time invested.
Needless to say, I pulled the auction and actually still have the shaft somewhere.
As a result, I don't put too much weight in "straight." Mind you, I don't want a boomerang in my case, but a tiny degree of wobble is nothing to go crazy over.
~Chris
drivermaker said:
This is like the example of a "heap of sand." Is 3 grains a heap? No. Is 10,000 grains a "heap?" Yeah. So, at what number does it become a "heap?" Or, going the other way, at what number does is it no longer a "heap?" The same is true of "straight," imho.
Btw, I used crooked cues to shoot masse' shots.
Jeff Livingston
Qnut said:
I agree with you that a little wobble makes very little difference. However, if I spend $1000+ on a cue then I expect the shafts to be as straight as possible!
Egg McDogit said:
I have a Weston that has two DEAD STRAIGHT shafts. When rolling on a table and watching the gap of light underneath the center part of the shaft, I can *SEE* absolutely no change in the gap. I haven't seen this in any other cue I have checked. I believe this to be the best method of testing that I have found. Usually there is some change in light in all shafts and maybe this is what he meant. If the ferrule doesn't hop up, I consider it to be straight even if there is a gap change.
I apologize if this has been posted already, I haven't read the rest of the thread.
~DC