Cuetec Joints?
- Thread starter Da Poet
- Start date
Just plug the hole and bore/tap for whatever pin you have.
Varney Cues said:
Thanks Kevin, I should have mentioned that I use the shaft with the old butt to break with. I thought it would be a fun little project, but I'm beginning to think getting one of these joints without the rest of the cue attached might not be an easy thing. Friggin' Cuetecs. No biggie.
I put a phenolic tip on this shaft for breaking and I was messing around with jumping with the shaft only and I was absolutely stunned at how easy the cue ball popped up from as close as 1/2 a ball away from another ball.
I was hoping to play around with some different ideas on length, shape, and weight of a jump butt to get an idea what might work best for me before deciding on a more long term purchase. Plus I only have a 2x2 case and a jump butt would fit nicely in one of the pockets.
Da Poet said:
Do what Mr Varney suggested and then do the same with the butt end (remove pin, bore new hole, plug with maple or phenolic then bore and install a new pin) or if you have a thread cutting lathe you should be able to duplicate the original pin. piece of cake!
magnetardo said:Do what Mr Varney suggested and then do the same with the butt end (remove pin, bore new hole, plug with maple or phenolic then bore and install a new pin) or if you have a thread cutting lathe you should be able to duplicate the original pin. piece of cake!
Any of you tried putting a plug in a Cuetec? Cuetec shafts have a one piece delrin plug that is the shaft facing and goes down into the shaft with the threads in it. If they break, which happens if screwed together to tightly, they cannot be re glued as glue will not stick to the delrin. I would imagine you would have the same problem gluing a wood plug into the delrin.
Dick
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Dick, I've altered many, many Cuetecs...trust me. I don't believe its delrin. The black material seems to be just cheap plastic. I've plugged many with no issues or glue problems whatsoever.
Varney Cues said:
Surprising that many people would want to put a Cuetec shaft on another cue. I have only worked on one Cuetec plastic insert that was broke and west system epoxy did no good. I thought it had fixed it but a couple days later it was loose again.
Dick
I had a customer bring me his to retip for him. I kept looking at the shaft, and thinking something just did'nt look right. Finally figured out that facing had broken off, and part of the threads with It. I told the owner It was missing, and only part of the threads still remained. He was bewildered looking, and wondered where It was. May have thought I broke It somehow, who knows, but I only had the shaft in My possesion, and told him It may have fell off while breaking the cue down, but to look on his handle for It just in case, because He had been playing with It like this, and did'nt even notice It before, so I was thinking It was possible It was still on the butt section If It was'nt clicking or making It obvious that something just was'nt right. Sure enough It was on the joint pin, and I believe what threads were left were holding It on there. It was'nt one of the fancier models they make, and the shaft still screwed on, so he did'nt bother to ask me to fix It thankfully. It looked to me that the facing & inside threads were one piece, and on this one the threaded part broke clean in two, leaving part of the threads on the facing (which came loose), and part of them remained inside the shaft, so It does'nt seem like delrin the way It broke like that, altough It does look like It. I have fixed inserts in some production cues that did have 3/8 delrin inserts, the glue broke down, and they backed out. I roughed up the od, used a poly glue, and they held up fine. I tried a delrin insert on a extra shaft I made for one of My production cues one time, same thing happened with epoxy, It backed out. I switched to the poly glue, and It held up. Too bad the feel of the delrin insert is so mushy though, because they make nice snug threads, but I don't like the feel of them at all.
I have'nt done inserts on these cues yet, but have made inserts for other cues, and had luck Keeping everything faced to the cue. I have done coring, then tapping but what I like better, and have also tried, is I drill,champer the centers, bore, and tap the core, then true It up between centers before installing into the shaft. I finish up the shaft bore with a small boring bar, and that seems to keep everything running true. I also work off of the steady rest when possible instead of out of the headstock, because It seems to center easier for me most of the time, and helps with runout It seems like. I am relying on the glue and not a mechanical bond though, but with the right glue, those things don't move at all. Epoxy may not be good enough though depending on the joint type or epoxy type. I fixed one that the pilot was shallower then the hole was on a cue joint, and so the insert backed out alittle. Tried epoxy & same thing, finally tried a different type glue, and It never happened again. I have never had one back out since either. Sizing the tenon/core to the bore is always easier, but in this case I am sizing the bore to the tenon, and have to be carefull because I want a snug fit, and don't want to overshoot My bore/inside diameter. I'm going to see If I can set My mini up to grind outside threads on inserts, but so far I have been able to get by without them when doing a custom insert. I like the standard self centering inserts, they go in easily, and center out well, but the little bit of fine threads on the bottom, does'nt seem like alot of extra protection anyhow. The full threaded inserts never seem to be true enough for me though, and I end up having to screw around with them to get them aligned properly. When I make My own inserts, or use the self centering I do not have those type problems, but at the same time I hate the thought of relying that much on any glue, even if It does work & hold well.
Greg
I have'nt done inserts on these cues yet, but have made inserts for other cues, and had luck Keeping everything faced to the cue. I have done coring, then tapping but what I like better, and have also tried, is I drill,champer the centers, bore, and tap the core, then true It up between centers before installing into the shaft. I finish up the shaft bore with a small boring bar, and that seems to keep everything running true. I also work off of the steady rest when possible instead of out of the headstock, because It seems to center easier for me most of the time, and helps with runout It seems like. I am relying on the glue and not a mechanical bond though, but with the right glue, those things don't move at all. Epoxy may not be good enough though depending on the joint type or epoxy type. I fixed one that the pilot was shallower then the hole was on a cue joint, and so the insert backed out alittle. Tried epoxy & same thing, finally tried a different type glue, and It never happened again. I have never had one back out since either. Sizing the tenon/core to the bore is always easier, but in this case I am sizing the bore to the tenon, and have to be carefull because I want a snug fit, and don't want to overshoot My bore/inside diameter. I'm going to see If I can set My mini up to grind outside threads on inserts, but so far I have been able to get by without them when doing a custom insert. I like the standard self centering inserts, they go in easily, and center out well, but the little bit of fine threads on the bottom, does'nt seem like alot of extra protection anyhow. The full threaded inserts never seem to be true enough for me though, and I end up having to screw around with them to get them aligned properly. When I make My own inserts, or use the self centering I do not have those type problems, but at the same time I hate the thought of relying that much on any glue, even if It does work & hold well.
Greg
magnetardo said:Do what Mr Varney suggested and then do the same with the butt end (remove pin, bore new hole, plug with maple or phenolic then bore and install a new pin) or if you have a thread cutting lathe you should be able to duplicate the original pin. piece of cake!
Thanks, I really appreciate the input!
Yeah, it looks like this is the only way to go but I don't have the gear to pull this off and it's certainly not worth the risk of messing up a somewhat decent break cue. Seybert's said they had to wait four weeks when they ordered their cuetec joints for their own shop.
This decision by Cuetec to use these unique joints hurts them more than it helps them. What a joke.
I'll probably just keep an eye out for beat up cheap butt and take a saw and a sander to it and see what happens. I really enjoy messing around with this kind of stuff.
Thanks again!
Heck, why not just find a used Cuetec cue around?
Saw off about 12-13 from the joint.
Voila, jump handle.
Saw off about 12-13 from the joint.
Voila, jump handle.
I find Cuetec's purty neat. I used to have an arsenal of them. Every year I gave one away who had the best improvement. I still have two left, but won't let those go. They're my back-up cues. I mainly play with McDermott's now.rhncue said:
I have always regarded Cutec cues highly as a great introductory cue. Very affordable, comes in different varieties for different disciplines (with the exception of masse cues), easily available (from online to retail stores), and playability is not bad at all for the price that a person is paying for.
tigerallenyim said:
I know this probably isn't the right place in the forum for this exchange, but I would have to respectfully disagree with Cuetecs, specifically with fiberglass wrapped shafts, being a great introductory cue for the following reasons.
No matter how well you care for the cue, at some point, maybe months, maybe years, the finish will eventually wear down and lose it's ability to slide easily through your fingers. For many players with dry hands and an open bridge, this is no big deal, but for many others this can be a serious and frustrating problem and actually cause a new player to think the problem is themselves rather than the cue and maybe lose interest in the game.
I disagree on starting a player off with a cuetec also because of the unique joint pin. It can be more expensive to have an aftermarket shaft fitted with a cuetec than to buy a new cue with the same shaft altogether. So economically, it makes more sense to purchase a starter cue that at least has a common joint pin that allows a player a more affordable shaft upgrade should they choose. The only wood shaft upgrade Cuetec offers right now is around $200. Why they don't offer a standard maple shaft for some fraction of that, I am at a loss to understand.
For too many people, the fiberglass shaft will have to be replaced, or the owner will have to wear a glove, or basically do something that they may not have to do if they had a regular wood shaft. I think the risks of disappointment to a starting player outweight any of the rewards.