Custom fitted CF shaft

skor

skor

missing shots since 1995
Silver Member
Before CF, one could get a blank Predator shaft and fit it to the cur butt in terms of diameter, ring work, pin type, inserts, etc.

I have a cue with a flat faced 5-16x14 long pin that I’m thinking about getting a new shaft for it.
All the 5/16x14 shafts that I see are piloted.
Is there a good performance CF shaft with that pin but flat faced?
Is it something that anyone can custom fit?
Don’t care about ring work, just fit and diameter at the joint
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5610.jpeg
    IMG_5610.jpeg
    601.9 KB · Views: 37
I don't know any shaft maker that custom fits cf shafts to be perfectly flush. Sometimes you get lucky but usually there's going to be some over/under-hang. Problem is that most cf shaft makers buy premade tubes so they have little/no say in the diameter. Most are .840ish which is most seen joint size. Probably just going to have to start contacting shaft makers.
 
Last edited:
garczar said:
I don't know any shaft maker that custom fits the butts to be perfectly flush. Sometimes you get lucky but usually there's going to be some over/under-hang. Probably just going to have to start contacting shaft makers.
Click to expand...
I don’t even understand why aftermarket shaft makers bother with making the 5/16x14 shafts piloted. The pilot is so small to make sure that it fits all cues that it’s basically useless
 
I've said this before but I'm really surprised we haven't seen a good custom fit carbon shaft option from anyone.

I know you can't just turn down carbon like wood so I feel like there is a market for a carbon shaft blank that has a short section of wood at the joint end that any cue maker could finish, create matching ring work for, etc. The first 6" of the shaft at the joint end shouldn't effect performance at all and I can't see any reason that needs to be carbon.

I think Whyte should do this, they already have the threaded insert thing...just move that up about 6" and make the insert a long section with a wood or some other machinable material. Could also have multiple length options without the expense of different carbon shaft blanks.
 
skor said:
Before CF, one could get a blank Predator shaft and fit it to the cur butt in terms of diameter, ring work, pin type, inserts, etc.

I have a cue with a flat faced 5-16x14 long pin that I’m thinking about getting a new shaft for it.
All the 5/16x14 shafts that I see are piloted.
Is there a good performance CF shaft with that pin but flat faced?
Is it something that anyone can custom fit?
Don’t care about ring work, just fit and diameter at the joint
Click to expand...
Pretty much any repair person should be able to machine the pilot off so that its flat faced. The longer pin will need to be measured for any given shaft, but from what I've seen, most are tapped quite deep.
 
slide13 said:
I've said this before but I'm really surprised we haven't seen a good custom fit carbon shaft option from anyone.

I know you can't just turn down carbon like wood so I feel like there is a market for a carbon shaft blank that has a short section of wood at the joint end that any cue maker could finish, create matching ring work for, etc. The first 6" of the shaft at the joint end shouldn't effect performance at all and I can't see any reason that needs to be carbon.

I think Whyte should do this, they already have the threaded insert thing...just move that up about 6" and make the insert a long section with a wood or some other machinable material. Could also have multiple length options without the expense of different carbon shaft blanks.
Click to expand...
On both of my CF shaft brands, it looks like the thread is not directly into the carbon, as the shaft is just a tube; there is some kind of a plug that goes into the end of the shaft, and that is what is threaded. I don't see why you can't get a blank plug to drill it to your liking or even add ring work before inserting the plug.
 
skor said:
I don’t even understand why aftermarket shaft makers bother with making the 5/16x14 shafts piloted. The pilot is so small to make sure that it fits all cues that it’s basically useless
Click to expand...
MAYBE because there a gillions of cues that use piloted joint. On most of them the pin doesn't protrude far enough to get secure connection without the pilot. some do but not that many.
 
skor said:
On both of my CF shaft brands, it looks like the thread is not directly into the carbon, as the shaft is just a tube; there is some kind of a plug that goes into the end of the shaft, and that is what is threaded. I don't see why you can't get a blank plug to drill it to your liking or even add ring work before inserting the plug.
Click to expand...
they all use a plug/insert of some kind. just gonna have to find a cue guy to make you one. Might contact Prather cue parts, they sell those inserts. https://prathercue.com/collections/...hex-carbon-fiber-shaft?variant=40843135189177
 
Ģüśţāṿ said:
Pretty much any repair person should be able to machine the pilot off so that its flat faced. The longer pin will need to be measured for any given shaft, but from what I've seen, most are tapped quite deep.
Click to expand...
I'm looking into this route. I have a Rhino shaft with a 5/16x14 joint that is too tight and doesn't screw on some of my cues, including this one. I don't think there is a cue smith in my country.... I'm waiting for a 5/16x14 tap to arrive, and if I can tap it manually to screw it down, the next step will be to cut the pilot. But I'm looking into plan B in incase I fail...
 
I've found that Rhinos 5/16-14 is always to tight, regardless of size ordered. If no repair person is available, then go to your local machine shop and ask them to take the pilot off in a lathe, just be cautious not to clamp down to tightly on the shaft.

Then retap the threads.
 
My 5/16x14 Rhino shaft screwed all the way down on 5 out of 6 cues i had with that pin. I thought it was the pilot. After some measurements I found that one cue had a longer pin so I shaved the first thread down. It now screws all the way down like the rest
 
chuckpilegis said:
My 5/16x14 Rhino shaft screwed all the way down on 5 out of 6 cues i had with that pin. I thought it was the pilot. After some measurements I found that one cue had a longer pin so I shaved the first thread down. It now screws all the way down like the rest
Click to expand...

My Schon cues pins are over 200mm in length (221 & 218), and the shaft does not screw in all the way.
It does fit my McDaniel cues that one has a 198mm pin and the other has a 192mm pin. It also fit my Tim Scruggs that has a 185mm pin, so I thought it was a pin length issue.
But it does NOT fit my Jacoby that has a 188mm pin, shorter than the McDaniel. So I believe that it's a thread width issue.

Anyways, I definitely am not going to cut the pins off any of my cues; they are worth way more than a Rhino shaft... I have a Revo shaft on the way for those; that's why I wouldn't mind playing around with the Rhino and trying to convert it to a flat face for that cue.
 
skor said:
I don’t even understand why aftermarket shaft makers bother with making the 5/16x14 shafts piloted. The pilot is so small to make sure that it fits all cues that it’s basically useless
Click to expand...

Just have the maker face the pilot off the the new shaft. Easy peasy.
 
Mike Johnson can do custom fitted carbon fiber shafts with his ICE line of CF shafts.

I have two from him, one on a late 60's Red Baker Titlist conversion that has a huge 3/8-12 flat face pin and I had to send him the cue because of how unique the joint/pin was. The second shaft I move between a new'ish Tascarella and 72 Balabushka both 5/16-14 and the shaft fits both cues perfectly!

You can find Mike Here
 
Whyte Carbon
triple-60.com

Quick Change Adapters

Upgrade your gear with Whyte Carbon's Quick Change Adapters. Precision-engineered to fit a range of pin/thread types, they redefine ease of use. Transition between pins effortlessly using the included tool, completing the switch in mere seconds. Elevate your game with reliable, rapid...
triple-60.com triple-60.com
 
Maybe I got lucky.The 5/16x14 Rhino screwed. on to my Jacoby with no problem. (I Remember that username skor on a pred forum years ago when I had a few precats)
 
chuckpilegis said:
Maybe I got lucky.The 5/16x14 Rhino screwed. on to my Jacoby with no problem. (I Remember that username skor on a pred forum years ago when I had a few precats)
Click to expand...
I don't remember being on Pred forum, I used to be active here and on Seybert's forum
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top