Custom Pie shaft vs. Predator vs. OB1-2

[Iowa Mike]

I am asking this in the cuemaker section because I am looking for facts and not wanting to start a "what is better" just how it will be different.

I have a cue builder making me a "Pie-Shaft" with I think 7 separate pieces of wood with a "pro taper" and 12.5mm tip. Now not getting into tip type and ferrules and such.

What will be the difference with regard to feel in a cue builder made pie-shaft against the pre-made Predator or OB shafts.

Will the corporation's made shafts still have less deflection?

Is there an advantage to a pie-shaft vs the other guys and vice versa?

Also what is meant by pro taper?

If this is an impossible question and it is still subjective then just smack me.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. :smile:

 

[dave sutton]

the pie shaped shaft lamination isnt what creates less deflection. less end mass is what helps with that. laminated pie shafts are suppose to create a 360 deg sweetspot also stiffens up the shaft. supposed to be the same no matter how you hit it spinning the cue


also pro taper is suppose to mean longer in the middle. there is no such thing as "pro taper" bc there are many right answers. for instance 12.75 for 16'' then starts to grow instead of maybe 12'' which would feel fatter. it conical which would be just straight from tip to joint like a break shaft

 

[conetip]

I am asking this in the cuemaker section because I am looking for facts and not wanting to start a "what is better" just how it will be different.

I have a cue builder making me a "Pie-Shaft" with I think 7 separate pieces of wood with a "pro taper" and 12.5mm tip. Now not getting into tip type and ferrules and such.

What will be the difference with regard to feel in a cue builder made pie-shaft against the pre-made Predator or OB shafts.

Will the corporation's made shafts still have less deflection?

Is there an advantage to a pie-shaft vs the other guys and vice versa?

Also what is meant by pro taper?

If this is an impossible question and it is still subjective then just smack me.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. :smile:

The Predator and OB shafts are different in their construction to each other. To replicate as a 1 off, the OB construction is alot more difficult to make.
As mentioned before , the pie lamintated shafts have radial consistancy.
The flexing in the shaft is more consistant compared to a nonlaminated shaft.In a std shaft the flexing is different from with the grain and 90 deg to the grain.
The feel will be different for a few reasons.Both Predator and OB cues have their own technology as far as weight reduction and dampening at the tip end of the shaft.Also the wood selection and lamination is different.
This does not mean that one is not as good as the other ,just different.
So the shaft you get made will be different again.
Wood selection in a laminated shaft is just as particular as a standard shaft. Junk wood is still a junk shaft, laminated or not.
I hope this helps you a little.
Neil

 

[Iowa Mike]

The Predator and OB shafts are different in their construction to each other. To replicate as a 1 off, the OB construction is alot more difficult to make.
As mentioned before , the pie lamintated shafts have radial consistancy.
The flexing in the shaft is more consistant compared to a nonlaminated shaft.In a std shaft the flexing is different from with the grain and 90 deg to the grain.
The feel will be different for a few reasons.Both Predator and OB cues have their own technology as far as weight reduction and dampening at the tip end of the shaft.Also the wood selection and lamination is different.
This does not mean that one is not as good as the other ,just different.
So the shaft you get made will be different again.
Wood selection in a laminated shaft is just as particular as a standard shaft. Junk wood is still a junk shaft, laminated or not.
I hope this helps you a little.
Neil

So, with that information how will the hit differ from a pie-shaft assuming that it is made as well as it can be made. Will the Predator and OB hit stiffer and since the pie-shaft is only for radial consistency that would mean that both of the others will decrease ball deflection over the pie-shaft?

 

[dave sutton]

So, with that information how will the hit differ from a pie-shaft assuming that it is made as well as it can be made. Will the Predator and OB hit stiffer and since the pie-shaft is only for radial consistency that would mean that both of the others will decrease ball deflection over the pie-shaft?

correct. the pie shape will stiffen the hit.but predator bores the end hollow to reduce weight. (plus a few other things) this is what reduces deflection. it allows the cueball to move the shaft on impact. more weight would go thru the ball causing inaccuracy.

truth is there is no way to tell if you will like the other makers shaft until you get it and try it.

 

[Iowa Mike]

I understand. That is subjective all I am looking for is the facts which you guys have been giving me.

Thanks

 

[Sheldon]

I've never been sensitive enough to feel the difference (while playing) between the flex of a radial shaft and a good solid shaft. I suspect there are not many people that actually are.
Mostly it's just the tip end being light, and the taper they put on them that makes them play the way they do. A radial shaft might be better than a poor quality solid shaft. A high quality solid shaft will be just as good though, in my opinion.
As you've been told, the endmass is the largest factor between the properties you've outlined.
Tips and ferrules will play a large roll in the feel of the cue.
I have seen some older predator shafts that acted very strangely when flexed..... I had one that I could bend, and it would stay that way until I bent it back. That was probably a bit of a fluke though.

 

[conetip]

So, with that information how will the hit differ from a pie-shaft assuming that it is made as well as it can be made. Will the Predator and OB hit stiffer and since the pie-shaft is only for radial consistency that would mean that both of the others will decrease ball deflection over the pie-shaft?

The laminated shaft does not mean it will be stiffer.The stiffnes of the laminated shaft comes more from the orientation of the wood and the glue used.
Cue deflection comes from the 1st 6 or so inches of the front shaft being light in weight.Which is technology that both Predator and OB use.
The pie shaft can be made to be a stiff shaft, or it can be made to be quite flexable.That is all up to the grain orientation of the wood being used and the GPI (grow rings per inch).
So you can see, it is like saying I made some ply wood but it is all flexable.Or I made some plywood that is too ridgid and too difficult to form.
Both can be made, it is the orientation of the wood that creates a flexable or stiff sheet.
Untill you get a shaft made, and take note of how it is made,grain orientation etc, only then will you know how it is going to hit.
Ofcourse, the taper being used is also going to play into a stiff or flexable shaft as well.
If you want to make a shaft because you like to experiment, then that is great.
But if it were me, I would sugest you try an OB-1 shaft and the new OB-2 shaft, Or the Predator equivalent. See if this is the type of shaft that you want to be using.

Neil