Different Types of Cue Construction explained. What's Best?

I feel there is a difference in quality and that yes, full splice is a better quality joint.
Also, i believe the law of diminishing returns does apply here, and if you want to spend lots on a cue because it makes you happy, or gives you more confidence, nothing wrong with that.

often the straight grain woods are visually boring, people want to see interesting wood because it's beautiful. the interesting grain most often also comes from parts of the tree where grain is interrupted, for example wood near knots often has a much more interesting and appealing grain pattern than wood from straight sections of a tree. a chunk of burl might have more weight and weight may be desirable for that reason...

Interesting grain patterns are in essence, inconsistency. inconsistency equates to uneven wood movement. wood never stops moving because it is able to take on and give off moisture and it will also shrink over time.

That's not to say you shouldn't want to own or enjoy or admire a beautiful looking cue!


trees that grow naturally and were originally in close proximity to each other, competing for light , grow less each year, The distance between rings can vary a great deal , even in the same species. long sections of a tree that are not near branches generally have straighter grain. Usually those tight grained woods with very little interference , not near branches, and that were not bent or stressed by wind etc, will be where you find more dimensionally stable wood.

every wood species of course has it's own set of properties.

one thing I'd look for is to determine where in the tree you think the cue came from and how fast that wood grew.

a board cut from a tree has a bark side and an inner side, you can of course see the rings. if you can turn a cue and look , sometimes you can tell which was the bark side. which side is the bark side is easy to tell when you can see the arc. a plank that is left to dry will tend to move in a direction where the arc becomes straighter, this is because of the structure of the wood and the difference between the bark side and the inside , The pores are different. either side of the plank takes on or gives off moisture at a different rate.

of course a plank may be cut in different orientations, if the tree is sliced like a pie it may make the planks more stable , but this reduces the yeild. some wood is quartersawn, or flat sawn..

a cue is not a plank of course, but if you look into the wood, you can actually see a lot more into it by paying attention to the grain patterns, the tightness of the grain , how straight the grain is etc..

most trees also have heartwood, the inner core of the tree which is dead, and the sapwood , the living part of the tree. in many cases wood may have a combination of heartwood and sapwood.

in some species there is a dramatic color difference between sapwood and heartwood.

I think if you were to pick from a group of similar cues, understanding a bit about how the wood grows, how it was situated in the tree and how to recognize these differences may give one an advantage of using that knowledge to pick the most stable one of the bunch..

an experienced woodworker will know a lot more about how to look at a piece of wood and at the grain and make a better decision about the structure.. an untrained person will likely not know this area as well and may miss some visual "cues" that will help make a good decision.


cuemakers know all this and will be selective. No piece of wood is ever perfect and in reality the cuemaker may not have a bunch of pristene old growth hardwood , or the most stable parts of thee tree to choose from. Like any other woodworker , he's making the best product he can from what he has available. He may cull some, pick the best, let it cure , select some that are more twisted to to discard.. He has limits to that process as well ..

I dont know how much you can learn by a short trial with a cue, I'd personally find that taking a few shots would be difficult to learn much from, maybe some can tell more... the weight , finish , thickness, sure, maybe you like the feel of a wrap.

If you have a friend that is an experienced woodworker and you are looking to try to buy a cue, he may be able to help with some of that choosing, with or without pool specific knowledge, especially when you get to choosing the best or the most likely to be stable from several similar made cues..
 
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Yes, ideally I would like to play with them but that is difficult these days with lots of sales being online. I guess another question would be where is the best place to try lots of different major brands? Would it be at a large tournament where they have booths set up?
So not knowing where you live or the relative friendliness of the natives but my only experience with something similar was when a APA team captain invited me out to one of their league nights at a local Hall.

It seemed like everyone was cue shopping and if someone had something new everyone wanted a test hit. Even being a complete stranger I took a couple of pokes with one gentleman's Southwest because I had never seen one in person and wanted to see what the hype was about.

That might be an option for you...
 
Most people don't get buried with their cues.. If I walk into a place like a community center, I sometimes have to wonder if many of those cues have lost their respective owners.. Often they are cherished by family members but I bet there are a lot of disassociated cues out there..
 
Yes, ideally I would like to play with them but that is difficult these days with lots of sales being online. I guess another question would be where is the best place to try lots of different major brands? Would it be at a large tournament where they have booths set up?
The Super Billiards Expo near Valley Forge, PA in April is the best chance to try cues and buy cues. The big production brands you are looking for have booths every year and many custom makers have booths too.

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I currently play with a Meucci Curly maple cue and the Meucci Carbon Pro shaft. It appears to be on piece construction with multiple diamond inlays. I've been interested in trying other cues. So, what advantages do Full Splice cues have in terms of performance and feel over other cue designs? Is this the best cue design for optimal feel and performance? Let's couch shaft performance for now. I know feel and performance is subjective to a degree but bear with me; there is a difference between Toyota and Ferrari so is you like your Camry this post is not for you.
The butt is meaningless its just there to hold the shaft
no design will make you make more balls
no construction method will either

its just about the shaft tip and skill
 
many will roll a cue on the table and look for bend that way. It will show any obvious bend.

If you can find a flat and true surface that has no cloth on it and put a flashlight behind the cue and look for any gap of light poking through, that smoother surface wont hide the defects like a cloth surface will.
coupling designs may help the cue stay straighter, some have closer machined tolerances and a collar to retain straightness. you get what you pay for, at least to some degree.

no argument that it is mostly the skill of the player and not the cue itself that gets more balls in the pockets.

If you buy a cue online and it is said to be "straight" Remember that straight is like an imaginary infinite measurement and the degree of straightness is indeed measurable with a tolerance. Your means of measuring that may vary. for example if you were to put bluing or ink on a cue and roll that on a true and flat polished piece of steel, You may not get even ink transfer. you could put it on V blocks and turn it against a micrometer and see .001" variation. You could also use a dial indicator with a full turn of the dial representing only .001" and go to a finer degree of accuracy. at some point it becomes pointless to go into further accuracy for all realistic intents and purposes. you dont wan to drop a wad of cash on a bent cue unless it has some historical importance, There is a point of diminishing results.

Point is , "straight" is related to your method of measurement and with accurate enough equipment you'd be hard pressed to find any cue that is actually truly " straight" dead straight is not a tolerance. straight over its length to within .001" is a tolerance. what tolerance is acceptable is open to interpretation.

If you bought a cue and it was stated to be within .001 over its entire length , now you would have a tolerance to expect, without any tolerance you could be faced with a discussion( after an online purchase) about what is an acceptable tolerance. I dont think that it would be unreasonable to speak about what tolerance to expect before an online purchase and for it to be reasonable to you and the seller to speak in such terms. a stated tolerance is not ambiguous. "this cue is dead straight" is ambiguous.
 
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many will roll a cue on the table and look for bend that way. It will show any obvious bend.

If you can find a flat and true surface that has no cloth on it and put a flashlight behind the cue and look for any gap of light poking through, that smoother surface wont hide the defects like a cloth surface will.
coupling designs may help the cue stay straighter, some have closer machined tolerances and a collar to retain straightness. you get what you pay for, at least to some degree.

no argument that it is mostly the skill of the player and not the cue itself that gets more balls in the pockets.

If you buy a cue online and it is said to be "straight" Remember that straight is like an imaginary infinite measurement and the degree of straightness is indeed measurable with a tolerance. Your means of measuring that may vary. for example if you were to put bluing or ink on a cue and roll that on a true and flat polished piece of steel, You may not get even ink transfer. you could put it on V blocks and turn it against a micrometer and see .001" variation. You could also use a dial indicator with a full turn of the dial representing only .001" and go to a finer degree of accuracy. at some point it becomes pointless to go into further accuracy for all realistic intents and purposes. you dont wan to drop a wad of cash on a bent cue unless it has some historical importance, There is a point of diminishing results.

Point is , "straight" is related to your method of measurement and with accurate enough equipment you'd be hard pressed to find any cue that is actually truly " straight" dead straight is not a tolerance. straight over its length to within .001" is a tolerance. what tolerance is acceptable is open to interpretation.

If you bought a cue and it was stated to be within .001 over its entire length , now you would have a tolerance to expect, without any tolerance you could be faced with a discussion about what is an acceptable tolerance. I dont think that it would be unreasonable to speak about what tolerance to expect before an online purchase and for it to be reasonable to you and the seller to speak in such terms. a stated tolerance is not ambiguous. "this cue is dead straight" is ambiguous.
This is why you buy a bearing roller and look for pin lift.

Trying to judge the relative "warp' based on just rolling can be difficult based on the taper on the butt. Same thing with a shaft, using a roller takes all the guesswork out.

Whenever I go do a pawnshop run I put my set in my pocket so I check anything I find while out and about. I even carry it now when I go on vacation or business travel.

If you not using one of these you need to be... Check them out here
 
But, their connection is only of glue bond. No mechanical bond like mortise and tenon with threads.

many will roll a cue on the table and look for bend that way. It will show any obvious bend.

If you can find a flat and true surface that has no cloth on it and put a flashlight behind the cue and look for any gap of light poking through, that smoother surface wont hide the defects like a cloth surface will.
coupling designs may help the cue stay straighter, some have closer machined tolerances and a collar to retain straightness. you get what you pay for, at least to some degree.

no argument that it is mostly the skill of the player and not the cue itself that gets more balls in the pockets.

If you buy a cue online and it is said to be "straight" Remember that straight is like an imaginary infinite measurement and the degree of straightness is indeed measurable with a tolerance. Your means of measuring that may vary. for example if you were to put bluing or ink on a cue and roll that on a true and flat polished piece of steel, You may not get even ink transfer. you could put it on V blocks and turn it against a micrometer and see .001" variation. You could also use a dial indicator with a full turn of the dial representing only .001" and go to a finer degree of accuracy. at some point it becomes pointless to go into further accuracy for all realistic intents and purposes. you dont wan to drop a wad of cash on a bent cue unless it has some historical importance, There is a point of diminishing results.

Point is , "straight" is related to your method of measurement and with accurate enough equipment you'd be hard pressed to find any cue that is actually truly " straight" dead straight is not a tolerance. straight over its length to within .001" is a tolerance. what tolerance is acceptable is open to interpretation.

If you bought a cue and it was stated to be within .001 over its entire length , now you would have a tolerance to expect, without any tolerance you could be faced with a discussion( after an online purchase) about what is an acceptable tolerance. I dont think that it would be unreasonable to speak about what tolerance to expect before an online purchase and for it to be reasonable to you and the seller to speak in such terms. a stated tolerance is not ambiguous. "this cue is dead straight" is ambiguous.
99.9% of cues out there new and old are not dead straight and won’t hold a .001by any means
 
A long time ago, when glues were not as good as today, a full splice cue was structurally stronger.
Now, glues are better.....
Glue doesn’t matter

End grain glue vs side grain the end grain glueing is always weaker.

That’s why buzz rings and and similar collaring methods were invented no matter what kind of glue you use with whatever kind of screw if it’s flat faced connection one day it’s going to crack/buzz
 
PVA glue , like elmer's has been around since the early 50's Yes the joinery would have to be better back when they used hide glue. you might find that on anything older. It has a benefit though , you can steam it apart pretty easily so its still used for certain things, veneer , antique restorations where future restoration work might be impeded by permanent glue. Epoxy is wonderful stuff, until you want to get something back apart.
one way to get that old glue apart, put it outdoors when its' below freezing , give it a knock, It has little strength if it's really frozen, You can re-use veneer this way.
 
99.9% of cues out there new and old are not dead straight and won’t hold a .001by any means
Right, I wasn't about to "set" a valid tolerance, it's too ambiguous. a cue maker might set one for his own work or make certain claims.. Factories often work to specific ISO standards and they may be meeting certain set and measurable tolerances. In a big factory you'd have a person that measures things to make sure the output is within specs, a cue maker in a small business is the chief cook and bottle washer, so He'd take that responsibility.

dead straight is like "straight as an arrow" - impossible to quantify.

Nuts and bolts have tolerances, try taking a typical cheapo hardware store bubble pack nut and bolt and note the looseness, then if you compare to a high grade fastener ,or a machine screw, the threads are made to higher tolerances. likewise you may find certain brands of couplers have a tighter fit. - most of the better cues have pretty tight tolerances in that area.
one might notice that if they were to unscrew 1/4 turn and then check the wiggle between the two parts. Perhaps if you were comparing different brands you could do that just to note the difference. Easy enough to check.
 
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Glue doesn’t matter

End grain glue vs side grain the end grain glueing is always weaker.

That’s why buzz rings and and similar collaring methods were invented no matter what kind of glue you use with whatever kind of screw if it’s flat faced connection one day it’s going to crack/buzz
The buzz ring is a myth
Bushka invented it because his lathe did not fit butts inside the spindle.
He has to use a steady rest and work the joinery in the middle of his lathe bed
I've seen wood to wood connections cues that have been to many wars and different states and had no buzz .
Epoxies today can wick through end grains then recoated with a thicker mix after a few minutes.
 
Studiotronics, a Dallas TX cue maker responded to my question as well. Here is what he had to say: "

@Studiotronics

Morning Thomas. Normal modern cues are attached together using a tenon and screw. Full spliced cues are attached together by gluing all that surface area afforded by joining these prongs together. After assembly, a full splice cue is a single piece. Full stop. If the cue maker is competent, they’re both solid means of construction. But if I’m in a bar fight, I’m grabbing the full splice every time. As a woodworker, agnostic of being a pool player, it’s simply smarter better construction. But it’s harder to do. More skill is involved. And wood choice is harder. You need much longer pieces of lumber. Which means more expensive. Can you notice a difference in feel when playing? I can. Absolutely. Will it make you a better pool player? No. Probably not. Predator is a massive international company with an entire team dedicated to marketing. In reality their wood is trash. Their designs are often painted on. Putting predator cues on a lathe is telling. They wobble which tells me shoddy construction and speed to get things out of the door are the biggest motivators. It’s a numbers game for them. As for exceed cues, I haven’t seen any equivalent of the posts from predator players showing their painted fake cues. But Dual Core Power Design is marketing mumbo jumbo. That $600 carbon fiber shaft was purchased in China for $10 and filled with Home Depot foam. Weight was added. Often with a weight bolt affixed inside. Cue makers have taken every single carbon fiber shaft available on the market and ripped them open and dissected them. It’s the same for all of them. So when you read things like Dual Core Power, be weary. "
 
Studiotronics, a Dallas TX cue maker responded to my question as well. Here is what he had to say: "
@Studiotronics
Morning Thomas. Normal modern cues are attached together using a tenon and screw. Full spliced cues are attached together by gluing all that surface area afforded by joining these prongs together. After assembly, a full splice cue is a single piece. Full stop. If the cue maker is competent, they’re both solid means of construction. But if I’m in a bar fight, I’m grabbing the full splice every time. As a woodworker, agnostic of being a pool player, it’s simply smarter better construction. But it’s harder to do. More skill is involved. And wood choice is harder. You need much longer pieces of lumber. Which means more expensive. Can you notice a difference in feel when playing? I can. Absolutely. Will it make you a better pool player? No. Probably not. Predator is a massive international company with an entire team dedicated to marketing. In reality their wood is trash. Their designs are often painted on. Putting predator cues on a lathe is telling. They wobble which tells me shoddy construction and speed to get things out of the door are the biggest motivators. It’s a numbers game for them. As for exceed cues, I haven’t seen any equivalent of the posts from predator players showing their painted fake cues. But Dual Core Power Design is marketing mumbo jumbo. That $600 carbon fiber shaft was purchased in China for $10 and filled with Home Depot foam. Weight was added. Often with a weight bolt affixed inside. Cue makers have taken every single carbon fiber shaft available on the market and ripped them open and dissected them. It’s the same for all of them. So when you read things like Dual Core Power, be weary. "
I love that guy... Strictly platonic mind you.. but a Bromance never the less.

You have to respect makers who do things you can't and spend the time to understand their craft. But are also willing to share what they know.
 
Is it possible to construct the cue to limit vibrational stress to specific areas or along designated sections?

I hit the cue and it vibrates the cue. Is there a way to trap or isolate those vibrations?

Sometimes I want a denser material to reduce cue vibrations near the cue tip. Other shots I prefer the vibrations and possibly would want to play with the miscue limit more, the looseness helps pull off stroke shots.

Vibrational stress is more challenging to monitor.
 
Is it possible to construct the cue to limit vibrational stress to specific areas or along designated sections?

I hit the cue and it vibrates the cue. Is there a way to trap or isolate those vibrations?

Sometimes I want a denser material to reduce cue vibrations near the cue tip. Other shots I prefer the vibrations and possibly would want to play with the miscue limit more, the looseness helps pull off stroke shots.

Vibrational stress is more challenging to monitor.
Different makers all have views on what causes this and the steps they take in the construction of the cues to eliminate it.

There is no one right answer so you would have to ask this to each maker you were considering and then evaluate the response against your own playing experiences to see which one you align with.
 
Different makers all have views on what causes this and the steps they take in the construction of the cues to eliminate it.

There is no one right answer so you would have to ask this to each maker you were considering and then evaluate the response against your own playing experiences to see which one you align with.

Its a baseball problem too.

Many players get turned off by the feedback.
 
I seen guys win with a broomstick.
It's not the arrow...it's the Indian.

That said a good tip goes along way.

Nothing is a substitute for pushing yourself to improve, practice and being battle tested.
 
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