snookered_again
Well-known member
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..
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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