dime or nickel shape tip??

Seanjonsean from Texas wrote:
> but i would like to kno wats the best tool for shaping?? [...]
> the nickel shape works ok but i beter be good at evry
> game i can be i guess


Being a foreigner (hence, English isn't my native language) I wonder if the above post is a joke or just a result of an eruption of the educational programs in this nation..?

I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but just curious.

-- peer
 
Peer said:
Seanjonsean from Texas wrote:
> but i would like to kno wats the best tool for shaping?? [...]
> the nickel shape works ok but i beter be good at evry
> game i can be i guess


Being a foreigner (hence, English isn't my native language) I wonder if the above post is a joke or just a result of an eruption of the educational programs in this nation..?

I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but just curious.

-- peer

This happens for lots of reasons. Sometimes it's that the person doesn't proof-read their posts for errors or typos, sometimes it's that the person doesn't spell well and sometimes it's because they use internet speak where they shorten the words because the extra couple of letters a line really taxes them out and they like to expend as little energy as possible.
 
The smaller the radius of the tip shape (a dime shape has a smaller radius than a nickel shape), the farther from centerball you can hit while still maintaining a consistent sized area of the tip contacting the cue ball.

The reason for this is because the point of contact of the curved tip and the cue ball will always be in line with the center of the cue ball and the center of the ball the tip simulates. For example, a dime shape tip simulates a ball/sphere that has the same radius as a dime.

In mathematical terms, a dime shaped tip has more steradians of surface area than a nickel shaped tip has. The more steradians of area your tip has, the farther from centerball you can consistently hit the cueball without risking a miscue.

To simplify, if you shape the tip so that it has the same curvature as the cueball, half a tip off centerball in any direction is the maximum amount of english/follow/draw you will be able to apply while providing for a consistent amount of contact area. If you take a cueball shaped tip any farther from center than that, the area of contact will be greatly reduced in comparison.

On the other hand, a tip with a larger radius will have a larger contact area with the cueball, provided you do not hit too far from centerball. This can offer a more consistent centerball shot, with small errors affecting accuracy less.

More curvature close to the edge of the tip, with a flatter tip center, simulates a variable radius shape, but as long as the variance is not too much, would allow for the best of both worlds. Flatter toward the edge and more round at the center of the tip would offer the worst of both worlds.
 
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seanjonsean said:
was reading a post bout tip size 13 or 12 ,but i think what also matters is the shape i like more of a nickel shape cuz i think i can pocket a ball easier, tried the dime shape and i seem to hit more of the jaws of the pocket my guess is unwanted spin? but i would like to kno wats the best tool for shaping??ive been using a small little cube shaper but would like to buy something better wat u guys think is best??

Don't know which is best but I use a dime shape and Willard Scuffer when I can find it. I once heard or read, that you will get less cue ball deflection with a dime radius............ but I know a player who play better than I do that use a nickel radius.........
JoeyA
 
Well you know a tip takes on whatever radius according to how you play and chalk the cue. That being said that's why most all have a hard time holding a dime radius. So why reshape to a dime when your style of play dictates less arch? Show me someone who uses little english and I'll show you a flat tip.

Rod
 
I prefer a dime radius, and I use a dime held behing the tip to compare...after that I just scuff periodically if it looks too glazed...
________
 
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Rod said:
Well you know a tip takes on whatever radius according to how you play and chalk the cue. That being said that's why most all have a hard time holding a dime radius. So why reshape to a dime when your style of play dictates less arch? Show me someone who uses little english and I'll show you a flat tip.

Rod

Rod, while that may or may not be true, I have always wondered if the method of chalking controls how the tip is shaped. Afterall the chalk is an abrasive and the constant scraping of the tip has to cause some wear.

In addition to that, simply because a tip wears a certain way for whatever reason, is that reason enough to allow a tip to remain a certain shape? I don't think that is reason enough. Shaping the tip is a personal decision. Some think it helps with English and some think it helps with squirt so I see no problem with regularly shaping cue tips to suit your preference unless it is causing you miscues or poor play.

recently I have good consistency experimenting with shooting extreme cut shots with a thin diameter shaft. I don't know if the consistency is due to the thin shaft, lighter weight, smaller tip or a combination of all.

JoeyA
 
bustamantes almost flat tip

varny cues ure right i think nickel or dime does not matter ive seen bustas tip just like u described it ,second i think almost evryone sed dime shape and 3rd zeeder ure right on man internet speak lol that and hayte 2 go bakand spell chaeck some peop say there smarter but he didnt answer the query "what makes a person smart is not what he knows but the ability to recall what he knows" thanxz all for great answers im off to play with a new dull tip!!
 
Seanjonsean wrote:
> ure right on man internet speak lol that and
> hayte 2 go bakand spell chaeck some peop say
> there smarter but he didnt answer the query


Whether this is internet dyslexia or not, I still can't read that stuff. I guess this guy's fit might also be a bit of the prevalent 'laciness & arrogance'.

In any case, I'm using a dime shaped tip on my Euro-tapered 12mm shaft.

-- peer
 
woo hoo ,peer u finally answered the quest.

allrite peer u answerd the quest after acting like a teenager,great focus ! this post is over thankxz to all for super answers!
 
Seanjonsean wrote:
> allrite peer u answerd the quest after acting
> like a teenager,great focus !

Although I'm a teenager, I can still handle the English language.

-- peer
 
this explains the larger swaths of tip material my tip shaper tears off. I do "not" push on it with pressure either just the weight of the cue. damn it....this has cost me 3 tips. Thanks for your insight.
 
?

this explains the larger swaths of tip material my tip shaper tears off. I do "not" push on it with pressure either just the weight of the cue. damn it....this has cost me 3 tips. Thanks for your insight.

Who are you talking about or what tip shaper is destroying your tip.
The black ones is what use, the wooden ones I made to give away to customers who had me replace the tip on their cue.

 
I've tried both...on layered and single layer tips...nickel works best for me, puts the most action on the CB with the least amount of miscues when pushing the envelope. The nickel is closer to the curvature of a CB than a dime, so more force is projected through the contact point (think less of a swipe across the CB and more of a push through the CB with the flatter tip). Most think a dime gets you more English, but that's not been my experience over the years.

Once I put a dime bevel on a tip and just play with it without retouching it, the natural compressed bevel ends up about a nickel...if I start at a nickel, it pretty much stays there, so my tips keep telling me that nickel is the more natural shape the tip wants.
 
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It comes down to your primary playing style.....do you use a lot of horizontal and vertical English?
If you tend to spin the cue ball, then dime is the way to go. If you play more with center ball some
and stop/stun shots, then nickel shape is the way to go.

Whatever you decide to play with, the tip hardness is very important and you choose whether it's
a single or layered tip. In any event, make sure to pay adequate attention to maintaining the shape
of your tip.......keep in mind the softer the tip, the more attention is needed. to maintaining it.
 
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Try to imagine the sphere of the cue ball touching a dime or a nickel. We know there will be deformation when the tip strikes the ball. I use the nickel radius on my play cue, so I will get a better grip on the cue ball in my shot. My Break Cue has a tip radius of about the diameter of a Silver Dollar. That cuts down on the squirt.

JMHO.....
 
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