Do you perfer wood to wood joint or SS and why

PoolFan101

PoolFan101

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello ,

I thought about having a Cue made , A Curly Maple cue to be exact. It will be nothing Fancy but some really beautiful flame curly maple , a black irish linen wrap with white spec and deciding on wood to wood or SS joint. I have not made my mind up yet on the Joint and would like some feedback on which one you prefer and why. I have had both and it seems wood to wood hits softer were SS seems more crisp. What would you prefer and why. This cue will have a uni loc radial joint pin. Thanks
 
Flat faced, big pin guy, here. Just feels closer to the feel of a 1 piece cue to me - maybe it's just the sound (although I've heard exceptional sounding cues with all joint types)
 
Flat face, big pin, solid ivory for me.
Just because I like the hit of this particular cue. Rick Howard, 4 pt ebony into bem.
I also have an ivory ferrule and a pretty hard Triangle tip.
Nice crisp hit and when I juice a shot up I can feel it all the way through my elbow.
 
I would prioritize the builder over the joint type. Then, if given the option, 3/8-10 flat, wood to wood.
IMO, they snug up a little better than steel, including piloted. YMMV
 
Both have merits

Esthetics I like wood to wood. Others might like steel for the same reason. Either can deliver a good hit, especially when new. Wood to wood I think may not hold up quite as well over time. I am playing with Ivorine 4 to Ivorine 4 right now. New the fit was perfect, you couldn't find the line where the caps met with a fingernail. Now you can after many hours of play. I never broke with it until recently, after the joint started showing some wear.

Pretty much any repairman and any builder can reface the joint to as good as new but they will charge one or two hours shop time in all likelihood. Seems high for two cuts that only take seconds to do, the catch is how long it takes to dial in the butt and shaft for perfect face cuts. Any error in this cut is magnified by the length of butt and shaft, it has to be perfect!

If I wanted wood to wood I would accept the maintenance needed every three to five years probably if you play a good bit of pool but don't break with the cue.

Steel on steel will probably never need maintenance in one lifetime other than if you finish over the metal the finish may pop where metal meets wood someday.

I'm thinking I may build my next cue for me with very short caps or just a pad to protect the wood. Of course I may wake up in the mood to do something entirely different when I start cutting, the nice thing about cues is the curse too, endless options!

Hu
 
In response to the posts, "wood to wood vs stainless steel," here's an old time trick to soften the blow with metal joints. It also cuts down on wear at the joint interface on wood to wood joints as described by ShootingArts.

I recently bit the bullet and ordered a carbon fiber cue shaft. It plays OK but I felt more vibration than I like on some strokes. At the cost of these things I needed a way to make it work for me.

Back in the days when metal joints were first being used on two-piece cues many players didn’t like the feel compared to one piece cues or two piece cues with wood to wood joints. To soften the feel they added a thin cardboard washer, cut from something like a cereal box, between the shaft and butt of the cue.

If you’d like a bit softer hit from your cue give it a try. Zero dollars and cents to find out if it works for you.

I tried it with the carbon fiber shaft. Perfect for me. I determined I liked the change and cut a permanent washer from some automotive gasket material I had in my tool box. Drill the hole for the joint pin first, screw the pieces together, use a pencil to trace the outside of the washer, remove and cut just a bit inside the line to be sure nothing protrudes. Test it and if the fit is good you’re done.

Tried to insert a photo but haven't quite figured out how to do that.

Cheers y'all.
 
I prefer a wood to wood joint, preferablly with a big pin. Radial or 3/8X10 are my goto joints.

I can't really tell you why but those are the types of cues I lean towards when hitting different cues. I think it might just be the look, I am not a fan of the big metal joint in the middle of my cue.
 
I like steel because of the energy and strength of the shots. Any other joints I played with like ivory and wood it feels weak. Like more effort into the shots. It shows much more with the heavier measle ball too.
 
My cues are 5/16X14 SS. I went in that direction because:
1. Most of the best cues I ever played with were SS
2. I like my cues to balance around 19.5-20”
3. I wanted to interchange shafts and butts

What I learned:
1. Still true, but there are many great playing cues with similar hit that are not SS
2. I find more choices with forward balance using SS, but cuemakers can build similar balance with other joints
3. 5/16x14 piloted joints are not as standardized as I thought. I have some level of interchangeability, but less than I hoped. The pins are not all a full 5/16” and the pilots are not the same width.

I am happy with what I own. But I would choose the cuemaker first and worry about the joint after discussing with him.
 
My preference for a pool cue joint is exemplified by the cues in my signature.
Nonetheless, the OP presented wood to wood or stainless steel as a cue joint.

Absolutely wood to wood for the general feel of your pool stroke since it’s truly
a softer feel. For durability & a harder feel, then stainless steel is the way to go.
 
Add me to the big pin, flat-faced, ivory joint camp. If I only had your two choices, I prefer wood-to-wood, flat-faced, over a metal joint.

I do have different styles on my other cues such as piloted aluminum, wood-to-wood, linen, and honestly nothing comes close. Your mileage may vary, but try out a few different types before you invest.
 
jimmyco said:
I would prioritize the builder over the joint type. ...
Click to expand...
Exactly, and have the builder make the joint he feels is best. I consider best to be most solid and durable.

Joints seem to be one of the hardest things for cue makers to get right. I've had joints loosen, fall apart, seize up, and need various kind of special attention. I think it would be a mistake to ask a builder to use a joint he wasn't completely familiar with.
 
Bob Jewett said:
I've had joints loosen, fall apart, seize up, and need various kind of special attention.
Click to expand...

Been there. I had a Dufferin "Signature" joint (piloted aluminum) completely seize on me. It took two of us to unscrew it and I'm surprised it didn't break the cue. After that I've always used cue wax on my joint pins.
 
Bob Jewett said:
Exactly, and have the builder make the joint he feels is best. I consider best to be most solid and durable.

Joints seem to be one of the hardest things for cue makers to get right. I've had joints loosen, fall apart, seize up, and need various kind of special attention. I think it would be a mistake to ask a builder to use a joint he wasn't completely familiar with.
Click to expand...

Well said...
 
In my experience the joint has very, very little to do with the "hit" of a cue. It mostly comes down to the following (in order):

1) Tip
2) Ferrule
2.5) Shaft Taper

I've ordered and played with steel joint cues that hit soft and I've ordered and played with wood to wood jointed cues that hit super hard. I adjusted the hit to my liking by changing the tip and occasionally the ferrule. I've never had a taper changed but could notice a difference in them.

So, talk to your cuemaker. Order what you want. But if the hit isn't exactly what you want, change it. I'd be surprised if you can't get it there.
 
I can only comment with a cue that I have played with a lot. 14 years. Wood joint. No issues. Barracuda snooker cue.

Now and then I use another cue but difficult to compare. It would need the same type of tip and wear on the tip...then I’d need to use it for six months.

I can’t get the same accuracy and not nearly the same controlled English with a Pool cue. However, these are not needed in American pool with the big pockets and limited strategy. I ‘think’ a wooden joint gives me more feel but a steel joint likely more than adequate.

The issue with comparisons of cues is too many variables to isolate one. Each variable would need to be swapped out on a cue... then that cue used for months. Then, it gets even harder as the player is likely better after years of testing. Was it the type of wood? ferule, tip, tip shape, joint, chalk, cloth, table, balls...etc.
 
If I asked a cue-maker to make a cue using a particular type joint, in my case flat faced big pin ivory,
and he expressed any reservations whatsoever or tried to steer me towards a different style joint, I
would take my business elsewhere. This applies to every cue-maker I can name, both living & deceased.
 
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