Do you think your cue is perfectly straight?

[cdavis9771]

Place your cue with the butt on the table and the joint laying across the rail, then roll. Notice the wobble in your shaft. Hey some guy that built cues told me that the reason for that is the joint isn't inline. He also claims he builds the joints that will stop that from happening. I am still skeptical about his testing but then again it seems logical. Has anyone have any comments or reasoning for this happening?

 

[tedkaufman]

I believe that is more an example of poor craftsmanship, not inferior design.

 

[cdavis9771]

I believe that is more an example of poor craftsmanship, not inferior design.

It is a mystery to me also. It is hard to believe that when you roll it on table it is near straight, but when you put it on the rail, as i explained earlier, it wobbles alot. Just mind boggling=)
So, how is Greenville these days? That is where is was born.

 

[Fatboy]

it mean the pin isnt centered thats all, the new cues made with CNC dont have that problem but take any Joss from the 70's and their all a little different, it makes ne difference on how you'll play

 

[Barry C.]

Place your cue with the butt on the table and the joint laying across the rail, then roll. Notice the wobble in your shaft. Hey some guy that built cues told me that the reason for that is the joint isn't inline. He also claims he builds the joints that will stop that from happening. I am still skeptical about his testing but then again it seems logical. Has anyone have any comments or reasoning for this happening?

90% of the time, what the tip wobble means is that the joint facings are not flush. It could even be caused by dirt on either the shaft facing or butt facing.

For demonstration, screw your shaft and butt together and leave it loose, slide a small piece of paper, flat, into one side of the loose joint, tighten with the paper between the shaft and butt. Now, roll the cue on the rail as before.

Facings are a relatively easy repair if you have a lathe.

And yes, the test could indicate a warpage.

Barry

 

[cdavis9771]

it mean the pin isnt centered thats all, the new cues made with CNC dont have that problem but take any Joss from the 70's and their all a little different, it makes ne difference on how you'll play

I have a 1985 joss that was custom made for Earl Strickland and it has a little wobble. Alot less than everyone elses cue that we tested. I know it doesn't hurt your play but i thought it was interesting. I mean if i pay 2,000 buck for a cue, i expect perfection. Thats all.

 

[whiteoak]

Straight cues/shafts

Most of the butts i have had with the exception of one older one were staight but as a very well respected cuemaker(actually 2) told me; most shafts that are played can "move" a bit but this is quite easily fixed.I have simply placed the shaft on the table,rolled it and determined where the "roll" is turned up,then hold the joint end of the shaft and gently bend it against or opposite the arch and rub it with a piece of leather to slightly heat the wood.It doesnt take much at all to overdo it but if done correctly it is relatively easy to fix shafts with a slight bit of roll.Prior to this i thought a shaft with a roll was just damaged goods.M.S.

 

[Mystick Cue Fan]

It is a mystery to me also. It is hard to believe that when you roll it on table it is near straight, but when you put it on the rail, as i explained earlier, it wobbles alot. Just mind boggling=)
So, how is Greenville these days? That is where is was born.

If you roll it on the rail and the tip is not moving when you roll it the cue is straight. Rolling it on the rail is odd sometimes because you're not always rolling it on an even surface. The taper on the bottom of the shaft graduates right around where you place the cue on the rail. So it could potentially always look crooked if you roll it a certain way.

Tony

 

[JamisonNeu]

story time w/question

This reminds me of a story. I was at a trade show working the Tiger booth with Stefano Pelinga and a gentlemen walks up and asks if he can use our table. I said sure me and Stefano went on break. I stood and watched as he was rolled the cue across the table. It's bouncing at least a half an inch up in the air. The buyer says whoa and the guy selling the cue told the buyer it's because of the compound taper, the buyer says oh OK. Now he could be telling the truth for all I know about cues. I tend to believe that since I have rolled 50 yr. old bar cue's across the table with better results that the seller just had poor ethics like so many others' in this world. Does anyone here know about "Compound Tapers" and if so, could you teach me the truth about them? Thanks
Jamison

 

[skins]

Most of the butts i have had with the exception of one older one were staight but as a very well respected cuemaker(actually 2) told me; most shafts that are played can "move" a bit but this is quite easily fixed.I have simply placed the shaft on the table,rolled it and determined where the "roll" is turned up,then hold the joint end of the shaft and gently bend it against or opposite the arch and rub it with a piece of leather to slightly heat the wood.It doesnt take much at all to overdo it but if done correctly it is relatively easy to fix shafts with a slight bit of roll.Prior to this i thought a shaft with a roll was just damaged goods.M.S.

unfortunately the shaft will go right back to it's warped state very quickly once cooled down and played with. once wood "moves" there's nothing to permanantly fix it. i asked leonard bludworth how to fix a warped shaft and he answered me and it went something like this (paraphrased):

you want to know how to fix a warped shaft? well i'll tell ya how to fix it. first you sand the shaft with 1500 grit sand paper to expose the grain. then you wipe down the shaft with a damp rag. you set up something to hold both ends of the cue. turn the cue and find the place of the warp and make sure it's facing up. tie a weight to the shaft with string so it pulls the shaft back exactly the amount past center in the opposite direction that the shaft was originally warped. let it sit overnight. come back in the morning. and hang the shaft vertically and check it in a few days. repeat this procedure until the shaft is fixed. then after 5 or 6 attempts you BREAK THE STICK OVER YOUR KNEE AND THROW IT IN THE GARBAGE BECAUSE THERE AINT NO WAY TO STRAIGHTEN A WARPED SHAFT, SON!!

 

[whiteoak]

Whatd you have to do that for?

unfortunately the shaft will go right back to it's warped state very quickly once cooled down and played with. once wood "moves" there's nothing to permanantly fix it. i asked leonard bludworth how to fix a warped shaft and he answered me and it went something like this (paraphrased):

you want to know how to fix a warped shaft? well i'll tell ya how to fix it. first you sand the shaft with 1500 grit sand paper to expose the grain. then you wipe down the shaft with a damp rag. you set up something to hold both ends of the cue. turn the cue and find the place of the warp and make sure it's facing up. tie a weight to the shaft with string so it pulls the shaft back exactly the amount past center in the opposite direction that the shaft was originally warped. let it sit overnight. come back in the morning. and hang the shaft vertically and check it in a few days. repeat this procedure until the shaft is fixed. then after 5 or 6 attempts you BREAK THE STICK OVER YOUR NEED AND THROW IT IN THE GARBAGE BECAUSE THERE AINT NO WAY TO STRAIGHTEN A WARPED SHAFT, SON!!

Come on Tim,what did you have to go and do that for?I could have gone on in my state of blissful ignorance and thought i fixed em.Just kiddin.M.S.

 

[despotic931]

unfortunately the shaft will go right back to it's warped state very quickly once cooled down and played with. once wood "moves" there's nothing to permanantly fix it. i asked leonard bludworth how to fix a warped shaft and he answered me and it went something like this (paraphrased):

you want to know how to fix a warped shaft? well i'll tell ya how to fix it. first you sand the shaft with 1500 grit sand paper to expose the grain. then you wipe down the shaft with a damp rag. you set up something to hold both ends of the cue. turn the cue and find the place of the warp and make sure it's facing up. tie a weight to the shaft with string so it pulls the shaft back exactly the amount past center in the opposite direction that the shaft was originally warped. let it sit overnight. come back in the morning. and hang the shaft vertically and check it in a few days. repeat this procedure until the shaft is fixed. then after 5 or 6 attempts you BREAK THE STICK OVER YOUR NEED AND THROW IT IN THE GARBAGE BECAUSE THERE AINT NO WAY TO STRAIGHTEN A WARPED SHAFT, SON!!

I just normally skip to the last step myself

 

[cuetechasaurus]

My buddy TATE here has a great method of testing how straight a cue is. TATE if you're reading this, would you mind explaining the process to us? You showed it to me a few years ago but I forgot how to do it exactly. Thanks!

 

[cdavis9771]

Most of the butts i have had with the exception of one older one were staight but as a very well respected cuemaker(actually 2) told me; most shafts that are played can "move" a bit but this is quite easily fixed.I have simply placed the shaft on the table,rolled it and determined where the "roll" is turned up,then hold the joint end of the shaft and gently bend it against or opposite the arch and rub it with a piece of leather to slightly heat the wood.It doesnt take much at all to overdo it but if done correctly it is relatively easy to fix shafts with a slight bit of roll.Prior to this i thought a shaft with a roll was just damaged goods.M.S.

The problem was not in the shaft. It was in the pin joint of the cue. Somehow it was not lining up in some very high end cues. We tested some schons,meucci,and a Joss. All the cues retailed over 1,000 dollars.

 

[whiteoak]

The problem was not in the shaft. It was in the pin joint of the cue. Somehow it was not lining up in some very high end cues. We tested some schons,meucci,and a Joss. All the cues retailed over 1,000 dollars.

I apologize,I read the post too quickly.M.S.

 

[ez2h8]

My cues are always warped except when I am drinking Jack and Cokes. Then they are straight as arrows.

lol
ez

 

[cueman]

This reminds me of a story. I was at a trade show working the Tiger booth with Stefano Pelinga and a gentlemen walks up and asks if he can use our table. I said sure me and Stefano went on break. I stood and watched as he was rolled the cue across the table. It's bouncing at least a half an inch up in the air. The buyer says whoa and the guy selling the cue told the buyer it's because of the compound taper, the buyer says oh OK. Now he could be telling the truth for all I know about cues. I tend to believe that since I have rolled 50 yr. old bar cue's across the table with better results that the seller just had poor ethics like so many others' in this world. Does anyone here know about "Compound Tapers" and if so, could you teach me the truth about them? Thanks
Jamison

A compound taper usually means the butt from the butt plate to the wrap where the forearm starts is one angle tapered and the forearm is a more sever angle. It may not have been the compound tapers fault the cue wobbled, but the compound taper will make a very slight warp look huge. If the butt plate of a compound tapered cue stays on the table the tip of a pro tapered shaft should never touch the cloth. So you can see any little warp in the butt or shaft will magnify tremendously when rolled.
Chris
www.cuesmith.com
www.internationalcuemakers.com

 

[pdcue]

Where is that horse of Smorg's

Place your cue with the butt on the table and the joint laying across the rail, then roll. Notice the wobble in your shaft. Hey some guy that built cues told me that the reason for that is the joint isn't inline. He also claims he builds the joints that will stop that from happening. I am still skeptical about his testing but then again it seems logical. Has anyone have any comments or reasoning for this happening?

The short version is:
unless you are planning to become a pastry maven, rolling
cues is meaningless

if you want to know if a cue is straight

1. screw shaft on butt snugly
2. pretend cue is a rifle and sight down the length
3. if you can not 'see' a warp, the cue is at least as straight as your
eyes are - no confuse due to complex shaft tapers, etc

Dale
ps in general, rolling a cue tells you mostly how round it is

 

[Bamacues]

I don't know about the rail technique...

...seems to me that most of the rubber rails on the old tables where I play have a little waiver in them after being recovered 100 or so times over the years. I am not sure how straight they would make a cue appear.
Joe

 

[BHQ]

unfortunately the shaft will go right back to it's warped state very quickly once cooled down and played with. once wood "moves" there's nothing to permanantly fix it. i asked leonard bludworth how to fix a warped shaft and he answered me and it went something like this (paraphrased):

you want to know how to fix a warped shaft? well i'll tell ya how to fix it. first you sand the shaft with 1500 grit sand paper to expose the grain. then you wipe down the shaft with a damp rag. you set up something to hold both ends of the cue. turn the cue and find the place of the warp and make sure it's facing up. tie a weight to the shaft with string so it pulls the shaft back exactly the amount past center in the opposite direction that the shaft was originally warped. let it sit overnight. come back in the morning. and hang the shaft vertically and check it in a few days. repeat this procedure until the shaft is fixed. then after 5 or 6 attempts you BREAK THE STICK OVER YOUR KNEE AND THROW IT IN THE GARBAGE BECAUSE THERE AINT NO WAY TO STRAIGHTEN A WARPED SHAFT, SON!!

best description i've heard and so very true.
it might stay straight for a little while but it will eventually bend again ​