Does Density Mean Anything????

NINEBALLART

NINEBALLART

NINEBALLART
Silver Member
I am about to purchase a new cue. It comes with 2 shafts.....One is 3.6 oz and the other is 4.0 oz...The 3.6 is 12.92 mm and the 4.0 is 12.97 mm.....I asked the cue maker why the difference and he said, DENSITY.....My question is this.....Will they hit the same or will the higher density, or 4.0 shaft hit better???? Or am I worrying about this and it means nothing??? Any opinions????
 
I've met some VERY good players who were quite dense so, yeah, I guess it counts for something. :eek:
 
NINEBALLART said:
I am about to purchase a new cue. It comes with 2 shafts.....One is 3.6 oz and the other is 4.0 oz...The 3.6 is 12.92 mm and the 4.0 is 12.97 mm.....I asked the cue maker why the difference and he said, DENSITY.....My question is this.....Will they hit the same or will the higher density, or 4.0 shaft hit better???? Or am I worrying about this and it means nothing??? Any opinions????
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Think of Density as the Difference between a Baseball Bat made of Styrofoam, and one of Hickory. Witch one will produce the BEST HIT...........:D :D :D :D
 
heavier doesn't necessarily mean denser

Heavier doesn't necessarily mean denser. Also grain alignment, construction, phase of the moon the wood was cut under, time of year, all of these things or at least most of them are important. Bottom line, hit with both shafts and decide which one you like best or if they are equal. I wouldn't let four-tenths of an ounce of weight make my decision for me.

Hu



NINEBALLART said:
I am about to purchase a new cue. It comes with 2 shafts.....One is 3.6 oz and the other is 4.0 oz...The 3.6 is 12.92 mm and the 4.0 is 12.97 mm.....I asked the cue maker why the difference and he said, DENSITY.....My question is this.....Will they hit the same or will the higher density, or 4.0 shaft hit better???? Or am I worrying about this and it means nothing??? Any opinions????
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Well, the balance will definitely be changed. The 4 oz shaft will be more forward weighted obviously. Many people prefer the hit of a heavier shaft 4.0 - 4.3 ounces.

What you should focus on is what about the wood makes it more dense. The simplest thing to look at is the number of growth rings. It may be that the 4 oz shaft has more growth rings. See if the 4 oz shaft has a slightly darker color to it. It could be from deeper in a tree that was very large, underwent decades of compresssion, so is more dense even if the number of growth rings are the same.

What you should do is equip both with the same ferrule and tip and decide for yourself if they play differently and decide which one you prefer.

It definitely means something, and they definitely can play differently. But how different depends on a lot, and you will have to be the judge on if you can discern a difference to you. Two shafts from the same tree can have different properties and play differently because of what part of the tree it was made from.

My advice to you is use it as a learning experience, learn as much as you can about the properties of each shaft, and then you might realize you prefer one over the other because it suits your shooting style better or you like the feel better.

Kelly
 
I'd say don't let numbers sway your opinion. Just pick the cue up and hit balls with both shafts.........feel is WAY more important than what a scale sais.

Gerry
 
If they're advertised as "weight matched" shafts they're out of spec. They should be within 2-3 grams. 25.4 grams/ounce. They will probably hit different. The question is will you be able to tell the difference. I'd be a shame if you bought 2 shafts and only had confidence in one.
 
3kushn said:
If they're advertised as "weight matched" shafts they're out of spec. They should be within 2-3 grams. 25.4 grams/ounce. They will probably hit different. The question is will you be able to tell the difference. I'd be a shame if you bought 2 shafts and only had confidence in one.
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True...I think the shafts should always be weight matched when made for the same cue...
________
 
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showboat said:
True...I think the shafts should always be weight matched when made for the same cue...
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I love the fact that i have 2 shafts of equal size and weight. i alternate usage between the two so that not one is used more than the other. if there is ever a time for repair on one, i won't have to feel "inadequate" with the other.

Yay! my first post...:)
 
NINEBALLART said:
I am about to purchase a new cue. It comes with 2 shafts.....One is 3.6 oz and the other is 4.0 oz...The 3.6 is 12.92 mm and the 4.0 is 12.97 mm.....I asked the cue maker why the difference and he said, DENSITY.....My question is this.....Will they hit the same or will the higher density, or 4.0 shaft hit better???? Or am I worrying about this and it means nothing??? Any opinions????
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If the two shafts have the same tone and stiffness, they should play the same. But, he could have added .4 oz to the other shaft by mixing lead dust and epoxy imo.
So the balance of the whole cue does not change from one shaft 2 the other.
 
My only concern was that the cue weighs 19 1/4 oz. with one shaft and 19 3/4 oz with the other...I prefer between 19 and 19 1/4 and was wondering if the extra weight would feel too heavy for me....In other words, if I switch shafts will it feel heavy all of a sudden??? Or does weight matter that much if the cue hits sweet???? Sorry, but I have not been playing that long and you guys are very helpful and informative with your answers....
 
3kushn said:
If they're advertised as "weight matched" shafts they're out of spec. They should be within 2-3 grams. 25.4 grams/ounce. They will probably hit different. The question is will you be able to tell the difference. I'd be a shame if you bought 2 shafts and only had confidence in one.
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28.35 grams is approximately equal to 1 ounce.
 
NINEBALLART said:
I am about to purchase a new cue. It comes with 2 shafts.....One is 3.6 oz and the other is 4.0 oz...The 3.6 is 12.92 mm and the 4.0 is 12.97 mm.....I asked the cue maker why the difference and he said, DENSITY.....My question is this.....Will they hit the same or will the higher density, or 4.0 shaft hit better???? Or am I worrying about this and it means nothing??? Any opinions????
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My personal belief is to have two shafts within a couple of grams of each other (< .1 oz difference) if you want to have no issues about switching from one to the other.

That being said, you'd probably never notice the difference, but .4 oz seems like a lot to me. Consider that a lot of people will buy a 19 oz cue, will get by with a 19.25, but would never consider a 19.5 oz, all things being equal.

F
 
Given the same dimensions of the shafts...

ShootingArts said:
Heavier doesn't necessarily mean denser. Also grain alignment, construction, phase of the moon the wood was cut under, time of year, all of these things or at least most of them are important.
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If the shafts have the same dimensions and taper (same volume), the heavier shaft (higher mass) always has a higher density. Density is defined as mass/volume.
 
It's likely the denser shaft is stiffer, but it is not a certainty.

Personally, I prefer a stiffer shaft as I feel they squirt less. Despite the predictions of some cuemakers who proposed that a whippier shaft that bends away from the CB at impact will not cause as much squirt.

I hit a slightly whippy Meucci a couple of weeks ago and it squirted much more than a cue I bought off the rack for US$12 which has a nice stiff shaft.

So I'd go the stiff shaft. Then again there's an argument to be made for high squirt cues for the majority of shots used requiring heavy english using the BHE alignment method.

I'm seriously considering having a high squirt cue for soft close shots and a low squirt cue for longer or firmer shots. aarrrggghhh...more complexity:p
 
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