Yep. But remember, though, Murphy's Law trumps anything.
And, don't let Chris kidd you. He builds 'em as straight as they come. :wink:
How to examine if a cue's straight or not?
- Thread starter timothysoong
- Start date
Yep. But remember, though, Murphy's Law trumps anything.
And, don't let Chris kidd you. He builds 'em as straight as they come. :wink:
place the bumper of the butt on the bed of the table and the forarm on the rail.
now roll it, and watch the pin and joint....if the pin wobbles but the joint stays smooth then the pin is bent, if the joint wobbles then the forarm is crooked.
for a shaft just roll it flat on the table.
thats the first two things you do.
The third thing is you put the cue together put the butt back on the bed and the forarm on the rail again and roll it, now watch the tip of the shaft.
If no movement was noticed in any of the three tests then you got a fine cue....you would be suprised how many NEW cues FAIL these tests.
The rail dont lie,
Grey Ghost
now roll it, and watch the pin and joint....if the pin wobbles but the joint stays smooth then the pin is bent, if the joint wobbles then the forarm is crooked.
for a shaft just roll it flat on the table.
thats the first two things you do.
The third thing is you put the cue together put the butt back on the bed and the forarm on the rail again and roll it, now watch the tip of the shaft.
If no movement was noticed in any of the three tests then you got a fine cue....you would be suprised how many NEW cues FAIL these tests.
The rail dont lie,
Grey Ghost
Seems like a lot of good advice here. I should probably stay out of this since most people who have already posted know a lot more than I do. But, here goes: Keep it simple. Understand what you know and don't know. And, when you're faced with a situation you don't know use a professional. Doug Patrick has already posted in this thread. Send the cue to Doug or another cue maker, he is a highly respected cue maker. He will honestly tell you what's wrong with the cue and he is a skilled craftsman who can fix it if it needs fixed.
Steven
Steven
+1
The only time you should roll a cue to check for straightness is when you're about to hustle someone. :grin:
What he said
I'm with you. I think many people get anal about cue straightness when they should be worried about being able to stroke straight.
You watch bangers go into a pool room. They pick up cues, roll them for straightness until they find the "best" one and never look at the tip.
I'm exactly opposite. If I have to use a house cue, I look for the best tip and forget about any straightness test.
I'm with you. I think many people get anal about cue straightness when they should be worried about being able to stroke straight.
You watch bangers go into a pool room. They pick up cues, roll them for straightness until they find the "best" one and never look at the tip.
I'm exactly opposite. If I have to use a house cue, I look for the best tip and forget about any straightness test.
Anyways, my friend and I have been playing with the cue for days, I guess a good way is just to look the cue like a rifle straight down to see if its straight, cause rolling it just make it seem crooked. And the cue is perfectly fine when playing, and none of the misses are because of the crooked. Ironic huh? lol. =S
I have a old cheap cue. The butt is warped. There is about 1/4" of daylight under the middle of the butt when rolled. I will sometimes play with it and give it to guests to use. No one complains about it and some even say how nice it feels and plays. Some will ask if I want to sell it. I will then tell them to roll it on the table and they get all ticked and accuse me of trying to cheat them but then laugh about it saying that they would have never believed the cue was bent that bad. The part that is out of alignment is the butt cap.
I have heard that the joint facing could make a cue roll funny. Try it with another shaft that fits your cue. That will help narrow it down if it is in the butt joint of shaft joint.
I have heard that the joint facing could make a cue roll funny. Try it with another shaft that fits your cue. That will help narrow it down if it is in the butt joint of shaft joint.
If you were just a tad naughtier than nice this year, and Ms. Clause didn't come through with that new cue you were hoping for, then here's a helpful hint that may make playing with your old one a wee bit easier.
If you've noticed that a slight bow has developed in the shaft of your playing cue, do this. Place the shaft on a flat surface and rotate it until the top of the bow is in a verticle position. While holding it steady, take a majic-marker and place a small dot on the shaft at the apex of the bend. The choice of marker color is entirely up to you.
Now, when you play, have the dot placed in the verticle above the cloth for each shot, and you are guaranteed to be in perfect position. An added bonus is your ability to rotate the cue ninety degrees left, or right, to give the cueball added spin.
I hope I have been of some help.
If you've noticed that a slight bow has developed in the shaft of your playing cue, do this. Place the shaft on a flat surface and rotate it until the top of the bow is in a verticle position. While holding it steady, take a majic-marker and place a small dot on the shaft at the apex of the bend. The choice of marker color is entirely up to you.
Now, when you play, have the dot placed in the verticle above the cloth for each shot, and you are guaranteed to be in perfect position. An added bonus is your ability to rotate the cue ninety degrees left, or right, to give the cueball added spin.
I hope I have been of some help.
Some cuemakers frown if you tell them you're afraid to break with their cues
That's interesting. I know of some cuemakers (e.g. Dan Janes of Joss) that frown if you tell them you're afraid to break with their cues. They want you to feel confident in the solid workmanship of the cue, especially in e.g. Dan Janes case where he uses stainless steel joints, that you're not going to hurt the cue with a normal break.
Personally, though, I'm still going to use a separate/dedicated break cue, for if nothing else, I don't want to compress/mushroom/damage my player tip.
-Sean
That's interesting. I know of some cuemakers (e.g. Dan Janes of Joss) that frown if you tell them you're afraid to break with their cues. They want you to feel confident in the solid workmanship of the cue, especially in e.g. Dan Janes case where he uses stainless steel joints, that you're not going to hurt the cue with a normal break.
Personally, though, I'm still going to use a separate/dedicated break cue, for if nothing else, I don't want to compress/mushroom/damage my player tip.
-Sean