New South West Warped??

ATM82

ATM82

ATM DAVE
Silver Member
I recently bought a brand new South West that was finished in 2011. Serial number 31311.

The Butt is dead Nuts Straight. When I received the cue 1 shaft was almost, I repeat almost dead nuts straight. The other shaft had some light variance when rolled on the table. Both shafts never have any movement at the tip or ferrule, and when the cue is together it looks pretty damn nice when rolled.

The cue I bought is on billiardwarehouse.com in the custom cues section.
Now I live in Chicago where it is very hot and humid. I know South West's are made in Vegas and I have heard it is very dry and hot out there. Should I think this cue is warped??

Strangest thing is now both shafts look the same???? Really Weird.... Is it safe to assume they will return to no variance, or does that just not exist. Should I be on the phone complaining to South West?

Any opinions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Anything can happen during shipping. I highly doubt it left their shop warped. If you bought it brand new and Billiard Warehouse is one of their distributors, I'm sure they'll make it right.
 
Should I expect the shafts to be perfect? Or is that really a rare thing? I wouldnt go as far to say the are warped.

Maybe I have unrealistic expectations. Cant stop looking at them. Currently trying to get Ed Young to make me a third shaft.

Thanks for the input.
 
Give it a couple weeks in the Chicago summer and see what happens. Wood needs to become acclimated to its surroundings
 
Thanks Paul I for the reply.

I was thinking the same thing.There are two South Wests on the site, mine and a fancier one. A guy waited 10 years for these cues and then when they were done flipped them right away.

You would think if you waited 10 years for a cue it would be perfect!!! But maybe thats very rare.
 
I'd let Billiards Warehouse know right away. If you wait, they may say it happened after you had the cue for a while.
 
rayjay said:
I'd let Billiards Warehouse know right away. If you wait, they may say it happened after you had the cue for a while.
Click to expand...
This is so true,the longer the worse for you,and yes you should expect shafts that roll dead nuts.All this stuff about taper rolls and jellyrolls is just a sellers way of convincing you your shafts were meant to be that way.A warp is a warp.
 
i will contact them. I just was thinking that wood is alive and different enviornment conditions can effect straightness.

Do you think if the cue builder does everything perfect than enviornment should have no effect on wood?
 
If the wood is cured and seasoned properly and not cut to fast,your shafts should not warp at all and if the wood is good and the process is done properly unless you toss them in a pool they should stay straight.I know John Morra has been going back and forth to the Phiilipines for awhile now and when he comes back to Canada his shafts are still straight.If your paying the big bucks anything less than perfect is not acceptable.imho.
 
I know of a cuemaker down here named Don Broos of DB custom cues,his shaftwood has been hanging for years and makes one cut on them and hangs them back up for another long stretch of time,and when his shafts are finally done after years of curing I can gaurantee you these shafts are as straight as steel rods.Its all about the process!
 
ATM82 said:
Do you think if the cue builder does everything perfect than enviornment should have no effect on wood?
Click to expand...

Actually, if a cue maker builds shafts that stay perfectly straight in many climates for a long period tof time, they deserve a standing ovation!

Some cue maker's can have poor practices that maximize the chances for their shafts to warp, but even the most careful of cue maker's will produce some shafts that will warp.

Climate merely exposes a shaft's tendancy to warp. The cue maker can do a lot of things right, such as acclimating the wood, properly stacking it to allow air circulation, taking slow cuts to allow the surfaces to acclimate, cutting during lower humidity conditions, not using wood that shows irregular grain or a tendancy toward warping (this takes experience).

Ever wonder why there are so many old Tad's that have dead straight shafts despite their long thin taper? It's no accident!

If you gunsight down an assemled cue and slowly turn it, you can easily see any variation in the shaft. If it jumps out at you, the shaft is warped (or the joint is misaligned). If you have to look hard to see it, the shaft is pretty darn straight and totally suitable for play.

Chris
 
Last edited:
Your cue is not warped. All wood "moves" with changes in atmospheric conditions. It is not reasonable to expect constant dimensional perfection from a natural porous material, like wood.

Roger
 
ATM82 said:
i will contact them. I just was thinking that wood is alive and different enviornment conditions can effect straightness.

Do you think if the cue builder does everything perfect than enviornment should have no effect on wood?
Click to expand...

I had a Szamboti with 2 shafts...when I bought it one shaft was warped.
...man used to leave it in his trunk...:angry:
I try to take care of my cues so after 6 months I put the warped shaft
back on...it was dead straight.:smile:

..so I think the cue may have to get used to the new environment...
I expect SouthWest to make a straight cue...give it a chance
 
Call Greg at Billiardwarehouse and explain. He appears to be a reputable person. Also if you are not 100% satisfied I believe they have a very good return policy. Follow up asap. Do not wait. You can start by emailing today and call Tues.
 
scsuxci said:
I know of a cuemaker down here named Don Broos of DB custom cues,his shaftwood has been hanging for years and makes one cut on them and hangs them back up for another long stretch of time,and when his shafts are finally done after years of curing I can gaurantee you these shafts are as straight as steel rods.Its all about the process!
Click to expand...

The shafts I am using today were bought in 2004 or earlier and have been turned yearly. When I finish, they are straight but when they arrive at their new destination occasionally, they may need a while to acclimate. Properly seasoned shafts will end up straight once they have acclimated. I've had two people in 20+ years call back with shafts that weren't straight but after a week, the problem went away.

NOBODY can be sure his shafts will stay straight at every moment in every new environment. Seasoned shafts will end up straight.
 
Paul Dayton said:
The shafts I am using today were bought in 2004 or earlier and have been turned yearly. When I finish, they are straight but when they arrive at their new destination occasionally, they may need a while to acclimate. Properly seasoned shafts will end up straight once they have acclimated. I've had two people in 20+ years call back with shafts that weren't straight but after a week, the problem went away.

NOBODY can be sure his shafts will stay straight at every moment in every new environment. Seasoned shafts will end up straight.
Click to expand...

Nice to have you posting.
I own one of your cues and never had a problem.
Would suggest, if you have a web site, to do a sig
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top