Plain, forward balanced break cue..advice?

T

txironhead

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have been looking at several "heavy" break cues. Most just seem to have a basic 13mm hard rock maple shaft and a butt full of weight bolts. I'm looking for a more forward-balanced heavy stick, and have come up with a simple design that I hope to have made soon. However, before I part with my money, I'm trying to get as much advice as possible on how the cue should be designed to get the results I am looking for.

Originally I had toyed with the idea of using Ebony, but after research and input I discovered purpleheart would offer just about the same benefit with better stability and longevity. Cheaper, too.

So here's what I have come up with so far on my break cue design:

Plain, dark stained solid purpleheart butt, wood joint, 3/8"-10 stainless pin, either no butt collar or a simple black collar, black bumper. 30" purpleheart shaft, wood joint, very stiff taper, phenolic ferrule, 14mm Samsara or Icebreaker tip. Basically, this will be a long, plain dark stick of purpleheart with black bits on either end when assembled.

A few design considerations I'm curious about:

I love the hit of the 3/8"-10 pin, but it's not written in stone. Recommended?


Smooth interior ferrule or screw-on ferrule?

Most breaks have shorter ferrules, is this an advantage?

I'm hoping the finished weight will be around 25-26oz. with the weight as center-balanced as possible. (Anterior balanced?) I'm also considering having 2oz of weight bolts in butt, so I can have some adjustability. Is this goal feasible?

Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated. While I'm mainly wanting this as an 8ball breaker, it would be interesting to see how a sledgehammer like this would work as opposed to the 19oz I currently use for breaking in 9ball.
 
I've been toying around with the idea of using tungsten cylinders. 3/8" diameter. Tungsten weighs twice as much as lead, so it takes up 1/2 the space. Get the weight close to what you want, then fine tune it with standard weight bolts.
 
I think you have a very good prototype described for a breaker. It probably won't see 25 oz. without some weight bolts but weight bolts will not give you the center balanced feel you are looking for by themselves either. I build break shafts out of purpleheart, although I'm certainly not the first to do that. I have one on my personal breaker and love it. I also like a 3/8 X 10 pin for breaking, but again,that is my preference. I would go with a stiffer joint, phenolic maybe, or for more weight-steel. Good luck with your build.

Merry Christmas,
Alan
Phelps Custom Cues
 
Interesting idea about the tungsten. I wonder how much extra it would be, and if there was some way to incorporate it into the area under the joint.

*edit* After looking around, it would most likely be a custom made and/or ordered item, and pricey.

How much does a steel joint weigh? Most break cues I've seen are straight wood to wood with no collar. I figured there must be a reason, but then most break cues are considerably cheaper than their shooting counterparts and it may just be a cost issue. I know the purpleheart shaft adds an easy 1-2oz, more with the 30" 14mm stiff taper. If I went with the steel collar I'd still want a true wood to wood joint, and I'd really like it if I could get the collar in black. If not I'd go with the phenolic.

Honestly, I'd sacrifice an ounce or two to get the balance and hit I want. I think the fulcrum point is more important in this design than anything.

Merry Christmas everyone. Appreciate the advice so far!
 
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Steel about 1.5 oz, brass about 1.7 oz. before being trimmed to size.

Hope that helps,
Alan
 
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