Please take a look at this cue.
- Thread starter poolchady
- Start date
That is fixable if you want to save the cue.
For some reason (person wanted an extra lite cue?) the butt was bored out way too much creating the weakness at the ring joint.
A cue makers mistake just waiting to turn into a full break with very little stress.
For some reason (person wanted an extra lite cue?) the butt was bored out way too much creating the weakness at the ring joint.
A cue makers mistake just waiting to turn into a full break with very little stress.
dave sutton
Banned
no thats not normal. its basically cored without being plugged for weight i guess. boggles my mind how the maker thought it would hold up
I wouldn't be too quick to lay this all at the feet of the CM.
What I mean is, the butt-sleeve didn't just fall-off all by itself.
The OP chose to use the word 'accidentally' and I guess we'll have to accept that because I don't believe that the owner would do this deliberately. But then again, this separation didn't happen while the cue was in the case.
What happened to cause the break? We don't know. We weren't there.
It's obvious that this was the weakest link in this area but just how weak was it? It appears to be an Ebony wrap area with sufficient wall-thickness so I doubt that would be the first thing to 'go', given this cue's construction.
The butt-sleeve tenon, for whatever reason, was hollowed. Was this entirely the CM's idea trying to remove every possible gram of wght. possible or at the urging of the buyer who ordered this cue? Again, we don't know.
This may have been one of those times where the CM knows better but did what the buyer was asking. That's why I believe the CM should have the right to say, "No, I won't do that" and be justified in saying so.
The wall-thickness of the tenon is the point of interest for me. The remaining shreds tell the story. Let's remember, this is not a high stress area. The varied length of the shreds tell me in what direction the cue was stressed and then broke. Unless my eyes (or the photo) are deceiving me, that tenon's wall-thickness appears to be at least 1/8" thick. I would think that to be substantial.
Many cues are built with a 3/4" butt-sleeve tenon. They are then drilled/tapped for a 3/8" dia. wght. bolt. Divide the remaining dia. of the tenon by 2 and you have the wall-thickness of the drilled tenon. Would another .050/.060" wall-thickness of the tenon have saved this cue? We'll never know. We'll never know because we don't know what caused it to break in the first place. We weren't there.
Bottom-line, and this has been stated, this cue can be easily repaired.
Who's to blame? Doesn't matter. Get it repaired with a solid tenon, accept the additional 1/4oz in wght. and move on.
No one's claiming abuse here but then no one is claiming that cues are 'abuse-proof' either.
What I mean is, the butt-sleeve didn't just fall-off all by itself.
The OP chose to use the word 'accidentally' and I guess we'll have to accept that because I don't believe that the owner would do this deliberately. But then again, this separation didn't happen while the cue was in the case.
What happened to cause the break? We don't know. We weren't there.
It's obvious that this was the weakest link in this area but just how weak was it? It appears to be an Ebony wrap area with sufficient wall-thickness so I doubt that would be the first thing to 'go', given this cue's construction.
The butt-sleeve tenon, for whatever reason, was hollowed. Was this entirely the CM's idea trying to remove every possible gram of wght. possible or at the urging of the buyer who ordered this cue? Again, we don't know.
This may have been one of those times where the CM knows better but did what the buyer was asking. That's why I believe the CM should have the right to say, "No, I won't do that" and be justified in saying so.
The wall-thickness of the tenon is the point of interest for me. The remaining shreds tell the story. Let's remember, this is not a high stress area. The varied length of the shreds tell me in what direction the cue was stressed and then broke. Unless my eyes (or the photo) are deceiving me, that tenon's wall-thickness appears to be at least 1/8" thick. I would think that to be substantial.
Many cues are built with a 3/4" butt-sleeve tenon. They are then drilled/tapped for a 3/8" dia. wght. bolt. Divide the remaining dia. of the tenon by 2 and you have the wall-thickness of the drilled tenon. Would another .050/.060" wall-thickness of the tenon have saved this cue? We'll never know. We'll never know because we don't know what caused it to break in the first place. We weren't there.
Bottom-line, and this has been stated, this cue can be easily repaired.
Who's to blame? Doesn't matter. Get it repaired with a solid tenon, accept the additional 1/4oz in wght. and move on.
No one's claiming abuse here but then no one is claiming that cues are 'abuse-proof' either.
If you look in to the handle, it looks jagged deeper in than if it was part of the break. In the butt sleeve, you can't see any matching shreds of wood, and the wall looks thinner than the handle end. Almost looks like someone ran a drill up there after the cue was built, and stopped it right after the rings. It's entirely possible someone other than the CM may have done this as a 'fix' to lighten the cue. That being said, I agree with the others, simple fix.
Dvae
Dvae
Whats the red tape on the forearm for?
The signature I think.
btw That looks like a good case for 7/8" ID metal rings.
IMHO, had the metal rings have a 7/8" ID, the tenon would have been a little stronger than 3/4.
Last edited:
Under the tape may be the makers name and true identity of the cue.
I would not go jumping to conclusions about this cue.
How often have there ben posts about getting a cue lightend, etc. Maybe it got lightend by other than the original maker. It does not matter.
But it is a good example of what not to do when boring out a fiished cue.
The reason for it failing is the glue strength on the rings.The amount of wood left was too small a section to have any strength.
A Balsa wood tennon could be used, it will keep the weight gain to a minimum while having very good shear strength.
I would not go jumping to conclusions about this cue.
How often have there ben posts about getting a cue lightend, etc. Maybe it got lightend by other than the original maker. It does not matter.
But it is a good example of what not to do when boring out a fiished cue.
The reason for it failing is the glue strength on the rings.The amount of wood left was too small a section to have any strength.
A Balsa wood tennon could be used, it will keep the weight gain to a minimum while having very good shear strength.
dave sutton
Banned
another break...just kidding
I never thought about the makers name...The reason I had asked is because I was wondering if it was broke there also. I have seen a couple cues that were broke above and below the handle both, but they were broke over the knee...
I would like to see what it looks like under the bumper...
I think the red tape is there to protect the cue from the rear chuck marring up the finish during a repair. Or yeah, it could be hiding a name.
Predator bores a hole into the tip end of their shafts, leaving a paper thin sidewall. Under normal play, they hold up through all the stress & impact the game can offer, including break shots. So exactly what is so bad about a 1/2" bore into the butt end of the cue? Nothing. In fact, it's pretty typical & from what I have seen is common practice in all levels of cuemakers.
The cuemaker had a choice to use a very weak & lightweight wood for a core, or he could use a strong maple & bore out the weight. His only other choices were to come up with some kind of revolutionary technique, or leave the cue butt heavy. In my opinion, he chose the correct method. I'm of no doubt that the butt is plugged solid for the bumper install. I also have no doubt that under normal play, it would have lasted forever & played just fine. Obviously, this cue was either victim to a temper tantrem or somebody used it to bash mailboxes from their car window. Or it actually could be an accident & was dropped at a funny angle from a fair height. But I have seen LOTS of cues at all levels built just like this & all seem to be just fine. I'd write this one off as a fluke.
Predator bores a hole into the tip end of their shafts, leaving a paper thin sidewall. Under normal play, they hold up through all the stress & impact the game can offer, including break shots. So exactly what is so bad about a 1/2" bore into the butt end of the cue? Nothing. In fact, it's pretty typical & from what I have seen is common practice in all levels of cuemakers.
The cuemaker had a choice to use a very weak & lightweight wood for a core, or he could use a strong maple & bore out the weight. His only other choices were to come up with some kind of revolutionary technique, or leave the cue butt heavy. In my opinion, he chose the correct method. I'm of no doubt that the butt is plugged solid for the bumper install. I also have no doubt that under normal play, it would have lasted forever & played just fine. Obviously, this cue was either victim to a temper tantrem or somebody used it to bash mailboxes from their car window. Or it actually could be an accident & was dropped at a funny angle from a fair height. But I have seen LOTS of cues at all levels built just like this & all seem to be just fine. I'd write this one off as a fluke.
Dave,
I like your perspective here. That makes a lot of sense to me.
I was wondering why there wasn't much of anything left in the butt-sleeve yet the ebony handle has plenty of tenon in it. Good call my man. You may have hit on it. :smile:
:wink:
This. ^^^^
Because the cm's name is on the cue he is unfortunately held responsible for most everything that happens to that cue after it leaves their shop.(by most of the general public) And the finger pointed at for everything even if it is not of their doing.
I have seen many cues that I believed to have been altered by other than the cm. I also have seen many cues not being used or treated as they were intended to be used or treated after they have left the cm shop.
Not saying this is the case...............just saying.
I have seen many cues that I believed to have been altered by other than the cm. I also have seen many cues not being used or treated as they were intended to be used or treated after they have left the cm shop.
Not saying this is the case...............just saying.