Plugging a shaft

$TAKE HOR$E

$TAKE HOR$E

champagne - campaign
Silver Member
I have been experimenting with some Predator cues and recently removed a uniloc pin and brass insert from a SP4RW. I have taken the pin out of a lot of cues and replaced it with a 3/8x11 so that part is no big deal. What I am wondering is what is the best material to use in the shaft for an insert to tap to 3/8x11. I have heard phenolic and I recently done a Joss with a phenolic insert already in the shaft and it came out good. I have also heard maple. Coming from a cuemakers standpoint what does anyone think would be the best way to go.

thanks
 
I play with a shaft that I finished out with a phenolic insert and I really like it myself. It has never caused me any problems. Too bad the threads of the insert were probably too big to just tap the shaft directly for the new threads. :(
 
I have used phenolic, purpleheart and cocobolo and they all work great. And I have bought cues from you and they were great also, thanks again and hope this helps.--Leonard
 
opiesbro said:
I play with a shaft that I finished out with a phenolic insert and I really like it myself. It has never caused me any problems. Too bad the threads of the insert were probably too big to just tap the shaft directly for the new threads. :(
Click to expand...

That would have been the best but the way the brass insert is setup, the hole is way to big. The actual threaded part of the insert is 10.63mm but the bigger part that the pin goes into is roughly 12.?mm, it got a little elongated when I removed it. A friend of mine locally has a lathe and started out doing repair work and now is putting some cues together so I am able to get all this done right. The first time I tryed this was on a Meucci sneaky pete and we just went ahead and tapped the brass insert since it was not a piloted joint and it came out fine. I like the hit of the big pin a lot better and am thinking about trying a G-10 pin as well.
 
If weight is not a concern I would use Brass.
With non radial threads I would use Brass or spiral wound phenolic.
 
I have done it with maple and also phenolic. Usually I bore it out to about .500 and just plug with maple, and offset the grain of the plug, 90 degrees from the shaft grain. I have used phenolic and done the same, to me, I noticed no difference in playability. I personally like the 3/8 pin, I use 3/8x10, I don't think there is any measurable difference between 3/8x11 or 3/8x10, JMO.
Just make sure the work is done so that it all ends up centered properly on the butt :-)
Good luck hope all goes well,
Dave
 
Dave38 said:
I have done it with maple and also phenolic. Usually I bore it out to about .500 and just plug with maple, and offset the grain of the plug, 90 degrees from the shaft grain. I have used phenolic and done the same, to me, I noticed no difference in playability. I personally like the 3/8 pin, I use 3/8x10, I don't think there is any measurable difference between 3/8x11 or 3/8x10, JMO.
Just make sure the work is done so that it all ends up centered properly on the butt :-)
Good luck hope all goes well,
Dave
Click to expand...

After talking with a few cuemakers the majority prefer a wood plug instead of a man made material. I am with you on the 3/8 pins, whether it be 10 or 11, I have both and like them equally.

thanks for the input

Just to give people an idea of what I am doing here is a picture. The bottom cue is the one I am working on now, its just the SP4RW that I added ivory joint rings to.
 

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