Questions about wood selection of cue.

J

jrctherake

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Cue butt will be between 30.5" and 31" long.

I'm hoping the butt will weigh between 14.5 and 15 oz.

I'm wanting a forward balance between 19.5" and 20.5".

It will NOT have a wrap.

I'm thinking about one of the following choices:
.
1.
**Forearm = Ebony
**handle = Highly figured curly maple
**butt sleeve = Ebony.
.
2.
**forearm = cocobolo
**highly figured curly maple
**butt sleeve = cocobolo
.
3.
Same as number 1, but with highly figured Birdseye.
.
4.
Same as number 2, but with highly figured Birdseye.

I will be using a cf shaft with it.

I like a cue that moves the cb with ease and has a lot of feed back.

I'm open to any and all suggestions.

Thanks in advance!
 
Talk about handle dia & shape. (gradual taper from butt, or straight section, etc)
Do you have a preferred joint style?
Do you have a joint dia preference of leave that up to maker?

Above will be a factor in weight, balance and core material.

smt
 
I like radial pins.

I also like a thinner butt area.

I need the joint diameter to match my revo shafts.

Since I like thin butts.. I'm hoping that will aid in getting the weight down.
 
Also......

I'm thinking about having the threads for the weight bolt area be 10" deep. How will this change the hit/feel?

I like to have the option to change the balance point. That's the thoughts behind having the weight bolt threads so deep.

Thanks..
 
Ssonerai said:
Talk about handle dia & shape. (gradual taper from butt, or straight section, etc)
Do you have a preferred joint style?
Do you have a joint dia preference of leave that up to maker?

Above will be a factor in weight, balance and core material.

smt
Click to expand...
I like wood to wood joints.
 
First off, thank you very much for any advice.

My cue guy says he will build it as long as I want it.

Here are my questions:

1. Why do some makers not want to build a butt longer than 30"?
.
2. If a cue is fully cored (with hardrock maple), will ebony and cocobolo perform differently as a forearm? If so, what can I expect?
.
3. When used as the handle, will highly figured curly maple or birdseye perform the same ( feel etc) with the ebony or cocobolo forearm? If so, what can i expect?
.
4. I like steel radial pins with wood to wood. Will I be able to have the big steel pin if I have him make the butt thinner and still have the butt weight ~14.5 oz?
.
5. Also, what do you think about making the threads for the weight bolt 10" deep and the diameter of the threads the same as predators weight bolts? I like the idea of being able to change the balance/weight depending on what shaft I'm using.

Sorry for all the questions.

I want to be able to use a predator weight bolt system and be able to have more control over balance as I change shafts depending on my needs at the time.

I'm hoping that much hollowed out space (10") in the butt will not be a negative in feel or sound.

BTW, I will be using revo and predator z shafts most of the time. Both shafts weigh 3.8 oz.

If there is anything I'm not thinking about, please let me know.

Again, sorry for all the questions and THANK YOU for your time sir!
 
I have made several cue butts that were 30 inches long..... to me they felt weird and clumsy............ also they are sometimes heavy and feel unbalanced ................... I prefer to make a 29 in butt and make a shaft that is 30 or 31 inches long......... I have made a few that were 33 in long........... a long shaft doesn't seem to be noticed as too long of a cue............ it just feels better...............
 
jrctherake said:
First off, thank you very much for any advice.

My cue guy says he will build it as long as I want it.

Here are my questions:

1. Why do some makers not want to build a butt longer than 30"?
.
2. If a cue is fully cored (with hardrock maple), will ebony and cocobolo perform differently as a forearm? If so, what can I expect?
.
3. When used as the handle, will highly figured curly maple or birdseye perform the same ( feel etc) with the ebony or cocobolo forearm? If so, what can i expect?
.
4. I like steel radial pins with wood to wood. Will I be able to have the big steel pin if I have him make the butt thinner and still have the butt weight ~14.5 oz?
.
5. Also, what do you think about making the threads for the weight bolt 10" deep and the diameter of the threads the same as predators weight bolts? I like the idea of being able to change the balance/weight depending on what shaft I'm using.

Sorry for all the questions.

I want to be able to use a predator weight bolt system and be able to have more control over balance as I change shafts depending on my needs at the time.

I'm hoping that much hollowed out space (10") in the butt will not be a negative in feel or sound.

BTW, I will be using revo and predator z shafts most of the time. Both shafts weigh 3.8 oz.

If there is anything I'm not thinking about, please let me know.

Again, sorry for all the questions and THANK YOU for your time sir!
Click to expand...
1. Their lathes or tapering machines don't have enough travel.
2. Performance differences will be mostly psychological. The biggest difference you *might* notice will be sound.
3. Again, assuming good construction methods, and similar weights, the biggest difference will be sound.
4. 14.5 will be tough, especially using anything heavier than maple, and considering you want a heavy pin for forward balance.
5. Not many will have a tap or tooling to go that deep with threads.
The butt being bored out is fine, but you'll notice a big difference if you hit balls without the bumper installed.
 
Sheldon said:
1. Their lathes or tapering machines don't have enough travel.
2. Performance differences will be mostly psychological. The biggest difference you *might* notice will be sound.
3. Again, assuming good construction methods, and similar weights, the biggest difference will be sound.
4. 14.5 will be tough, especially using anything heavier than maple, and considering you want a heavy pin for forward balance.
5. Not many will have a tap or tooling to go that deep with threads.
The butt being bored out is fine, but you'll notice a big difference if you hit balls without the bumper installed.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions.

Have a very, very good day Sir.

You have been most helpful.
 
whammo57 said:
I have made several cue butts that were 30 inches long..... to me they felt weird and clumsy............ also they are sometimes heavy and feel unbalanced ................... I prefer to make a 29 in butt and make a shaft that is 30 or 31 inches long......... I have made a few that were 33 in long........... a long shaft doesn't seem to be noticed as too long of a cue............ it just feels better...............
Click to expand...
Thanks for your input.

I have a ton of experience with playing, but absolutely zero experience with the how's or why's a cue should be one way or another.

Again, thanks.
 
Thanks to everyone that gave help in a "respectful" manner.

I've got all the info I need now.

I tried to delete this thread so it would not irritate anyone due to information overload.

I've never (that I can remember) ask anyone anything in the "ask the cue maker" section. Most of you guys are 👍!!!

Even after all the questions, I still know less than nothing compared to you guys.

Again, thank a ton for your time.
 
Jeff,

Are you 100% committed to wood for the butt section of your cue?

Contact Goran Kobas at GO Customs and see what he can do for you.

I'll tell you right now he is setting up his cues to use the Predator weight cartridge system.
 
jrctherake said:
Thanks for your input.

I have a ton of experience with playing, but absolutely zero experience with the how's or why's a cue should be one way or another.

Again, thanks.
Click to expand...
Have you ever played with a cue of the size, weight and balance point you mention here? Seem unlikely that a cue like this is around you to try out.

Having said that be careful designing a Frankenstein, it may not behave like you imagine. I know you're a good player and my money is on being disappointed if you create what you describe here. Of course the more you pay for it the longer you will pretend it's not an abortion after getting it. You may even adapt to it in spite of it's shortcoming just for spite.

I agree that a full core cue is about the only way you will achieve the specs you want using the wood you want. I have a couple of sort of boring you tube videos on how I pre calculate the components of my cues to achieve weight and balance I am after using actual numbers. You have to use math, everything else is just a best guess. There is a reason the best playing cues seem to fall within a fairly narrow range of length, weight and balance. It's similar to how round is the best shape for a wheel.
 
What you're looking for is achievable.
I'm quite new in cue-making yet but I had some experience building not so standard cues for my needs and I can share some.
I'm tall and now I prefer 62" cue (even split).
For the time being I've already built three 31" butts with different weights which I use with my 31" solid maple LD shaft 3.9 oz in weight.
I like to experiment and that is how I learn building something for myself first to see how I like it.
The first butt (full spliced) came out close to 16 oz. The balance point was 52 sm (20.5 inch). This one was built using heavy and stiff woods ABW in front (extremely heavy) and Pau rosa at the bottom. I had to make it fairly slim when it comes to the taper and drill out some wood at the bottom to reduce the weight and I was happy with the result and the hit at the end. In spite of being pretty slim it is the stiffest and most powerful butt I've ever tried and the key was the combination of construction and materials used.
The second butt came out 15,5 oz. This one is more neutral balance but it provides the hit I like a lot too.
The third one was again the result of curiosity and desire to try a lighter cue. So tried it and got it at 14,1 oz and absolutely the same balance point as the first one.
I've used the same light G-10 3/8-10 pin for all three butts. Second and third butts were built on a full length "joined" core (for a desired weight/balance/hit). The major difference was in woods used. All my cues have natural weight (there is no metal in them).

Here is my opinion on ...if extra long butt make the cue to perform, feel etc. worse than a standard one...well I'm very happy with my results... it's subjective of course but I know for sure I would definitely perform much worse with any standard length cue no matter how great it is and I don't believe that combinations 29" butt and 33" shaft or 30 + 32 are better options for me to get a 62" cue. (imho)
Those who are 6.6 as me or taller would understand.
I've tried cues with rear extensions and after building my first 62" cue and playing with it I liked it much more. I didn't want to fit in what those big manufacturers offer ...which was one of the reasons for me to learn in this aspect of the game too.

P.S. Experienced cue-maker with good imagination will definitely be able to build a cue to meet your preferences if you could describe them as good as in this post. There are different options out there to achieve a certain balance. I wish you a good luck with this interesting project.)
 
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My thought is with your choices of heavy woods like ebony and cocobolo and wanting a steel joint pin. Even being cored you will probably not be able to use any weght bolt system at all and hold 14.5 ounce. But that is just my thought. Go thin enough with the butt and you may pull it off. But what is too thin for you?
 
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