radial style joint durability?

T

txironhead

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was looking at some Dale Perry cues on Ebay and noticed the picture and description of his radial style joints.

Disclaimer: I'm still very much a greenhorn when it comes to cues. I'm trying to learn as much as possible before I buy my next cue. :grin:

My question is: Doesn't the wooden "female" section of the joint wear out quickly? All of the cues I can remember seeing had a metal pin and metal threaded insert. (just yesterday saw an Outlaw cue with the quick-connect setup, didn't exactly strike me as the most stable setup either, but that's just me) I understand DP cues are high quality, I have a friend that loves his, but he has an OB2 shaft on it.

I've done carpentry and construction, and I know how easily a screw can strip out a hole in wood. Granted, I've never used hard rock maple as a door jamb, but the concept remains. I know hard woods tent to chip instead of splinter like softer woods.
 
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Hi,

You question is estute and noteworthy.

Every metal pin that interfaces a material of a lesser hardness will have a propensity to create a some degree of wear action when placed in a dynamic rotation. After a break in period the wood or insert material becomes burnished and if treated correctly does not create a denegrating situation and should hold up for the life of the cue.

The bigger question is does the pin create the tension to makes the solid face up of the joint. This is it's prime engineering directive in cue joinery.

I guess the better question is what pin material interface combo is the best. If you ask any cue maker this question the answer will be the combo he uses. LOL

The radial pin you mention is near or at the top of any short list for sure.

JMO,

Rick G
 
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I have been using Radial pins since around 2004. They have proven to be a strong, reliable joint pin over long periods of time. I have used them in hundreds of cues over the years. The Radial pin is called the "radial" pin due to the round shape of the threads. The Radial threads are round instead of v-cut. When tapping wood for Radial threads, you will notice that the wooden threads inside the shaft are much larger and thicker than v-cut wooden threads. The round shape, along with the extra material within the thread, make for a very strong wooden thread which can easily last a very long time.

In the case of a playing cue, I would see no reason Radial wooden threads should "wear out" any sooner than a brass insert. In a break cue, I would advise that the threads should last a long time, but could be more vulnerable to eventually cracking. I have a process for cutting Radial threads that has seemed to be very reliable over the last decade or so. I tap the threads with the Radial tap, then I liberally apply thin cyanoacrylate into the threaded hole. The thin CA will soak into the freshly cut threads and make their surface strength very strong and hard. I let the CA cure for ten minutes or so. I then re-tap the threads with the Radial tap to clean out any excess CA. This results in a very strong (but sometimes squeaky) wooden thread. A bit of forehead oil on the Radial pin seems to solve any squeaks :)

Hope this helps!
 
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Gabraael said:
I have been using Radial pins since around 2004. They have proven to be a strong, reliable joint pin over long periods of time. I have used them in hundreds of cues over the years. The Radial pin is called the "radial" pin due to the round shape of the threads. The Radial threads are round instead of v-cut. When tapping wood for Radial threads, you will notice that the wooden threads inside the shaft are much larger and thicker than v-cut wooden threads. The round shape, along with the extra material within the thread, make for a very strong wooden thread which can easily last a very long time.

In the case of a playing cue, I would see no reason Radial wooden threads should "wear out" any sooner than a brass insert. In a break cue, I would advise that the threads should last a long time, but could be more vulnerable to eventually cracking. I have a process for cutting Radial threads that has seemed to be very reliable over the last decade or so. I tap the threads with the Radial tap, then I liberally apply thin cyanoacrylate into the threaded hole. The thin CA will soak into the freshly cut threads and make their surface strength very strong and hard. I let the CA cure for ten minutes or so. I then re-tap the threads with the Radial tap to clean out any excess CA. This results in a very strong (but sometimes squeaky) wooden thread. A bit of forehead oil on the Radial pin seems to solve any squeaks :)

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing that.

Rick
 
I have quite a few cues with metal to wood joints. I actually prefer them. I've put them together and taken them apart many times and they are still tight. I think that as the previous posters said, if done correctly, they will last a long time.

Thanks for the input SC and Gabraael, very informative to the layman
 
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