READING a SHAFT

[bbb]

i did a search on shaft quality which didnt get me any answers i was looking for
where can i find a link to pictures describing quality of shaft wood ie a picture of A AA AAA wood
and pictures in completed shafts of "sugar" ,rings per inch etc
in one thread the cuemaker called shaft quality #1 #1.5 #2
saying he never uses #2 or worse
where can i find a picture of a 1 1.5 or 2???
thanks in advance for any help

 

[whammo57]

i did a search on shaft quality which didnt get me any answers i was looking for
where can i find a link to pictures describing quality of shaft wood ie a picture of A AA AAA wood
and pictures in completed shafts of "sugar" ,rings per inch etc
in one thread the cuemaker called shaft quality #1 #1.5 #2
saying he never uses #2 or worse
where can i find a picture of a 1 1.5 or 2???
thanks in advance for any help

In my experience..... it seems like every vendor of shafts makes up their own system of grading. Cue builders seem to be better at it but not consistantly.

Kim

 

[pescadoman]

Call up Chris and ask him. That is who you are referring to with that grading system.

From someone who screwed himself by using Geof Dilley(the latest flop in cue suppliers) for his shaftwood, let me say that a shaft supplier is possibly the most important contact that you will have.

Call each potential supplier you are considering and talk to them. Then, have them send you a few samples of each of their grades and ask them to mark the grades.

You can then get an idea of what to expect from each supplier. You can do a search on here and find several suppliers in addition to Chris. I will say that Mr. Hightower has OUTSTANDING customer service.

Ideally you are looking for:

1. Straight grain from end to end with the growth rings and equal distance apart.
2. Even color. Some like white, some don't, some don't care either way.
3. Lack of mineral. This would be dark black or green streaks. You won't know until you get towards the final passes if they are throughout the wood, but many on the surface of a fresh square or round should be suspect.
4. Sugar marks. These don't affect anything except the look. If they are a distraction in the playing end of the cue, they won't matter. They are little brown wiggles that were caused by worms near the bark and when the tree grew filled in.