The 1st thing I do, when I get a shaft in for any repair, is roll it. If you do this & find it has a warp in it, do you try to straighten it? Do you call the person & tell him of you discovery or just put the tip on & ignore it?...JER
Repairing Warped Shafts
- Thread starter BLACKHEARTCUES
- Start date
lately, it has been just the opposite for meBLACKHEARTCUES said:
if i get lucky to get a straight one for a change, i call and tell them of my discovery
i haven't had much luck in trying to straighten a warped shaft
seems they always spring back right where they were
people bring shafts with wierd problems,,,I roll them while the customer is there,,,,I cut their old tip off while they are there*
*(had a customer who came back and said I had turned his ferrule off center,,,was that way when it came in)
............j
*(had a customer who came back and said I had turned his ferrule off center,,,was that way when it came in)
............j
This brings up a question i asked once a few weeks back but the thread went in another direction before i many responses to the original question.Are there, in reality, very many arrow straight shafts(soild maple,not laminated) out there that are used as regular players.It seems that wood by its very nature when used as a shaft would move a bit,not always the same way.I have several cues from guys i trust completely but when i roll the shafts on a table,almost everyone has just a wee bit of wobble.I would really appreciate some others thoughts on this.Thx,Mike S.BLACKHEARTCUES said:
whiteoak said:
yes, no, yes, maybe.
I have shafts that are "arrow straight" that are old enough to vote.
Some I made, Some I didn't.
2 of them are from a Hoppe that were made in 1965 for the cue's
original owner.
one more time:
there are several things that can cause a cue and/or shaft to
wobble when rolled.
Unless the tip hops up and down like a yo-yo, it is possible the
cause is something other than warpage - being non-concentric
or less than perfectly round are very common conditions
Dale
I see dead straight shafts as the exception too. I do get them ocasionally, but It's usually a suprise when I throw them between centers and see they are rolling completely true. I think a certain amount of runnout is exceptable when It's the norm, so I usually don't mention It, unless It's so bad that even I don't know how they could'nt be aware of It already. If It's within what looks like a reasonable or not so unusual amount, then I don't usually mention It, as to not put any negative thoughts about their playing shaft in their mind that may be unwarranted & could only hurt their level of play, but If It's bad Like I mentioned above I might feel compelled to mention It for several reasons. Mainly I hate working on warped shafts . BTW why are'nt We charging double for that? It's twice the hassle to work with sometimes
Retapers are another story, I always feel compelled to mention the runnout factor up front before I even see the shaft between centers. I pull most of the retapers back By hand, but still yet if It's warped too badly, I explain to them that I would'nt feel comfortable retapering them when they are that bad off & they would probably be better getting a new shaft altogether or using It like It is.
I wish I knew the trick for straightening warped shaft, but I have tried several methods, and was lucky if any stayed straight for more the three hours, and eventually they would go all the way back to the way the were. I have people ask Me all the time, but for me to try, It would be a waste of My time & Their money. I tell them to get a cue hanger, and keep the cue hanging at their house somewhere all the time until they go to shoot, and when they get home hang It back up until the next time. If they are lucky It might buy them alittle bit of time each evening If It's worth It to them. I did this with an old personal favorite shaft of mine one time, but did'nt take long before I moved on to a new shaft for that cue.
I had the shaft for probably 15-20 years and then just out of the blue a severe warp appeared one day. Probably got left in the hot car or something, It's been so long I don't remember, but It was never the same again after that no matter what I tried.
Greg
. BTW why are'nt We charging double for that? It's twice the hassle to work with sometimes Retapers are another story, I always feel compelled to mention the runnout factor up front before I even see the shaft between centers. I pull most of the retapers back By hand, but still yet if It's warped too badly, I explain to them that I would'nt feel comfortable retapering them when they are that bad off & they would probably be better getting a new shaft altogether or using It like It is.
I wish I knew the trick for straightening warped shaft, but I have tried several methods, and was lucky if any stayed straight for more the three hours, and eventually they would go all the way back to the way the were. I have people ask Me all the time, but for me to try, It would be a waste of My time & Their money. I tell them to get a cue hanger, and keep the cue hanging at their house somewhere all the time until they go to shoot, and when they get home hang It back up until the next time. If they are lucky It might buy them alittle bit of time each evening If It's worth It to them. I did this with an old personal favorite shaft of mine one time, but did'nt take long before I moved on to a new shaft for that cue.
I had the shaft for probably 15-20 years and then just out of the blue a severe warp appeared one day. Probably got left in the hot car or something, It's been so long I don't remember, but It was never the same again after that no matter what I tried.Greg
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shafts
I have to say that i have seen alot of shafts that have been warped, but what suprises me is when the but is warped on a cue.I am not talking about a cheap cues either. I have seen them on several high end cues. I must say that you pay alot for a Cognoscenti cue, but when you get it the woods are the best i have ever played with and worked with.Thanx Ron
www.lccsbilliards.com
I have to say that i have seen alot of shafts that have been warped, but what suprises me is when the but is warped on a cue.I am not talking about a cheap cues either. I have seen them on several high end cues. I must say that you pay alot for a Cognoscenti cue, but when you get it the woods are the best i have ever played with and worked with.Thanx Ron
www.lccsbilliards.com
I too prefer to test the shaft with the customer present. I not only show them the warp I make them acknoledge that there is a warp present. That helps to eliminate future problems. I also will not work on shafts that are severly warped. It just creates to many problems with some of the more unscruplious players out there. The best way to handle a severly warped shaft is to cutt it up for dowling or kindling.
Warped?
Could you explain how to determine,without a lathe,what the pros(you guys) consider a significant warp? My only "procedure" is laying them without JPs on my table with Simonis cloth and rolling it.Most of them have what appears to be a very slight bow in the middle section.Occasionally i will roll one that looks like a fish flopping on the table.The humorous thing is that one of the "floppiest" i have rolled was my sons favorite shaft and he is a strong player.I just never mentioned it to him and he swore by that shaft.Thx,Mike S.
Could you explain how to determine,without a lathe,what the pros(you guys) consider a significant warp? My only "procedure" is laying them without JPs on my table with Simonis cloth and rolling it.Most of them have what appears to be a very slight bow in the middle section.Occasionally i will roll one that looks like a fish flopping on the table.The humorous thing is that one of the "floppiest" i have rolled was my sons favorite shaft and he is a strong player.I just never mentioned it to him and he swore by that shaft.Thx,Mike S.
let me see...Predator,,,8 or is it 10 pieces of wood off of possibly 8 or 10 different trees glued together and hollowed out at the end...why are people always shocked when the see their Predator shaft wobbling away at 1200 rpm. I usually always tell the customer of their shaft tolerances. I guess I feel like I'm the doctor or mechanic and they are bringing their shaft in for a check up or an oil change.
I'm out & about in pool halls, taverns & various league venues. I almost always come home with more shafts, than I started with. When people give me shafts for repair, rolling the shaft on a table is about the only way I have of showing the customer, how straight it is. After showing him, he can't come back at me & say that somehow I warped his shaft. This has happened to me & I won't let it happen again...JER
JER,Please dont misunderstand my question,i dont have any problem with any of the cuemakers these shafts came from or anyone who has put a tip on or done any repair.I guess if there was a point to the post,it was just that most shafts seem to have a little wobble and at what point,if it can be explained from my simple table roll test,does a shaft have a "problem"warp?No displeasure or bad feelings toward any cuemaker or repair person at all.Thx,Mike S.BLACKHEARTCUES said: