Shaft questions for the cuemakers.....

[sluggerknuckles]

I purchased an old huebler some time ago and loved it so much a purchased several more. The others don't hit as well as the first one a bought and I am not thrilled about some of the shafts due to the roughness and thickness.

My question is....is it better to send out the original shaft to get it fixed and tapered down or would it be better just to contact a cue-maker and have him make a new one?

Does tapering down an older piece of wood affect the stability of the wood?

Lastly, why do so many professional players play with shafts 12mm or less but most cues come with diameters 13mm or more?

Thanks for the help.

 

[rhncue]

I purchased an old huebler some time ago and loved it so much a purchased several more. The others don't hit as well as the first one a bought and I am not thrilled about some of the shafts due to the roughness and thickness.

My question is....is it better to send out the original shaft to get it fixed and tapered down or would it be better just to contact a cue-maker and have him make a new one?

Does tapering down an older piece of wood affect the stability of the wood?

Lastly, why do so many professional players play with shafts 12mm or less but most cues come with diameters 13mm or more?

Thanks for the help.

I'll give you a few reasons although some here may disagree.
If I were in your shoes I would have your present shafts re-tapered to a size and profile that you like.
As far as stability, chances are good that the re-taper won't affect the shafts stability but it might. There are no guarantees with wood. Over the years most cue makers and manufacturers have settled on 13mm as the standard size of new shafts. This size does a couple of things. It is large enough where most players can have the shaft re-tapered to their liking. The bigger, 13mm shaft, is easier to maintain straightness during manufacturing. Years ago, most cues were built with much smaller diameters than 13mm. Most old Titelist cues had were much smaller than 13mm.
I build custom cues and have found that at least 80% of those ordering a cue from me ask for something less than 13mm.

Dick