shaft retaper questions

jondrums

jondrums

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have a very nice high end cue that I purchased here. It came with two shafts, and I do enjoy how it plays, but I think that I would like to have the shafts retapered. I have never had work like this done, and this is probably a stupid question.

Are there cuemakers that will take existing shafts and retaper them to my measurement specs? basically, I have a cue with what I consider the perfect shaft taper. It has a somewhat smaller ferulle diameter. I could measure the diameter of my favorite shaft every 6 inches (with calipers) and supply those measurements for the cuemaker. Is this how its normally done?

second question: who can do this in the SF Bay Area?

Thanks in advance.
 
Yes & Don't Know

The answer to the first question is a definite -- YES :smile:

the answer to the second quesition is I don't know.....I would check with Kenny Koo (flyingsnail here) perhaps he can hook you up with the right cuemaker down there in SF :thumbup:
 
Every 6 inches is not often enough.
Every inch would be a lot better, and insure a much closer match.
 
jondrums said:
I have a very nice high end cue that I purchased here. It came with two shafts, and I do enjoy how it plays, but I think that I would like to have the shafts retapered. I have never had work like this done, and this is probably a stupid question.

Are there cuemakers that will take existing shafts and retaper them to my measurement specs? basically, I have a cue with what I consider the perfect shaft taper. It has a somewhat smaller ferulle diameter. I could measure the diameter of my favorite shaft every 6 inches (with calipers) and supply those measurements for the cuemaker. Is this how its normally done?

second question: who can do this in the SF Bay Area?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

If this is a high end cue as you mentioned, I would just ask for someone to make you a 3rd shaft, copying the taper from your perfect shaft. That way the others are untouched and it can't hurt your resell value of the cue. I would just take/send the shaft to be copied to whomever you decide to have do the work.
 
Excelent suggestion!!

shakes said:
If this is a high end cue as you mentioned, I would just ask for someone to make you a 3rd shaft, copying the taper from your perfect shaft. That way the others are untouched and it can't hurt your resell value of the cue. I would just take/send the shaft to be copied to whomever you decide to have do the work.
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Shakes makes an excelent suggestion. :thumbup: It would cost more to have a 3rd shaft made but it would keep the original shafts in "original condition" and therefore preserve the resale value of your cue.
 
plus just because the shaft is the same size doesnt guarantee it will play the same. every piece of wood is different. i often make 4 or 5 shaft for my playing cue. sometimes i get lucky and find my perfect shaft early sometimes it take me 4 or 5. no way to tell until they are done
 
thank for all the great replies.

This was a wedding present from my wife, and I will never sell it, so I am not concerned with resale value. She expects me to play with it, not baby it, so I really want to get both shafts set up just the way I want.

The original shafts are very nice wood with tight grain, so that's why I'd like to rework them rather than get new ones made. I understand they won't play identical to the other shaft I have - that would be impossible. Just looking to get closer to the same look, bridge feel, and deflection qualities.

Once I find the right cueman, I'll let them decide the measurement gaps, but it sounds like tighter than 6" is the call.
 
Call me tomorrow at 209-482-7768. I can point you in the right direction with several names.
 
jondrums said:
Are there cuemakers that will take existing shafts and retaper them to my measurement specs?
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Richard Chudy (Bay Area) - http://rc3cues.com

Dave Whitsell (San Diego) - http://www.westcoastcues.com

Pete Tonkin (Willow Creek) - http://www.tonkincustomcues.com


BENFICA said:
Call me tomorrow at 209-482-7768. I can point you in the right direction with several names.
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Can you post your recommendations here? Good cue repair work should not be kept a secret. :)
 
One other thing to think about is if the two shafts that you want retapered are not perfectly straight. If they have a wobble, and depending on how much wobble and how much you want taken down, the cue builder may not have enough meat to work with.

Also, are you sure the difference you feel is with the taper? Could it be the ferrule and/or tip?

Personally, I would have the original cue builder make a new shaft to your specs.

Scott
 
Richard Chudy, Jim Pierce, Uncle Larry, Tom Coker, Tony - owner of Edgies in Milpitas makes awesome cues as well almost nobody knows him as a cuemaker, Ned Morris (makes awesome shafts) and Carmeli (Morris and Carmeli are in So. California).
 
The folly of retapering shafts...its not as easy as you think!

Assuming the desired taper is possible on an already tapered shaft, retapering a shaft or shafts to someones specs with any accuracy would require a programmable CNC tapering machine AND spending lots of time taking linear measurements off of the desired shaft, writing code for the machine, and then performing some test cuts that would likely have to be run on other shaft blanks. IMO, not many cuemakers are equipped to handle the task. And, IMO, of the cuemakers that could do the job, not many would be interested because there is risk (of a mishap on original shafts), time, and very little reward. IMO, a cuemaker that could reproduce a given taper would likely be more agreeable to take on the task if someone was interested in a pair of new shafts. It's lunacy to think that someone is going to completely sand in a taper on an existing tapered shaft with any accuracy. When it comes to finishing a shaft, the best results are obtained when sanding is kept to a few thousandths.

On the other hand, if someone desires to introduce a bit more flexibility into an otherwise stiff shaft, the original maker (and others) can, in most cases, gradually extend an existing shaft taper until the shaft has the amount of flex the customer likes. This might be accomplished by sanding, or possibly re-cutting the shaft on the tapering system. YMMV. :grin-square:

Martin




BENFICA said:
Richard Chudy, Jim Pierce, Uncle Larry, Tom Coker, Tony - owner of Edgies in Milpitas makes awesome cues as well almost nobody knows him as a cuemaker, Ned Morris (makes awesome shafts) and Carmeli (Morris and Carmeli are in So. California).
Click to expand...
 
Ariel and Ned work from variations of a specific shaft profile. With some exception, they are not equipped to reproduce a given shaft taper. I'm okay with eating crow if I'm wrong!

Martin


BENFICA said:
Richard Chudy, Jim Pierce, Uncle Larry, Tom Coker, Tony - owner of Edgies in Milpitas makes awesome cues as well almost nobody knows him as a cuemaker, Ned Morris (makes awesome shafts) and Carmeli (Morris and Carmeli are in So. California).
Click to expand...
 
jazznpool said:
Ariel and Ned work from variations of a specific shaft profile. With some exception, they are not equipped to reproduce a given shaft taper. I'm okay with eating crow if I'm wrong!

Martin
Click to expand...

I did not know that Martin, it was just a suggestion.
 
I suggest measuring the shaft's diameter every 3 inches.
18 inches from the tip is all that matters imo.
It can be easily done on a cnc taperer.
X0 Y.256 gets a 13MM tip ( or .512 diameter )
X12 Y.276 gets 14MM diameter 12 inches from the tip on my cnc setting.
I believe Pete Tonkin has a cnc taperer and he's near you.
 
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