Shaft straightening

runscott

runscott

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have a couple of shafts for a high-end cue that were supposedly straight when shipped. The seller is very reputable and I believe him when he says his employee just packed the shafts too tightly, but 2-3 months later the shafts still have the infamous "taper roll". Not saying names, as it was an honest mistake and I'm sure the seller would have taken the cue back if I had asked.

Any suggestions for shaft straightening? I've read that hanging the shafts from the ceiling for a few weeks often works.

The Jacoby Shaft Adjustment tool was suggested by a friend. While searching for one, I found this golf club straightener that looks interesting. Anyone hear of it?

http://hickorygolfworkshop.com/-tools.html
 
Shaft

I would start with the cue maker and see if you could send the shafts back and let him straighten them.

The one from Jacoby might work.

Years ago Pat Diveney gave me a super deal on and old Lake Salvage shaft that had some very slight color imperfections.

It developed a slight warp and I sent it back to him and in typical Diveney fashion he promptly straightened it for free and shipped it back. That was 3 years ago and the shaft rolls true.
 
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The Jacoby straightener will put a flat side on the shafts.

Instead of using the Straightening tool, I just use a heavy glove so I don't burn my hand.

I would not try this with a high end shaft. It's fine to use on a cheap Joss, Meucci or some other cheap shaft.


Wow...someone else packed the shafts for him? :confused:

To straighten shafts is tedious and tricky.

I have cues and shafts that's been hanging for years and they still aren't straight.





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poolguy4u said:
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The Jacoby straightener will put a flat side on the shafts.

Instead of using the Straightening tool, I just use a heavy glove so I don't burn my hand.

I would not try this with a high end shaft. It's fine to use on a cheap Joss, Meucci or some other cheap shaft.


Wow...someone else packed the shafts for him? :confused:

To straighten shafts is tedious and tricky.

I have cues and shafts that's been hanging for years and they still aren't straight.





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Click to expand...

Rats. This one is definitely high-end. It sounds like the previous suggestion of contacting the cue-maker is probably the best plan. I bought the cue knowing that it had a wobble in the handle, which apparently developed while the last owner had it. The cuemaker suggested hanging it for a few months (and volunteered to do it for the last owner). I was going to try hanging it myself, but was waiting for the shafts to un-bend on their own. Apparently that's not going to happen. There is also the issue of a large dog in the house who might view hanging wood as too tempting to pass up.

The good news is the cue hits great, but it's not my playing cue so I would prefer it be sales-worthy if it comes to that at some point.
 
Ak Guy said:
I would start with the cue maker and see if you could send the shafts back and let him straighten them.

The one from Jacoby might work.

Years ago Pat Diveney gave me a super deal on and old Lake Salvage shaft that had some very slight color imperfections.

It developed a slight warp and I sent it back to him and in typical Diveney fashion he promptly straightened it for free and shipped it back. That was 3 years ago and the shaft rolls true.
Click to expand...

That is probably the best suggestion. This cue-maker is very expensive and takes a while. But he's a great guy. It's good to know that a good cue-maker can probably take care of the problem.

As an aside, I bought an old beat-up Burton Spain cue around fifteen years ago, knowing it had a significant warping right at the top of the nose - in the few inches just below the joint. When received it was even worse than described! I sent the cue to Joel Hercek for a refinish and it came back perfectly straight. I was stunned. I still can't imagine what magic he did to that cue, but knowing he never lets anything out of his shop unless it is flawless, I guess I should not be surprised.
 
Get the Jacoby, use a piece of leather between the shaft and the Jacoby straightener, avoids possible flat spots.
 
lakeman77 said:
Get the Jacoby, use a piece of leather between the shaft and the Jacoby straightener, avoids possible flat spots.
Click to expand...

I am going to find a Jacoby straightener, regardless, as it is intriguing and I have a pile of bent/warped shafts that are almost worthless as-is. The Jacoby site lists it for $25 under 'repair'
 
I don't know if this will help, but is has worked for me. Store the cue absolutely upright; doesn't matter which end is up. I've acquired some second hand cues where one shaft may have had a bit of roll to it, and now doesn't, with upright storing. Also, play it regularly; I'm convinced that helps as well.

All the best,
WW
 
From my experience I don't care for the shaft straightening thing.

Of the two I have, one was straightened and the other one I suspect was straightened.
Although they no longer have the bend that is an obvious warp, the straightening process turned it into what we call an 'S' shaft, where so many inches from the ferrule there is an 'S' that probably rolls okay on the cue, but it looks awful.
One is a brand new Schuler shaft from the nineties
Beautiful shaft except it was warped.
The other shaft is a Schon shaft, new, worth trying, and both shafts were worth saving.
I guess the S is better than a bend but it still wobbles, and I don't like it.

If your shafts only have the famous taper roll and not an outright warp, I would just leave them alone.
In my opinion a taper roll is better than an S.
 
Funny, my first 'favorite' cue was an old Scruggs SP (a true one that actually looked like a house cue and didn't have collars or a butt cap) with a very obvious 'S' curve in the shaft. I just lined it up a certain way before each shot and it hit lights out.
 
Burton taught Joel cue-making and afterwards, Joel must have graduated Hogwarts
because he's a magician when it comes to pool cues. Damn, I wish I owned a Hercek.
 
Bavafongoul said:
Burton taught Joel cue-making and afterwards, Joel must have graduated Hogwarts
because he's a magician when it comes to pool cues. Damn, I wish I owned a Hercek.
Click to expand...

I feel the same way about Paul Drexler
He is a master woodworker
Never worked with Joel Herceck but one of these days the right deal on a Herceck will come along.
Maybe someone is selling two and we can go in together on a package deal.
 
cuesblues said:
I feel the same way about Paul Drexler
He is a master woodworker
Never worked with Joel Herceck but one of these days the right deal on a Herceck will come along.
Maybe someone is selling two and we can go in together on a package deal.
Click to expand...

Drexler is amazing, as is Scott Sherbine. I'm very impressed that Paul can remove the old linen wraps, clean them and re-install. I just figured out how to clean the old wraps - not perfect, but pretty good (I was told how :))

I have been waiting for the perfect Hercek and Tibbitts cues for many years. Found TWO Tibbitts in the last few months, which was kind of pleasantly stunning. My new opinion of them is that you can't have too many. Keep waiting for your Hercek - it will happen. I will eventually hang one of my Tibbitts cues out there as Hercek trade bait.
 
I will tell you what worked for me the only time I ever tried to straighten a shaft ....steam.

I was sitting at home one Saturday morning watching a wood working show on DIY. The guy steamed wood and put it in a form he made to bend the wood for rocking chairs.

The idea hit me if you could use steam to bend wood you could also use it to straighten wood. I set a big pot on the stove and boiled water for a couple hours with my shaft hanging over it. I then dried it off. Found the high spot in the warp and set it on my pool table with a thick phone book on top of it and a 20 lb bar bell weight on top of the book to hold it down.

I left it there for a week and when i checked it out and it was straight. It was still straight when I traded the cue 2 years later.
 
runscott said:
I am going to find a Jacoby straightener, regardless, as it is intriguing and I have a pile of bent/warped shafts that are almost worthless as-is. The Jacoby site lists it for $25 under 'repair'
Click to expand...

Make one, they are easy. A large stainless screw hook, and whatever kind of handle you like. They can be made for a buck or 2. ;)

24086254957_9e53643f4f_z.jpg


http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=402899
 
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there's really nothing wrong with a little taper roll

as long as the tip stays on the table, it's fine
 
buckets said:
there's really nothing wrong with a little taper roll

as long as the tip stays on the table, it's fine
Click to expand...

I agree with you, but that is a subject for a different thread. This one is about straightening shafts that have taper roll.
 
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