Shaft Weight Importance

L

LHP5

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hey guys, just curious why the shaft weight is such a stressed out thing. In most of the for sale section threads everyone seems to want the weight to be around 4.0 oz. Is there a point where the shaft is considered too light? I know it obviously has something to do with the front-end weight, but what is considered the bare minimum here and why? Preference/feeling thing?

Techincally speaking wouldn't cues with metal inserts, such as 5/16x14 or uniloc, weigh a lot more than just wood-to-wood, 3/8x10 or radial, shafts? Also I know people in the past have mentioned that shaft weight can be thrown off by the silver rings/deco rings in the joint. So is there a true average weight that is considered best? Thanks.
 
Only

This is only my opinion and experience. I struggled for years with 5/16 14 shafts with metal inserts that weighed 3.3 oz. s .On the advice of a fellow AZ er I tried a wood to wood shaft and cue where the shaft 's weighed 3.9 and 4 ounces. The new cue and shafts made the game a lot more fun because now I was moving the cue ball with much less effort.
 
shaft weight is very very important to the cue and it's depend what kind of pin joint you have on the cue also.Big pin you want it to weight 3.7 oz or more but less than 4 oz or it'll hit like brick and for 5/16x14 pin just add .3 oz to that
 
I have heard a lot of real good players over the years say they would never play with a 4 ounce shaft, they prefer 3.5 - 3.7 maybe 3.9

4 ounce shafts are good for a sale because everyone is knowledgable to that weight, kind of like a 13mm shaft. People may not play with that weight or size of a shaft but it seems to be the good standard when it comes to negotiations. I have seen shafts 4.5 ounces and above and personally had one that was 4.7 ounces. Sometimes they even get close to 5 and then they fall into the "monster shafts" category, which is exactly what they are....better off using them to hit a monster over the head with than a cue ball :grin:

I have had a dozen Mezz shafts and all of them have been in the 3.5 - 4 ounce range with the heavier ones having an insert. I have had at least 3 times that many Predator shafts and the vast majority of them were in the mid 3 range with a few being slightly over 4 which was the shafts with inserts.
 
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Thanks for the responses guys. I'm just curious because I've seen a lot of the high end cue shafts well below the 4oz mark. Just thought if that was considered the best a lot of the top custom makers would shoot for that weight.
 
I just had two cues made and a 3rd is underway.
Two different cue-makers and both believe that heavy shafts play better.
Both cue-makers said they aim for shafts weighing at least 4.0 ozs.
I had five shafts made between the two cues just made...
4.1 ozs (12.7mm) 4.25 ozs (12.85mm) 4.3 ozs (12.9mm)
4.37 ozs (13.1mm) and 4.45 ozs (13mm).

The shafts being made for my cue underway also will have heavy shafts.
The dense wood used for my shafts plays more firm and has a different wood grain.
These shafts all play different than cue shafts that weigh 1/2 ounce lighter or even more.

You need to discuss this issue with a competent cue-maker and keep in mind that not everyone is.
So ask around and check with several different cue-makers on their opinions regarding pool cue shafts.
Then try playing and experimenting if you will with heavier shafts....find out for yourself firsthand.

But it's just common sense that my 12.85mm shaft weighing 4.25 ozs would never play or feel the same
(using the same taper, ferrules & tips) as a 12.85mm shaft weighing 3.6 ozs. which is more than 1/2 oz lighter?
Or my 13mm shafts that weigh 4.4 ozs versus another 13 mm shaft weighing 3.6 -3.7 ozs. that's actually more than
3/4 ounce lighter in weight. The wood used for cue shafts can definitely exhibit different properties and cue shafts
are a splendid example of that manifestation.

When I order a cue.....or even when I look to buy a used cue......the cue butt always must weigh under 15 ozs including
the weight bolt or else I will not buy the cue or even place an order to have the cue made. My target cue weight is mid
18 ounces and so if you ever find a cue..........or are fortunate to order one made to your specifications.........you'll get
a quick immersion into the finesse aspects of cue-making.

It's really this simple.........Get your cue specs dialed in really tight and then try finding a cue that comes close. There are
limitations when you buy a previously owned cue and you seldom find a cue that meets what you prefer.......presuming of
course you know what that is to start with. But remember that the shaft diameter and taper also play a critical role in
deciding how you rate the shaft performance.

Matt B.

Matt B.
Matt B.
 
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density

i believe this all started when the subject of growth rings was being discussed, most of the time the more growth rings in a shaft, the denser the shaft is and that most often means more weight.

as i build cues i see a lot of different shafts and most i make range between 3.7 and 4 oz for a standard 29 inch 13 mm shaft.

i built a 2 piece, wood pin, flat face joint cue made entirely of bocote, yes both the butt and shaft was bocote. the shaft weighted 5.4 oz and the entire cue was about 19 oz. now with this bocote shaft i could really pocket balls and make long straight in shots. i believe it was because of the very heavy shaft. i thought to myself, wow what a cue, THEN i tried to draw a ball. no, nix, nada. i could not daw the ball worth a crap.
 
Desi....interesting point you make about drawing the cue ball.....I've had the same experience.
 
My 2 Ginacue shafts both weigh 4.4 oz @ 12.66mm.

I prefer the hit of a heavier shaft and I also like my cue to be more forward balanced.
 
These are very interesting perspectives from everyone. I have been thinking about starting a thread about heavier cues vs. light cues which is similar to this thread but my question, well you can see it as soon as I start the new thread. Don't want to hijack this one any further than I already have.

Hopefully, some of you will subscribe to this other thread I am about to start.

thanks,
JoeyA
 
Choosing a particular shaft weight is important to get the balance of the cue right. It all depends on how the butt is constructed/weighted. On a sneaky Pete style cue which has the heavier wood in the rear, a very light Shaft (less than 3.5oz) can make the cue feel much too butt heavy and awkward. A heavier shaft will help correct this and make the cues balance more forward. Likewise, if you have a cue with a heavy wood in the forearm, such as ebony or cocobolo, and/or a heavy joint such as steel, a heavy Shaft (4oz or more) can make the cue feel uncomfortably forward weighted. Shaft weight should be carefully chosen to fine tune the balance and weight of the cue. Most cue makers will do this on their cues when they build them. If you are buying an aftermarket shaft, it is best to try and buy one with the same weight as the original shaft that came with the cue, if you like the balance of the cue with the original shaft. Or if you feel the cue is too front heavy or back heavy with the original, get a shaft with a weight to correct the issue.
 
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Bavafongoul said:
I just had two cues made and a 3rd is underway.
Two different cue-makers and both believe that heavy shafts play better.
Both cue-makers said they aim for shafts weighing at least 4.0 ozs.
I had five shafts made between the two cues just made...
4.1 ozs (12.7mm) 4.25 ozs (12.85mm) 4.3 ozs (12.9mm)
4.37 ozs (13.1mm) and 4.45 ozs (13mm).

The shafts being made for my cue underway also will have heavy shafts.
The dense wood used for my shafts plays more firm and has a different wood grain.
These shafts all play different than cue shafts that weigh 1/2 ounce lighter or even more.

You need to discuss this issue with a competent cue-maker and keep in mind that not everyone is.
So ask around and check with several different cue-makers on their opinions regarding pool cue shafts.
Then try playing and experimenting if you will with heavier shafts....find out for yourself firsthand.

But it's just common sense that my 12.85mm shaft weighing 4.25 ozs would never play or feel the same
(using the same taper, ferrules & tips) as a 12.85mm shaft weighing 3.6 ozs. which is more than 1/2 oz lighter?
Or my 13mm shafts that weigh 4.4 ozs versus another 13 mm shaft weighing 3.6 -3.7 ozs. that's actually more than
3/4 ounce lighter in weight. The wood used for cue shafts can definitely exhibit different properties and cue shafts
are a splendid example of that manifestation.

When I order a cue.....or even when I look to buy a used cue......the cue butt always must weigh under 15 ozs including
the weight bolt or else I will not buy the cue or even place an order to have the cue made. My target cue weight is mid
18 ounces and so if you ever find a cue..........or are fortunate to order one made to your specifications.........you'll get
a quick immersion into the finesse aspects of cue-making.

It's really this simple.........Get your cue specs dialed in really tight and then try finding a cue that comes close. There are
limitations when you buy a previously owned cue and you seldom find a cue that meets what you prefer.......presuming of
course you know what that is to start with. But remember that the shaft diameter and taper also play a critical role in
deciding how you rate the shaft performance.

Matt B.

Matt B.
Matt B.
Click to expand...
I completely agree. A lighter cue which is forward-balanced is both nimble in overall weight, but hits more accurately and consistently, like a heavier cue. Best of both worlds.

Who are the cue makers who prefer heavier shafts that you referenced?
 
Weight is personal choice, like diameter.

Think reason I like 13mm is as I age, hand don’t work like young man’s.
 
Just my opinion but I like a cue that has enough forward weight to remain stable with an open bridge. Too light in the front and the cue tends to float off my bridge hand.
 
LHP5 said:
Hey guys, just curious why the shaft weight is such a stressed out thing. In most of the for sale section threads everyone seems to want the weight to be around 4.0 oz. Is there a point where the shaft is considered too light? I know it obviously has something to do with the front-end weight, but what is considered the bare minimum here and why? Preference/feeling thing?

Techincally speaking wouldn't cues with metal inserts, such as 5/16x14 or uniloc, weigh a lot more than just wood-to-wood, 3/8x10 or radial, shafts? Also I know people in the past have mentioned that shaft weight can be thrown off by the silver rings/deco rings in the joint. So is there a true average weight that is considered best? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Aside from the balance, a heavier shaft means denser wood which in theory means it will nave a "nicer" hit feel or more "solid" hit. All personal opinion of course if that is a bonus. Also the denser woods tend to be older, all of the things that go with it, chemical and physical differences that affect flexibility and hit feel, strength, simply desirability for the wood quality.
 
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