Das Cue-Boot
Active member
I was trying to reduce and adjust the weight on my McDermott cue, and was not happy with their approach to weighting, which requires you buy a lighter bolt (or cut down the one you have) in order to reduce the weight. For starts, they cost 9 bucks each at Pooldawg, and cutting the McDermott bolt is kind of a one way trip if you want to adjust back up a little bit. Here is a really simple, step by step way to modify the cue bore so you can put about 3 oz of the stackable Joss type weights in and fine tune the weight.
First, remove the rubber bumber and pull out the existing weight bolt with a 1/4 inch or 6 mm hex wrench. The bore is threaded to 1/2 x 13, one of the standard SAE thread sizes. Get a garden variety 1/2 x 13 tap and chase the existing threads. When you start to get some resistance, work the tap back and forth to cut new threads in the wood bore. When you get to the maximum insertion with the tap wrench, use an old machinist's trick and find a 5/16 or 8 mm 12 point socket. It fits almost exactly over the points of the 1/4 inch tap base, using every third tooth in the 12 points. Then continue to work this back and forth with a socket wrench until you run out tap length, then back out the tap and remove the sawdust you created cutting new threads.
This gives you about 4 inches of stackable bolt size, so you can go a little over 3 ounces, and get it down to about a tenth of an ounce granularity. McDermott bolts are relatively expensive, and get you only 1/2 ounce granularity. If you wanted to go higher weight, you could go buy an extended length tap (look on Amazon for an Uxcell for a few bucks, assuming you are only going to use it once. It isn't going to go dull any time soon threading maple in any case.) and take it as deep as the bore allows.
Insert and position the stackable bolts you want and reinsert the bumper. Should be ready to go then.
First, remove the rubber bumber and pull out the existing weight bolt with a 1/4 inch or 6 mm hex wrench. The bore is threaded to 1/2 x 13, one of the standard SAE thread sizes. Get a garden variety 1/2 x 13 tap and chase the existing threads. When you start to get some resistance, work the tap back and forth to cut new threads in the wood bore. When you get to the maximum insertion with the tap wrench, use an old machinist's trick and find a 5/16 or 8 mm 12 point socket. It fits almost exactly over the points of the 1/4 inch tap base, using every third tooth in the 12 points. Then continue to work this back and forth with a socket wrench until you run out tap length, then back out the tap and remove the sawdust you created cutting new threads.
This gives you about 4 inches of stackable bolt size, so you can go a little over 3 ounces, and get it down to about a tenth of an ounce granularity. McDermott bolts are relatively expensive, and get you only 1/2 ounce granularity. If you wanted to go higher weight, you could go buy an extended length tap (look on Amazon for an Uxcell for a few bucks, assuming you are only going to use it once. It isn't going to go dull any time soon threading maple in any case.) and take it as deep as the bore allows.
Insert and position the stackable bolts you want and reinsert the bumper. Should be ready to go then.
