Straight shaft, bent cue

H

hawkeye

Registered
The shaft on my pool cue appears perfectly straight (both by sighting down the shaft and rolling it on a table). When it is screwed into the butt, there is a slight bend to one side (again by sighting and rolling).

Is this likely caused by a bent joint screw?

I was thinking about having a cue repair place look at it.

However, the bend is pretty slight. I'm a rank beginner. The cue is about 20 years old. I like it but it is definitely an entry level cue. Am I obsessing over something minor?

Advice?
 
Roll the butt and see if the pin wobbles or not. If the pin moves as you roll it then of course the pin is bent and can easily be replaced. If the shaft & butt both roll straight, except when screwed together...then you need the joint surfaces faced off on a lathe to true it up. Again easily fixed.;)
 
Not as simple as I had hoped

Well...what I thought was a simple bent screw is not.

It turns out that the butt section of my cue is warped. The cue maker said he had never seen anything like it. I have no idea how this happened.

The cue is an Adams AH/20 "Sands", about 25 years old. As recently as 1 month ago, I had the shaft refinished. The cue maker commented on what a great condition the stick was in. The shaft was perfect straight. I had the shaft sanded and a new tip put on. The butt was not touched.

I play about once a week. When not in use, I keep it in a Joe Porper Oval 2x2 with a Bridge cue in the other slots. I treat this thing with kid gloves.

What would cause the butt to warp?

It has been very humid here (San Diego) recently, but the stick has been in a case in a closet. (i.e. never left in a hot car).

I've seen posts that speak about handing a stick to straighten the shaft, but the butt section?

The stick is still playable but the warp on my mind and therefore a distraction. I have the means to replace the stick, but I'm afraid to do so until I have an idea what caused this (so as to prevent a repeat).
 
sorry to hijack the thread, but HEY Mr. Varney, have you ever seen a cue that has a slight bend in the handle section only? I have one!...it rolls straight, plays perfectly, but when you roll it on a glass table you can see maybe 1/32" gap under the handle section. I dont think Im going to do anything about it unless I put a stack wrap on it or something...

Gerry
 
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