universal shaft

whammo57

whammo57

Kim Walker
Silver Member
I had a guy tell me that he has had 6 tips pop off his cue in the last year. He has them put on by 3 different people.

We all know that the problem is most likely not the glue, the tip, or the installation.

So I said .... "It won't pop of if I put it on." good idea.... huh?

Well, I faced the end of the ferrule and I saw that it was a big tenon like a Meucci with an uncapped ferrule. The ferule cut like it was a piece of granite. So I turned the ferrule off and found a 2 or 3 piece tenon like nothing I have ever seen before.... (see pic)

I replaced the ferrule with a threaded and capped juma and put on a med ultraskin tip.

I also saw that the shaft is actually a 2 piece spliced shaft... strange.

Are all universal shafts built like this????


CIMG1056_zps9af85437.jpg


CIMG1055_zpsbb066b94.jpg


Kim
 
I can't help you, never seen a smart shaft in real life.
I have seen a Varney that had a two tone ferrule.
 
http://www.universalsmartshaft.com/

From that website, it looks like the shaft had the Low Squirt ferrule.
It also shows that the shaft has a piezoelectric fabric underneath the 8 piece construction. The one piece maple looks like it extends into the core of the 8 piece splices.
 
The low squirt version has had some ferrule durability problems from what I have heard.

The Smart Shaft is probably the most highly engineered shaft out there actually. Stroud designed it....


I have been very interested in trying one but as yet have not.

I would venture to guess that altering the ferrule would alter the playing characteristics...probably leaning away from squirt reduction...I would guess.


.
 
whammo57 said:
I had a guy tell me that he has had 6 tips pop off his cue in the last year. He has them put on by 3 different people.

We all know that the problem is most likely not the glue, the tip, or the installation.

So I said .... "It won't pop of if I put it on." good idea.... huh?

Well, I faced the end of the ferrule and I saw that it was a big tenon like a Meucci with an uncapped ferrule. The ferule cut like it was a piece of granite. So I turned the ferrule off and found a 2 or 3 piece tenon like nothing I have ever seen before.... (see pic)

I replaced the ferrule with a threaded and capped juma and put on a med ultraskin tip.

I also saw that the shaft is actually a 2 piece spliced shaft... strange.

Are all universal shafts built like this????


CIMG1056_zps9af85437.jpg


CIMG1055_zpsbb066b94.jpg


Kim
Click to expand...

By doing what you did to the ferrule end of the shaft and putting on that style ferrule you have destroyed the shat as a low squirt shaft.

All Universal shafts are an 8 piece radial splice.

Bill Stroud
 
bstroud said:
By doing what you did to the ferrule end of the shaft and putting on that style ferrule you have destroyed the shat as a low squirt shaft.

All Universal shafts are an 8 piece radial splice.

Bill Stroud
Click to expand...

Do you really think that a juma ferrule weighs a measurable amount more than the one that was on it??????

I just don't believe that any player will notice the difference. If anything, it will hit better than before. One thing I do know is that the tip will stay on it.

Kim
 
Kim,

It's not just the weight that makes the difference.

A lot of research went into the ferrule design of the Universal Smart Shaft.

The brown wood that you thoughtlessly cut away is extremely light yet extremely hard on the end grain.

The ferrule material has a high modulus of elasticity so that it deforms easily and then returns to its' original position.

Lastly, the thin wall ferrule design permits the ferrule to deform more easily and produces less squirt.

Add all these details together and you get a very low squirt shaft.

It's not just mass or weight (as you incorrectly described it).

Bill Stroud
 
Hey Kim,

You should of called me. I taught Bill everything he knows about the subject, LOL.

Seriously, Thanks Bill for sharing that insight about your inventive process and experience. We all get smarter when you share your knowledge and it is very much appreciated.

Rick
 
OK... so I guess I ruined it or I at least I defeated the original intent.

If it's any consolation, the guy that owns it thinks it plays great.

Kim
 
whammo57 said:
OK... so I guess I ruined it or I at least I defeated the original intent.

If it's any consolation, the guy that owns it thinks it plays great.

Kim
Click to expand...

Alot of players can't adjust to LD shafts so you probably did him a favor. :thumbup:
 
Mitchxout said:
Alot of players can't adjust to LD shafts so you probably did him a favor. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

I agree with you.

It took me a long time to make the change.
Having said that, I would never go back.

Pool is a game of simple. Anything you can do to make it simpler is a good thing.

Bill Stroud
 
Am I the only one that is confused as hell about the piezoelectric fabric? I know about the piezoelectric click lighters on grills, but I had to look it up on Wikipedia for a full understanding in piezoelectricity, which is basically electricity resulting from pressure.

So... The million dollar question: What the hell is piezoelectric fabric doing inside a pool cue shaft? For the love of God, please don't tell me the extra electrons built up from the pressure of hitting the cue ball helps reduce squirt, increases English, and/or improves shot accuracy.

Damn, do I have to start installing AA batteries in the butt of my cues now?!?
 
jschelin99 said:
..... I had to look it up on Wikipedia for a full understanding in piezoelectricity ....
Click to expand...

I am sorry but this made me :rotflmao:

BTW, on the infamous Wikipedia, under the heading of "piezoelectricity", is a section on reduction of noise and vibration. That section is more applicable than the "make a spark" section.

Dave
BSc in EE
 
I'm glad I could give you a laugh. Yes, I know almost every Wikipedia page can be edited by anyone, and therefore can't be taken as 100% absolute exact truth on every subject in the world. I didn't use Wikipedia as a resource for a legal or scientific paper. I was just double-checking that the click lighters on grills were "piezoelectric".

In case you didn't catch the scent of sarcasm in the air, I was being a smart-aleck. Believe it or not, I fully assumed the piezoelectric fabric was for vibration dampening and not for "making a spark". However, you are absolutely correct: I did not scroll down far enough on the page to see the "Reduction of vibrations and noise" section. But, again, I was attempting to be funny. I thought the "AA batteries" comment made that clear.

Funny, though, how someone that finds Wikipedia so laughable would point me to a section on Wikipedia. That's a bit ironic, isn't it? So, that means you read my post, found it laughable because I used Wikipedia as a resource, and then you went on Wikipedia to prove me wrong! What? You couldn't Google "piezoelectric vibration dampening" and point me to a "real" scientific paper?

And, before you go all spider monkey on me in return, I'm just being a smart-aleck here, too. :)
 
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I got the idea for using the piezoelectric fabric from reading an article about an experimental golf club. It was banned by the governing body of golf.

You can take a piece of this material, hook up an LED light to it and by just flipping the material turn the light on. It turns vibration into electricity.

The way it works in the Universal Smart Shaft is to take the vibration coming down the shaft, convert it into electricity, and dissipate it as heat.

The result is less vibration and a quieter sound.

All this has been confirmed with scientific testing on a custom built machine with special computer software that compared most of the shafts on the market.

Bill Stroud
 
I forgot to add that I am working on a new smart shaft that will be interchangeable and also have the lowest squirt in the industry.

Bill Stroud
 
I play with a solid hard maple shaft with lots of squirt and lots of deflection and I allow for the swerve...............

and



and


and


the ball goes in the pocket...................


just like it did for....

Willie Mosconi
Joe Balsis
Irving Crane
Ralph Greenleaf
Jimmy Caras


and so on...............

Kim
 
bstroud said:
The way it works in the Universal Smart Shaft is to take the vibration coming down the shaft, convert it into electricity, and dissipate it as heat.
Click to expand...

Ok, now I want to get one of these shafts, hit a bunch of balls in really fast and really hard and then when my shaft starts to smoke I can turn to my opponent and say "I'm playing so good, I'M ON FIRE!"
 
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