Weigh bolt vs Natural Balance??

Cuemaster98

Cuemaster98

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Hi Guys,

How many builders actually use a weight bolt system to calibrate the cue weigh and how many do it without by weigh of wood?

The reason, I'm asking is because I've been building two cues...one with a weight bolt and one without. I know that SW and RH both don't seem to have a weigh bolt in their cue and they seem to add glue in the butt end to seal the resonance of the vibration. I really like the hit of RH as it has a very natural hit and feel to the tone. I notice that once metal is added to the cue..on the other one it doesn't feel the same as the one without.

Any pros and cons to either method?

Thanks,
Duc.
 
Trial & error. The bumper at the bottom has more to do with tonal characteristics than the weight system. Do what works for you & produces the feel you prefer. Nobody can tell you what's best for you but you.

That said, I do both systems. I use any & every technique known. It all depends on the situation at hand. All that matters is that the end result is a cue that has a comfortable balance & weight, and plays nicely with a pleasing hit & feel. How you reach that goal can very tremendously. Choose your own path.
 
qbilder said:
Trial & error. The bumper at the bottom has more to do with tonal characteristics than the weight system. Do what works for you & produces the feel you prefer. Nobody can tell you what's best for you but you.

That said, I do both systems. I use any & every technique known. It all depends on the situation at hand. All that matters is that the end result is a cue that has a comfortable balance & weight, and plays nicely with a pleasing hit & feel. How you reach that goal can very tremendously. Choose your own path.
Click to expand...

Thanks Eric...Trial and Errors seem to come up all the time...LOL..remind me of how I used to learn to play pool. One of my mentor tell me, even if you have someone that can show you everything and answer you questions....at the end of the day...you still need to actually tried it out to find out for yourself. But, I tell him, I like to learn from other mistake and cut my learning curve....he then tells me that sometime you learn more from making your own mistake. I guess learning to build cue is the same as learning to play pool. Just got to hack it out and fix your mistake until you find what you're comfortable with.

Every chance I get my hand on a new cue and it pretty often lately, I analyze the cue to find out what make it hit the way it does and I try to see if that unique elements can be used in my future cues. I have taper of each shaft used...type of shafts they used, installed a hard Molavia on them, butt taper, joint type, etc, etc...with some analysis on their hit. I tried to take what works for a cue and add them to mine. I'm still way behind....but hopefully will be able to make a decent playing cue 20 year from now :).

I appreciate all the answers and feedbacks from all of you.

Thanks,
Duc.
 
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Some apparently don't use weight bolts but I have found them to be necessary in nearly all cues that I build. I want my cues forward weighted so I use a stud in the A joint both to pull all together and for balance. The stud I use runs from 3" aluminum to 7" of steel. It all depends on the woods being used and the final weight of the cue. I strive to have the cue come out to a 1/2 ounce lighter than the final requested weight. I drill and tap 11 inches into the rear of the cue and place set screws up into the handle so that the weight is not at the very back making the cue more butt heavy.

Dick
 
Just for a quick reference, a while back McD built some cues with mahogany butts, one of their low end lines, nylon wraps. I was without my playing cue one day and grabbed one out of stock, just a plain cue, it might have been one of the best cues I have ever hit with. Took it apart to analyze it. It had a monster screw in the butt, 3/4-10 maybe, to bring the cue up to acceptable weight. Sorry I ever sold it.

But that is just me, I like butt heavy cues, never did like front heavy.
 
Trial & error. The bumper at the bottom has more to do with tonal characteristics than the weight system.
Imo too much weight at the bottom of the cue impedes reasonance.
 
The more I read about cue construction, it seems like the wood, or combination of woods, tells you how it should be built to the maker's liking.

Maybe the same species of wood has to be handled differently based on the density and makeup.?

I'd like to think so, anyway. It praises the experience and depth of knowledge in a cuemaker, and also creates a magical quality to the work. :)
 
Weight Bolt?

JoeyInCali said:
Trial & error. The bumper at the bottom has more to do with tonal characteristics than the weight system.
Imo too much weight at the bottom of the cue impedes reasonance.
Click to expand...


I agree with both statement up to a point (the total always being the sum of the parts).
Resonance can be controlled by how much mass of the wood is in compression
and the amount of that compression.
 
One of my mentor tell me, even if you have someone that can show you everything and answer you questions....at the end of the day...you still need to actually tried it out to find out for yourself.
Click to expand...



very true.i have only been building cues 1.5 years or so and i was coached every step of the way when i was learning,but the funny thig is that even with being coached i still learn something almost every day on my own and i also teach the coach a few things.there are so many tricks to learn in different situations to make things better or easier.

that being said i do not use weight bolts at all and i try not to ever have to add weight at all,but sometimes it is inevitable,then i have my own way of adding weight.
 
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