Weight bolt and balance point

B

birdy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have a 5k2 predator cue, 30'' shaft, 19,25 oz .
I'm a tall player so at most shots I hold the cue close to the butt end . The cue has a 2 oz weight bolt and it feels too light for me , so I want to replace it with a 3 oz weight bolt. In this way the balance point will move a little to the back , so I hope it will feel better because I hold it anyway far from the balance point . Am i right; a butt heavy cue is better for those who grip the cue near the buttend ? :confused:
 
birdy said:
I have a 5k2 predator cue, 30'' shaft, 19,25 oz .
I'm a tall player so at most shots I hold the cue close to the butt end . The cue has a 2 oz weight bolt and it feels too light for me , so I want to replace it with a 3 oz weight bolt. In this way the balance point will move a little to the back , so I hope it will feel better because I hold it anyway far from the balance point . Am i right; a butt heavy cue is better for those who grip the cue near the buttend ? :confused:
Click to expand...

The balance point might just move less than half an inch, i guess.

I would say just go for it.

p/s- Just to let you know I ain't no q-maker. :D
 
i'm not a cue maker nor can i really comment on your comfort levels or style of play, but here is my experiance.

I have a meucci cue with a butt that weighs 14.9 oz and a BD shaft that weighs 4.5 oz. in its original set up, it has a balance point of 18.5" from the butt cap.

additonally, i purched a new shaft for the cue that came in weighing at 4 oz, and when putting it on the butt, it moves the balance point back 1/2" to 17.75" from the butt cap, for just half oz differance on the front of the cue.

i also have a predator 5k4. with the normal 29" 314-2 shaft weighing in at 4.2oz and the butt at 14.7 oz for a total of 18.9oz, it comes in with a balance point of 19", which is alittle more on the forward side of the nuetral balnce scale, and seems to be fairly consistant with predator cues. i also purchased an ob-1 for the cue that weighs 3.7 oz and when screwed on, the cue has a balance of 18.5" from the butt cap.

under the above rationals, if your using a 30" shaft, its probably safe to say your picking up an additional .3 to .4 oz on the front of the cue, so is likely your coming in which would account for the differance of my 18.9oz to your 19.25oz. so now, if the assumption is used that your cue would be about the same 19" balance with a standard shaft, and the 30" adds .35 oz to the front, that would roughly move your balance forward to around 19.4". then by adding an additional ounce to the rear, it would then move it again back to 18.4" which is still in the nuetral balance area.

Long story short, it seems that the balance point moves roughly about 1 inch per ounce.

also, i belive its generally considered the nuetral range to be around 17-19".

on a side note, i like an 18" balance but i tend to stroke hold ing around the middle of the wrap.
 
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birdy said:
I have a 5k2 predator cue, 30'' shaft, 19,25 oz .
I'm a tall player so at most shots I hold the cue close to the butt end . The cue has a 2 oz weight bolt and it feels too light for me , so I want to replace it with a 3 oz weight bolt. In this way the balance point will move a little to the back , so I hope it will feel better because I hold it anyway far from the balance point . Am i right; a butt heavy cue is better for those who grip the cue near the buttend ? :confused:
Click to expand...

Adding the weight should make the cue feel better to you - if not; remove it and go back to the original weight.

Good Cuemaking,
 
So for someone who grips the cue from the buttend the balance point should be at 17'' from the butt end ? Also if my cue has a longer shaft that means that the balance point is forward ? Now I understand why it feels so weird when I'm shooting and I tend to move the grip on the wrap .
 
birdy said:
So for someone who grips the cue from the buttend the balance point should be at 17'' from the butt end ? Also if my cue has a longer shaft that means that the balance point is forward ? Now I understand why it feels so weird when I'm shooting and I tend to move the grip on the wrap .
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There is nothing scrawled in sand that says the balance point has to be anywhere for anybody. It's what ever feels comfortable for you.

Dick
 
rhncue said:
There is nothing scrawled in sand that says the balance point has to be anywhere for anybody. It's what ever feels comfortable for you.

Dick
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Ok, that's a fact , but as a principle a forward balanced cue feels bad for anyone who holds the cue from the butt end . Am I right ?
 
birdy said:
Ok, that's a fact , but as a principle a forward balanced cue feels bad for anyone who holds the cue from the butt end . Am I right ?
Click to expand...

It's better to have lesser forward balanced when you are holding the cue at the end, to compensate it. The cue feels heavier holding at the end. So moving the balance to the butt will reduce the weight (feeling). But it's always personal preference.
 
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WesleyW said:
It's better to have lesser forward balanced when you are holding the cue at the end, to compensate it. The cue feels heavier holding at the end. So moving the balance to the butt will reduce the weight (feeling). But it's always personal preference.
Click to expand...


I think that is exactly the opposite. A forward balanced cue feels lighter when you hold it at the end and moving the balance point to the rear of the butt will make the cue feel heavier ! ;)

House cues are butt heavy , I think 15'' from the butt end so this is the reason for me to feel the house cues better than all 2 piece pool cues . Is it possible to build a 60'' cue , 19,5 oz , butt-heavy , with a balance point at 15-16'' , or is it too unbalanced ? :confused:
 
i have a 59'' skip weston as my player. when i hold the cue in a normal playing position (like a 58'') cues it is too heavy in the back bc there is more cue sticking out of the back. thats common sense. when i legthen my bridge an inch the cue feels perfect bc there is less cue behind

weight/ballance is very subjective. balance is more important then weight. all wood is different. when i make a cue i pay no attention to weight (numbers) except for the shaft. i adjust weight to how the cue feels for me inless a weight is specified and at the end i weigh the cue for a total weight. thats how i get my number. i always offer mutiple weight bolts for the player to change for a perfect fit.
 
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birdy said:
I have a 5k2 predator cue, 30'' shaft, 19,25 oz .
I'm a tall player so at most shots I hold the cue close to the butt end . The cue has a 2 oz weight bolt and it feels too light for me , so I want to replace it with a 3 oz weight bolt. In this way the balance point will move a little to the back , so I hope it will feel better because I hold it anyway far from the balance point . Am i right; a butt heavy cue is better for those who grip the cue near the buttend ? :confused:
Click to expand...

If add weight to the cue like other posters have said this may solve your problem. If not, you can send the cue back to Predator, and have the balance of the cue changed. There are a number of ways to do this, the butt of the cue can be cored, and a heaver hardwood dowel can be added. Then bored and tapped and a new weight bolt added, the only problem with doing this is it could change the hit of the cue a great deal, you may like it or you may not. It is not really a big though, any good compentent Cue repairman or even a respected Cue Maker could do the job.
 
birdy said:
Ok, that's a fact , but as a principle a forward balanced cue feels bad for anyone who holds the cue from the butt end . Am I right ?
Click to expand...

Not right - IMHO. As Dick said 'balance' even more than hit,
is such a subjective judgement that there are no rules.

Perhaps you shoul do a poll if you want to know opinions.

Dale
 
quick easy trick I do for regulars/friends: pull a bic pen apart.
cut the tube in 1''-2'' and 3''(or close)
start with the 1'' and put it in before the weight bolt tighten slightly tighter than hand tight!!
see what it does for you its worked for hundreds so far and the tube wont stick if you want it out
 
Is it possible to build a 60'' cue , 19,5 oz , butt-heavy , with a balance point at 15-16'' , or is it too unbalanced ? :confused:
 
birdy said:
Is it possible to build a 60'' cue , 19,5 oz , butt-heavy , with a balance point at 15-16'' , or is it too unbalanced ? :confused:
Click to expand...
Sure it's possible.
Maybe 3 oz. of weight down by the buttplate.

What's wrong with a 19" balance point on a long cue like that?
I would never add 2 oz of weight at the bottom.
Someone wants a 19.5 cue, he better like rosewoods.
 
JoeyInCali said:
What's wrong with a 19" balance point on a long cue like that?
Click to expand...

I have 6 7' , so for most shots I hold the 60'' cue from the butt-end . With a balance point of 19'' holding the cue behind the wrap I can't feel the weight of the cue like you can feel it when you hold it from the middle of the wrap . A 19,5 oz cue feels like a 18 oz cue .
 
birdy said:
I have 6 7' , so for most shots I hold the 60'' cue from the butt-end . With a balance point of 19'' holding the cue behind the wrap I can't feel the weight of the cue like you can feel it when you hold it from the middle of the wrap . A 19,5 oz cue feels like a 18 oz cue .
Click to expand...
Do you have a death grip?
I think you hold the cue too tight.
 
WesleyW said:
It's better to have lesser forward balanced when you are holding the cue at the end, to compensate it. The cue feels heavier holding at the end. So moving the balance to the butt will reduce the weight (feeling). But it's always personal preference.
Click to expand...


agree on this one..i have a 5k2 for some reason the cue feel heavy and i remove the weight on the butt so it feel so light and guess wat i love it more..so it really should be on personal preference
yes my cue got no weight boilt on butt, is like butt naked.lolz
but it feel's good for me
 
dave sutton said:
i have a 59'' skip weston as my player. when i hold the cue in a normal playing position (like a 58'') cues it is too heavy in the back bc there is more cue sticking out of the back. thats common sense. when i legthen my bridge an inch the cue feels perfect bc there is less cue behind
Click to expand...

i feel the need to quote myself.
 
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