what is a straight shaft?

desi2960

desi2960

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
i just reread a thread about the old taper roll and crooked/warped shafts. i can tell you this i have never seen a perfect straight shaft.
to explain i have to tell you about perfect diamonds. a perfect flawless diamond is a diamond that when inspected by a diamond expert using a color corrected 10 power jewelers loupe, in a room of natural light facing north, can see no flaws. not made up, this is true.
now to futher explain, in this perfect diamond, you can see flaws using a 20 power jewelers loupe.
my point being that if you look CLOSE enough at anything organic you will find flaws.
now please explain to me how we judge a straight shaft ? if it seems straight when you look down the cue ? when rolled on the table apart or together ? when rolled own the table with half of the cue on the rail ? when spun on a lathe ?
what test does a shaft have to pass to be considered straight?
 
desi2960 said:
i just reread a thread about the old taper roll and crooked/warped shafts. i can tell you this i have never seen a perfect straight shaft.
to explain i have to tell you about perfect diamonds. a perfect flawless diamond is a diamond that when inspected by a diamond expert using a color corrected 10 power jewelers loupe, in a room of natural light facing north, can see no flaws. not made up, this is true.
now to futher explain, in this perfect diamond, you can see flaws using a 20 power jewelers loupe.
my point being that if you look CLOSE enough at anything organic you will find flaws.
now please explain to me how we judge a straight shaft ? if it seems straight when you look down the cue ? when rolled on the table apart or together ? when rolled own the table with half of the cue on the rail ? when spun on a lathe ?
what test does a shaft have to pass to be considered straight?
Click to expand...


Technically, I would suppose the shaft would be considered straight if its center is straight from end to end. If the outer surfaces are not straight due to sanding, tapering, etc. the shaft could still be turned to make it straight...assuming there was enough wood left to keep it from becoming a toothpick.
 
The test that I think is most accurate is rolling the cue on the rail right at the joint of the shaft and butt. If the tip rolls stright there, then no matter how you rotate the cue in your hand while shooting, the tip is in the same spot. This is does not mean they will definitely roll straight on the table.

This is just my opinion....That being said the two shafts I use almost flop off the table when I roll them on the rail so I don't put much worry into these sort of things.

I play pretty good pool and it drives me crazy when someone that can't shoot a lick rolls a cue on a table and sees 1/64th of a gap and says they would never be able to make a ball with a shaft like that.

That being said, I think every cue buyer has the right to a straight shaft when they purchase a cue. As a cuemaker that is hard to supply sometimes.
 
i want a straight cue

but it's not an obsession. i believe its the flippers and the younger players that demand a perfect cue, and if its their money they should get what they want.
myself having played in many taverns and playing off the rack its not quite so important when it comes to putting balls into the hole. its very important when trying to resell a cue.
where do we draw the line in the sand, between warped and straight?
 
Turn the lights off in the room completely. put a flash light on the table on one side of the shaft and look from the other side when rolling. if you see any light coming from under the shaft it's not straight. Very old trick. It became easier with technology, back in the day you had to put a candle on the table.
 
madmiller said:
Turn the lights off in the room completely. put a flash light on the table on one side of the shaft and look from the other side when rolling. if you see any light coming from under the shaft it's not straight. Very old trick. It became easier with technology, back in the day you had to put a candle on the table.
Click to expand...

What if the shaft does not have a cone taper ?
Almost all shafts will have a gap between them and the cloth a foot and a half from the tip to near the joint. Most shafts have 3 to 5 different angles.
 
madmiller said:
Turn the lights off in the room completely. put a flash light on the table on one side of the shaft and look from the other side when rolling. if you see any light coming from under the shaft it's not straight. Very old trick. It became easier with technology, back in the day you had to put a candle on the table.
Click to expand...

Well, this is only 100% wrong.
Though it would be a great test for a rolling pin if your grandma wants to make an apple pie.

The best practical test involves sighting down the shaft like a rifle barrel.

Spinning in a lathe can give an assesment less likely to vary due to
the viewing environment.

Hawaiian was as right as you can be, if the center of the tip end is linear
with the center of the joint end, the shaft is straight.

If, and only if, it is also concentric around that center-line, will the
shaft "roll" without giving some illusion of wobble.

It will only show NO light if it is conic(no pro taper).

Repeat after me - rolling cues shows how round they are, and nothing else.

But who's counting?

Dale(rolling on like a big wheel)
 
Last edited:
losososcues

after building 375 cue i know what in my mind is a straight cue, but i am looking for an answer as to what the industry standard is, just how much warp can still be called straight ?
to me straight is if rolled on a table together or apart the cue rolls straight, thenif i chuck the butt up in my lathe, with the jaws on the back of the forearm joint. i attach the shaft, with the tip left free. i spin the cue at my lathes top speed. if there is no movement in the end of the unsupported tip end of the shaft, its good enough for me.
 
desi2960 said:
after building 375 cue i know what in my mind is a straight cue, but i am looking for an answer as to what the industry standard is, just how much warp can still be called straight ?
to me straight is if rolled on a table together or apart the cue rolls straight, thenif i chuck the butt up in my lathe, with the jaws on the back of the forearm joint. i attach the shaft, with the tip left free. i spin the cue at my lathes top speed. if there is no movement in the end of the unsupported tip end of the shaft, its good enough for me.
Click to expand...

I guess that would be good enough for anyone!
I wouldn't try that trick :)
 
this one time at band camp

i would be afraid to do that, a girl brought a couple shafts for a new tip and a clean. i put the tip on no problem, i chucked it up for the clean turned on the machine and my lathe was just a shakin. she why is it doing that?... the shaft is warped! worst shaft i have seen soo far.
 
I saw a video where a cm has a 110vac 1750rpm motor with a threaded end so he can attach a shaft on it and spin it in the free state.
 
desi2960 said:
after building 375 cue i know what in my mind is a straight cue, but i am looking for an answer as to what the industry standard is, just how much warp can still be called straight ?
to me straight is if rolled on a table together or apart the cue rolls straight, thenif i chuck the butt up in my lathe, with the jaws on the back of the forearm joint. i attach the shaft, with the tip left free. i spin the cue at my lathes top speed. if there is no movement in the end of the unsupported tip end of the shaft, its good enough for me.
Click to expand...

Why the high speed? If the joint/shaft interface is true and the shaft is straight, wouldn't any wobble show up at a low to moderate speed just as well?

Bad things happen fast and good things take time, as we all know. But I would add that bad things happen more quickly at high speeds.

I'm probably missing something.

Thanks for any enlightenment.

Gary
 
The spec for carbon arrows is .001 - .006. Typical carbon spec is .004 - .006

How about splitting the difference and call perfectly straight shafts @ .005 runout.
 
gbcues

you have brought a really good point. i really do not know why i spin the speed i do, as most of my building skills come from trial and error. when i first tried to test a shaft that way the lathe must have been on high, and i have done it the same way until now. but i will make an effort to try slow and compare the two.
poolshooter74
i am the only builder-repairman in the area so i get all kind of cues, and i have also started to clean a shaft that was crooked. when i do it now i always hold the tip end with a papertowel in my hand so if it starts wobbling to the point that it might cause damage i can turn off the lathe.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top