Your opinion about the roll test, to see how straight a cue is (together and apart)?

J

justinb386

Banned
I am curious on opinions about the roll test, to see how straight a cue is (together and apart).

I have this Schon cue, and when the butt is rolled by itself, a little bit of light can be seen under the joint of the cue, and a credit card is too thick to fit under the light that I see.

The thing is, that usually when you see a roll out, at least some part of the joint would lean completely flat on to the table felt, right?

Is the case with this Schon, a little bit of light can be seen during the entire roll, and it never goes flat on to the felt (the light can be seen the entire time of rolling the cue), so does this mean that the butt does not actually have a roll out at all?

When the Schon shaft is rolled together with the butt, the cue appears to roll extremely straight at all parts (except for the smallest but of roll coming from the joint area), and maybe not even a credit card thickness taper roll out in the shaft, when it is being rolled together with the butt, and the tip remains completely flat on the table when the cue is rolled together with the butt, or by itself.

It is a full sized 13mm Schon shaft by the way (with what looks like very little play on it), and it has very little taper roll out (it is about as close to perfectly straight as it can possible get, I think).

I have read in the past that a lathe is really the best way to see how straight a cue is (by spinning the cue on a lathe), and that is what I plan on doing asap (by the main local guy that repairs cues here in Louisville).

I have a good feeling that he will tell me that the cue is really not warped at all, but I will have to hope for the best news possible from him.

I will be having him put on an Ultra Skin tip on the cue, so I am hoping that he will be willing to turn the butt on his lathe and tell me how straight he thinks it is, for no extra charge.

I am hoping he will tell me that it is as close to perfect as it can possible get.

I know that I have already posted this very short 10 second video on here in another thread, but here it is again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPq4rclDoAU

My camera has an issues with the recording, and locks up after a very short recording.

I plan on buying a new camera on Monday, and posting a much better video in my for sale thread.

Thanks for any thoughts about the cue, and your thoughts about what you think of the roll test, and maybe it not being the best way to find out how straight a cue is?

Thanks again.
 
Can you feel the wrap higher than the forearm and buttsleeve? Looks tho me like the wrap hasn't been passed enough....
 
HDR10 said:
Can you feel the wrap higher than the forearm and buttsleeve? Looks tho me like the wrap hasn't been passed enough....
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply. No, the wrap does not feel like it is higher then the finish on the forearm. It actually feel like the wrap is not quite flush, and a hair lower then where the finish starts. Thanks.
 
I think you are will receive a variety of opinions, and some will contradict others, when you rely upon this section. I'd post this in the cue-makers section where more knowledgeable minds tend to hang out.......also ask for the cue-maker's name by PM if you like what anyone writes......if they are not a cue-maker, discard their opinion......way too subjective.........stick to people that make pool cues for advice on this matter.

Matt B.
 
pdcue said:
Waste of time...

Rolling a cue tells you how ROUND it is - at best.

Dale
Click to expand...

I wish that the pool world would be educated about this if it is true. Some Cues just are not tapered perfect in the forearm I think, so maybe that is why some do not roll completely flat on a table. I will ask in the cue makers section about my schon. Thanks.
 
Not a problem if the amount of light under the joint stays the same. The taper just isn't a perfectly straight line. You'll see this with any parabolic taper or anything with the wrap that sits a little high. But if the joint isn't moving up and down, then I'd say that's straight.
 
pdcue said:
Waste of time...

Rolling a cue tells you how ROUND it is - at best.

Dale
Click to expand...

Really? At best it tells you it isn't round?

A roll test CAN tell you if a cue has a problem. It CAN tell what the problem is. It WON'T always be obvious simply by rolling the cue.

Now the question should be how much does it matter?

I used to play with a house cue that was obviously warped, it could be seen from fifteen feet away. I ran tables with that cue, I didn't worry about where the bend was, how it was oriented, or anything else, I used it because the tip was good and simply played.
 
Food for thought:

1. Resale - someone buying will likely do a roll test and may not buy if it doesnt roll straight
2. Even if it will only tell me if it is round, why should i be ok with it not being round when i can find another one that is?
3. Will the tip or joint hopping off the table while being rolled not indicate an issue?
 
ElCorazonFrio said:
Really? At best it tells you it isn't round?

A roll test CAN tell you if a cue has a problem. It CAN tell what the problem is. It WON'T always be obvious simply by rolling the cue.

Now the question should be how much does it matter?

I used to play with a house cue that was obviously warped, it could be seen from fifteen feet away. I ran tables with that cue, I didn't worry about where the bend was, how it was oriented, or anything else, I used it because the tip was good and simply played.
Click to expand...

Sorry frito, but if people spent all that time they waste rolling cues - instead of
sighting down the cue like you would a rifle - they could make a zillion rolling pins,
for which rolling flat/straight does matter.

Dale(maker of rolling pins - and some other straight round things)
 
pdcue said:
Sorry frito, but if people spent all that time they waste rolling cues - instead of
sighting down the cue like you would a rifle - they could make a zillion rolling pins,
for which rolling flat/straight does matter.

Dale(maker of rolling pins - and some other straight round things)
Click to expand...

First off, it's 'Frio' if you want to abbreviate the name. It's spanish for 'cold'. Frito is 'murican for 'being a dick'.

Second, you said it could only tell you if it is round...which is false.

I never said it was the definitive test of whether it was straight. Even the lathe you use isn't the definitive test for straightness.

I know how to check straightness and sighting down something with a compound curve...like a cuestick has is not a good way of checking straightness.

ElCorazonFRIO (designer, assembler, inspector of a lot of things that must be much straighter than a rolling pin...like 80' assembly line rails with a +/- 0.008" tolerance).
 
ElCorazonFrio said:
First off, it's 'Frio' if you want to abbreviate the name. It's spanish for 'cold'. Frito is 'murican for 'being a dick'.

Second, you said it could only tell you if it is round...which is false.

I never said it was the definitive test of whether it was straight. Even the lathe you use isn't the definitive test for straightness.

I know how to check straightness and sighting down something with a compound curve...like a cuestick has is not a good way of checking straightness.

ElCorazonFRIO (designer, assembler, inspector of a lot of things that must be much straighter than a rolling pin...like 80' assembly line rails with a +/- 0.008" tolerance).
Click to expand...

What you said, Mr Frito, was that rolling a cue could tell you if it is straight...
which is wrong.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I know how to check straightness and sighting down something with a compound curve...
like a cuestick has is not a good way of checking straightness."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also wrong.

Dale(straight shooter, crooked roller)
 
pdcue said:
What you said, Mr Frito, was that rolling a cue could tell you if it is straight...
which is wrong.

Dale(straight shooter, crooked roller)
Click to expand...

Not true. What Frio said, and his quote is only up a few posts, is that by rolling a cue, he could tell if it had problems, nothing about it's straightness. And that is a true statement.

If you roll a cue, and the tip is coming off the table, or the joint has a wobble in it and looks like someone driving on a flat tire, there is a problem, unless there is some unknown underlying design that we don't know about in the cue.

But for 95% of cues, there is something wrong, and it might need a few more tests and a couple other folks looking at it before most folks would pull the trigger on buying it. And if that doesn't scare you off, I've got the CUE for you. PM for a really good price ;)
 
Last edited:
ElCorazonFrio said:
First off, it's 'Frio' if you want to abbreviate the name. It's spanish for 'cold'. Frito is 'murican for 'being a dick'.

Second, you said it could only tell you if it is round...which is false.

I never said it was the definitive test of whether it was straight. Even the lathe you use isn't the definitive test for straightness.

I know how to check straightness and sighting down something with a compound curve...like a cuestick has is not a good way of checking straightness.

ElCorazonFRIO (designer, assembler, inspector of a lot of things that must be much straighter than a rolling pin...like 80' assembly line rails with a +/- 0.008" tolerance).
Click to expand...
A "cold dick??". SOmething lost in treanslation no doubt. Like when McDonald's had Chilitos, tiny dicks.

Roll testing will point out obvious issues. A little warp isn't gonna stop anybody from running out.

Your cue has a compound taper or the wrap is high at the middle portion. Roll the butt with the joint up on the cushion to see the roll.
 
pdcue said:
What you said, Mr Frito, was that rolling a cue could tell you if it is straight...
which is wrong.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I know how to check straightness and sighting down something with a compound curve...
like a cuestick has is not a good way of checking straightness."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also wrong.

Dale(straight shooter, crooked roller)
Click to expand...

Nope, first--not what I said.

Second, it is correct. If it isn't, then I'm going to presume you own no indicators to use on your lathe...in which case I'm sure your customers are EXTREMELY satisfied with your cues.
 
2strong4u said:
Roll testing will point out obvious issues. A little warp isn't gonna stop anybody from running out.

Your cue has a compound taper or the wrap is high at the middle portion. Roll the butt with the joint up on the cushion to see the roll.
Click to expand...

Well, thanks for agreeing with me.
 
Roll the butt slowly with the joint on the top of the rail.
That way it takes away the wrap factor.
See if you notice a wobble . I'm assuming the table's top rail is also good.
If you roll a cue like SW which has a thin joint collar, fat forearm bottom and a curved taper and wrap, it might look crooked when it's not .
 
JoeyInCali said:
Roll the butt slowly with the joint on the top of the rail.
That way it takes away the wrap factor.
See if you notice a wobble . I'm assuming the table's top rail is also good.
If you roll a cue like SW which has a thin joint collar, fat forearm bottom and a curved taper and wrap, it might look crooked when it's not .
Click to expand...

Also if it doesn't roll straight roll it on some other tables before you reach a conclusion. Could be the table is the problem.
 
JoeyInCali said:
Roll the butt slowly with the joint on the top of the rail.
That way it takes away the wrap factor.
See if you notice a wobble . I'm assuming the table's top rail is also good.
If you roll a cue like SW which has a thin joint collar, fat forearm bottom and a curved taper and wrap, it might look crooked when it's not .
Click to expand...

Thanks, I will try the rail test with just the butt. So, if the joint appears to not move, and the butt appears to stay straight when the cue is rolled on the rail, then the cue is straight? Where do a place the butt along the rail exactly? Do I place it in the rail just under the joint, or more toward the middle of the forearm? The most popular roll test is on the felt though (not the rail), so odds are, that asking a buyer to do the rail roll test will not work with most buyers, right? I wonder if the way my Schon butt rolls is a common issue (if it is actually an issue) with a lot of other Schon cues? I was thinking that maybe the finish on the cue might be a little thinner up near the joint, and that might be what is causing the cue to show a little light when it is rolled. I guess this is another question that should be asked in the cue makers section. I want to get a better video of the cue before I create a post in the ask a cuemaker section. The cue does look very straight when rolled together, and just a hair off in the joint area, but the entire shaft rolls extremely straight when rolled together with the butt, so what does that tell you in your opinion? Thanks.
 
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