Cue stick
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A cue stick (or simply cue, or more specifically pool cue, snooker cue, or billiards cue), is an item of sporting equipment essential to the games of pool, snooker and carom billiards. It is used to strike a ball, usually the cue ball. Cues are tapered sticks, typically about 1.5 m (58 in) and 510–600 g (18–21 oz). Most cues are made of wood, but occasionally the wood is covered or bonded with other materials including carbon fiber, fiberglass and/or aluminum.
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[edit] Construction aspects
Cues average around 57 inches in length and are of three major types. One type is a one piece cue; these are generally stocked in pool halls for use by the casual player. They have a uniform taper, meaning they decrease in diameter evenly from the end or butt to the tip. The other type is the two piece cue, divided in the middle for ease of transport, usually in a cue case. The third is another two piece cue but the joint is located three-quarters down the cue (usually 12 or 16 inches away from the butt). There are also cues that have more, notably three to five. They are usually for intermediate cues that can be used for breaking, jumping, changing of weights on the butt, as well as extensions on the butt end for longer reaches. As well, some cues have screw-in tips that can be interchanged (larger, smaller, denser, softer, etc...) in order to change the impact and path of the cue ball.
A high-quality but plain two piece cue, that looks like one-piece, run-of-the-mill house or bar cue, is called a sneaky pete. Such cues have a joint that is wood-on-wood, and barely visible. The subterfuge often enables a hustler to fool unsuspecting gamblers into thinking that he or she is an unskilled player with no regard for equipment quality or finesse, until too late. It is common for a competitive league player to also use a comparatively inexpensive sneaky pete as a break cue, to avoid excessive wear-and-tear on the tip of his or her main shooting cue.
[edit] Joints
The large heavy piece of the cue is known as the cue butt and the smaller end is known as the shaft. The two pieces of the cue are attached at the joint, which is normally made up of a screw rising from butt end's joint (male) which is threaded into a receptacle on the shaft (female). The joints are made of various materials; usually a plastic, brass, stainless steel, or wood outer layer, but sometimes custom cues are made of bone, antlers, and other more expensive materials that are usually less common, but serve the same effect. However, the main for snooker cues are brass. The internal male and female connection points are almost always brass, or steel since they respond less to temperature changes and thus expand and contract less than other materials, preserving the life of the cue. Joints have different sizes as well as different male and female ends on the shaft and butts of the cues. Traditional designs employ a fully threaded connection, while newer versions such as Uni-loc, Accu-loc, or Tru-loc, employ half threaded "Quick pin release" connections to allow for players to assemble and disassemble their cues faster.
[edit] Parts of the Shaft
Shafts are made with various tapers, the two most common being the Pro taper and the European taper. The Pro taper has the same diameter from the tip to 30-35 cm (12-14 inches) down. The European taper is conical and widens towards the joint.
[edit] Ferrule
The end of the shaft has a cuff known as the ferrule which is used to hold the cue tip in place and to bear the brunt of impact with the cue ball so that the less resilient shaft wood does not split. Ferrules are predominantly made of ivory, carbon fiber, or a plastic such as melamine resin, aegis or phenolic resin which are extremely durable, high-impact materials that are resistant to cracking, chipping, and breaking. Brass is popular among snooker cues.
[edit] Tips
Leather tips of varying degrees of shapes and hardness are affixed to the ferrule. The standard shapes for a tip are nickel and dime, determined by shaping a tip so that when one puts a nickel or dime to it, they are the same curvature. Quarter-shaped tips are less common, though are usually used for breaking cues because less curvature means less accidental spin and more accuracy for a straight shot such as the break.
Rounder tips impart English (more colloquially known as spin) more easily since the point of contact between a tip and the cueball requires less distance from the center hit to do the same amount of spin due to the increased tangential contact. Tips are sometimes made of harder materials such as phenolic resin because it is favored upon for a break cue (Breaks usually require less spin, thus less round harder tips preserve the shape of the tip longer without sacrificing the effectiviness of the break).
The tip end of the cue will vary in diameter but is typically in the 11 to 14 millimeter ('mm') range with 13 mm for pool cues being most common and 9.5 mm for Snooker cues being most common.
Because leather naturally compresses and hardens with consequent shots, it is more likely to slide off of the cueball, from smoothness/glossiness of the tip, on the hit without some material allowing it to grip the cue ball. To help in this matter, cue chalk is placed on the tip of the cue, ideally after every shot, so that the player does not miscue. This is especially important when the player is not hitting the cue ball in the center and is, thus, imparting spin to the cue ball.
There are different grades of hardness for tips, ranging from very soft to very hard. Softer tips like "Elk Master" hold chalk better, but tend to degrade faster from abrasion (from chalk and scuffers), shaping (from cue tip shapers/tackers/picks), and mushrooming (from normal use or hard hits that compact the tip from all directions). Harder tips like "Triangle" and "Blue Diamond" maintain their shape much better, but because of their hardness, chalk tends to not hold as well as it does on softer tip materials. Usually the hardness of a tip is from the compression that was used in making it.
Some tips are layered (like "Moori" and "Talisman") and some are one-piece (like "LePro"). Layered tips hold their shape better than one-piece tips, but they can sometimes delaminate from use, overly hard shots, or misuse of tip tools. One-piece tips don't have this disadvantage, but do tend to mushroom more easily.
[edit] Butt
In the cue butt portion of the cue, the bulk of the weight of the cue is usually distributed here. Whether the weight be 18 oz. or 22 oz., the weight change is mainly in the butt (usually in the core, under the wrap). Butts have varying constructions, from 3-piece to one-piece, as well as other custom versions that people have developed. These translate into different "feels" because of the distribution of weight as well as the balance point of the cue. Traditionally, players want the balance point of a cue near the top end of the wrap or around 7 inches from where they grip the butt. The cue butt is often inlaid with exotic woods such as cocobolo and bocote as well as other materials such as ebony and ivory. Usually parts of the butt are sectioned off with decorative rings. The use of various types of wraps on the cue butt, such as Irish linen or leather, provide a player with a better grip as well as absorbing moisture. Cheaper cues usually feature a nylon wrap which is considered not as good a "feel" as Irish Linen. Fiberglass and Graphite cues usually have a "Veltex" grip that is made of fiberglass/graphite, but is smoother and not glossy. Some people also prefer a cue with no wrap, and thus just a glossed finish on wood. Sometimes these no-wrap cues are more decorated because of the increased area for design and imagination. The butt of cheaper cues are usually spliced hardwood and a plastic covering while more high-end cues use solid rosewood or ebony.
[edit] Materials and design
The choice of materials used in the construction of the cue butt and the artistry of the design can lead to cues of great beauty and high price. Good quality pool cues are customarily made from straight grained hard rock maple wood, especially the shaft. Snooker cues, by contrast, are almost always made of ash wood. Cues are not always for play, some are purely collectible and can reach prices of tens of thousands of dollars for the materials they are made of and their exquisite craftsmanship. There have been a number of famous cue makers over the years. Among the most famous are George Balabushka, Herman Rambow, John Parris, Palmer, Longoni, Samsara, Southwest, and Szamboti whose cues are often very valuable to collectors. These "collector" cues often have ornate inlays with precious metals and stones, and varying woods to display designs and works of art, but mainly fine workmanship and top quality materials.[3] The woods can be stained to be absorbed into the wood and transparent or painted upon. These cues are also valued because of how well they perform. Competitors of custom cue makers and mass-production manufacturors usually try to make cues look like they are made of expensive materials by using overlays and decals. Although these deter the cost of the cues, they do not degrade the cues effectiveness in gameplay. Another mark of quality is the precision that inlays are set in the wood. High quality inlays are set perfectly in the wood without any extra space to be filled; they are also perfectly symmetrical on all sides as well as clean cut so that the points are sharp and not rounded. The use of machines has aided much in the production of high quality inlays as well as other ornaments.
[edit] Bumper
The last but not least portion of a cue is the bumper. Though often disregarded in importance compared to the other parts, this part is essential in protecting a cue as well as preserving its "feel". The bumper protects the cue whenever one puts it on the ground or hits it against a wall, person, or table. Without it, the vibrations would ruin the wood over time. The vibrations also play a role in the "feel" of the cue. Without the bumper, the resonance of a hit for cue and cueball vibrates differently than in a cue with a properly screwed on and tight bumper. Though minuscule, the bumper also adds some weight on the end of the cue, preserving a balance that also relates to the feel of a cue. The bumper in snooker cues is made of leather in high-end models.
[edit] "Feel"
Some people think that the "feel" of the cue is distorted with different materials used in the construction of a cue. Different hardnesses in tips, ferrules, woods, steels, and plastics alter the vibration felt in an experienced player's hands. The common view is that harder materials transfer less resonance through the wood of the cue, not allowing a player to feel as well if the shot was shot as intended. Note that all cues are made of wood, if it is a graphite or fiberglass cue, it is only the outer layer that is bonded with the inner core of wood. The feel of graphite and fiberglass cues have been criticized by the pool playing community for being very bad in that they are harder to maintain (compared to wood cues) and feel stiff. Because of this, they are usually used as break cues. If the fiberglass or graphite on a cue is scratched, it is rendered unrepairable. Also, after some use, the materials become very glossy and thus not as smooth as they were originally. Wood doesn't have this problem as it can be sanded or put in a cue lathe, though sanding of a cue shaft is not recommended due to the thinning out of the diameter as well as removal of the finish; repairs should be left to professionals. The rise in the popularity of synthetic materials used is considered much due to the sponsors of professional players, as well as new players thinking that there is an improvement in technology of cues by use of graphite and fiberglass, much like how tennis and golf have used lighter materials. But this is not the case for cues because they must have a specified weight according to the rules, and composite materials do not add significant strength.
Much has been done to have a better feeling cue, leading to a debate between whether major cue manufacturers make better cues or if custom cue makers do. Brand names have been criticized for their production lines of plain designs and poor materials compared to hand-selected materials used by custom cue makers. Whatever the matter, the feel of a cue is usually a personal preference and may be influenced by the first cue that a person has gotten used to. Some say though that the feel of the synthetic materials are better because it slides on your "bridge hand" easier than wood materials do. Often you have to use hand chalk when using wooden cues because the wood soaks up the sweat that often accumulates on your hand causing it to stick to your "bridge hand" rather than sliding across it.
[edit] Deflection
Also known as "squirt", cue ball deflection is the natural result of stroking with sidespin, or "English". When the cue ball is struck to the left or right of center, it does not go exactly in the direction of the stroke of the cue but rather is deflected offline, making it necessary for the player to compensate. The farther the strike is from the center, the more the cue ball is deflected offline. Cue ball deflection also tends to increase somewhat with a faster stroke, for most cues from 2% to 3% over the normal playing range of 5mph to 15 mph cue ball speed.
Cues vary widely in how much they deflect the cue ball. The lowest deflecting cue that one billiards retailer has tested has only eliminated about 20% of the deflection caused by the average cue. Lower deflecting shafts require less compensation and many believe this equals greater accuracy, but they also tend to spin the ball more and some feel that means less control. Also there is a period of adjustment to a shaft that performs very differently and some are not willing or able to take the time to change from what has become so familiar over many years.
Cue companies that have tried to develop such low deflecting cues include Aramith, Fury, Meucci, OB-1, and Predator.
[edit] Pivot points
Each shaft has its own "pivot point" which is directly determined by the amount of cue ball deflection or "squirt" it produces. The calculated pivot point for each shaft is measured from the front of the tip. If one bridges exactly at a shaft's pivot point and holds the bridge very steady, one can pivot the cue by moving one's back hand and no matter where one strikes the cue ball it will track off on the same line as if struck dead center. Pivot points are interesting and may be useful but the player must also consider "swerve" and "throw". Swerve is the tendency of the cue ball to curve slightly in the direction of the applied sidespin, like a mild form of massé. Throw is caused by the friction between the cue ball and the object ball and is much stronger than most realize – for example, if one shoots a straight in shot firmly with left spin and hit the back of the pocket, if a snapshot could be taken at the moment the cue ball contacts the object ball one would see that the balls are actually aligned significantly to the left of the center of the pocket. There is a popular "pivot point test" that uses this sort of straight shot to determine pivot points but because the throw effect was not considered people have been getting wildly inaccurate results. [1]
[edit] Cue maintenance
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After prolonged use of a cue, it inevitably loses its perfect smoothness, shape, cleaniness, and feel. Tips usually start to mushroom if they are soft and they start to hold less chalk. Ferrules become the "blue-ring" infested house cues in pool halls and bars. Shafts develop a distinguished blue tint and aren't as smooth as when they were new. The glossy and shiny parts of the cue become dull, oily, and full of fingerprints. Wraps develop scents of smoke and sweat, and may even start to disentangle and come loose. The butts of cues may start to rattle and the bumpers on the end may not even be there anymore.
[edit] Tips
Various tools are used to maintain the domed shape of the tip and its rough texture, enabling enough chalk to be held on the surface. First trim the edges of the mushrooming excess leather that is over the diameter of the ferrule with a knife, razor, or specially designed tool. If a tip is left mushroomed, the shots will be less consistent and may lead to more miscues and scratches. Also, imparting spin on the ball is less accurate as opposed to a well-maintained tip. Then reshape with tip shapers (such as Williards Tip Shaper, ATROX tool, sandpaper, or other tools) which reshape the tip to look like the preferred curvature. Finally, use a rougher sandpaper, a tip scuffer, and/or tip pick to roughen and perforate the tip, respectively. Scuffers and sandpaper are known to reduce tip size over time if used too liberally (periodically). That is the reason tip picks were designed; they poke holes into the tip so that there are perforations for chalk to be embedded into. This serves the same purpose in allowing more chalk to be held on the tip. Though these tools are useful, it is not recommended to use them too often. Usually one wants to "tune-up" the tip after it has started to mushroom, or poor performance is noticed, or before an important game such as a tournament. Using tip tools too much decreases the lifetime of the tip and subsequently requires the purchase new tips more often or to live with a flattened out tip that is almost at the ferrule, which is very dangerous and not good for one's game. Chalk is naturally abrasive to the tip and if chalked periodically (every turn), it should keep the tip rough enough. Tips should be replaced whenever they wear down to 1 mm from touching the ferrule, as replacing a damaged ferrule is more expensive. Replacement tips can cost anywhere from 25 cents to $25 depending on quality.
[edit] Ferrules
Next item down is the ferrule. If one looks around at most house cues in pool halls and bars, one will notice distinguished blue rings around the ferrule (if the chalk used is blue). This is because of poor chalking technique. Many beginners tend to chalk their cues too hard and in a circular motion. In general this would be ok, but the problem is they don't know when to use a new chalk. Chalk should be replaced when it has a hole that is relatively deep. When people use chalk that has a large hole in it and rotate the chalk in a circular motion, it makes the ring around the ferrule. This ring is usually hard to get rid of unless taken care of early. Different chalks have different stain factors and powdery breakdown that can determine how hard it is to remove the stain. For light stains, one can quickly wipe it away with the fingers or a tissue; it is best to refrain from using damp products near a cue because if moisture gets into the wood it can ruin it due to the expansion and contraction of the water. Certain cleaning products can also be used to clean the stain, but it is best to prevent the stain in the first place. When chalking, one should do a light circular motion as well as scraping the whole chalk cube across points that are not covered well with chalk. Done correctly over a substantial time, the chalk has a shallow hole and is relatively flat. This is because one is chalking lightly and not grinding the chalk into the tip, as well as scraping, so that even if there were high walls around the deep hole, they would wear down after some time.
[edit] Shaft
A heavy chalker will usually also have a blue tint shaft (from blue chalk, other colors for other colored chalk). Exceptionally powdery or stainable chalks trickle down from the tip down to the shaft and as one strokes, one spreads the chalk on the shaft and stain it over time. This can't be helped in some places where it is dirty and players place chalk incorrectly on the table, thus getting it on the hands and table cloth even more. After chalking the cue, one should place the chalk facing up so that the process of putting the chalk down doesn't fling powdered chalk onto the table, thus lessening the amount that gets on the hands and subsequently on the cue. Good chalk etiquette also lessens chalk on the table cloth, which can damage the cloth over time by the balls rolling and carrying chalk with it as it rolls and cuts microfibers in the cloth, eventually giving it a fuzzy feel. Basically it will prolong the life of the pool table as well. To clean the shaft after it has been stained, use a very slightly damp cloth/tissue and wipe it down and then dry it right away. That should remove surface stains, but if the stains have gone untaken-cared of for a long time, then one may need to use very fine sandpaper and/or steel wool. This will actually remove a tiny layer on the shaft and get rid of the stain, but it will also open up the pores in the wood of the shaft to be more susceptible to future staining or damage, which is why one should burnish the wood to close up the pores. This is a home remedy, and is not as good as a professional cleanup on a cue lathe. These methods are also good for regaining the smoothness lost from dirty hands, chalk, and dirt buildup on the shaft. Another way to keep the shaft clean is to keep the hands clean by washing them frequently, since hands usually get sweaty after playing for a long period of time. Some players like to bring a towel with them to tournaments, allowing for them to wipe their hands as well as wipe down their cue; tissues and napkins work just as well if they are clean.
[edit] Joints
Joints are sometimes not perfectly sealed and can get moisture in the wood if it is exposed. In humid areas with large temperature changes, this can ruin the joints and thus the cue itself. To protect the joints, one can purchase a cue case or joint protectors that cover the joints for added protection. Joints are also a frequent place where grease is attracted, especially in brass versions. To remove this grease, fine wool wire can be used (grade 0-0).
[edit] Butt
The butt end of the cue requires the least amount of maintenance, since usually it isn't touched too much except for the wrap. A quick wipedown with a slightly damp cloth on the areas with a wood finish (not on the wrap) and a dry wipedown should get rid of any dirt, oil, or fingerprints. For the wrap, if the cue has one, it may smell or become loose. The smell is from wherever one plays as well as sweaty or dirty hands. There is no real way to wash it since it is on the cue, but can be replaced it if it gets too bad. As with the other maintenance issues, prevention is better than replacement of a part of the cue. Certain materials for the wrap fair better than others. For instance since Irish Linen gets stronger as it gets wet, it won't loosen like other wraps will.
Rattling butts are normally due to bad construction and there is nothing can be done about it besides live with it. It shouldn't affect gameplay except psychologically, and one can always intimidate other players by saying one is going to beat them with "The Shaky Stick".
Preventing the loss of bumper is easy; don't play around with them and they shouldn't come loose; if they do, just tighten them up again, since they are an essential part of the cue.
[edit] Cue as a whole
The cue as a whole should be kept in a place that doesn't have much temperature variation, as this can warp the cue. Normally, cues are kept in a cue case, either soft or hard, for easy transport, protection from moisture, as well as protecting them from the elements and rapid temperature changes. Also it is advisable not to lean cues against walls as this also leads to warping. Cues should also not be sanded with abrasive sandpaper as it removes protective finishes.
[edit] In other sports and games
In deck shuffleboard, the long stick used to propel pucks down the court is called often a "cue" or "cue stick". Unlike billiard cues (but more like the ancestral mace), the shuffleboard cue features a broad head (sometimes not unlike a small shovel, or similar to an elongated croquet mallet in some cases, but used for shoving, not striking). The head may either be straight, or curved in a half-moon shape to better hold and direct the puck, and the implement may be all wooden, or made of other materials, such as metal, plastic or fiberglass.
Small cue sticks are also used in the tabletop puck game novuss and other cued variants of carrom.
[edit] References
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2007) |
- ^ Shamos, Mike (1999). The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Billiards. New York: Lyons Press. ISBN 1-55821-797-5.
- ^ Cue Maker and Cues Glossary. EasyPoolTutor (2003–2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ CueMuseum.com
[edit] External links
- The Cue Museum - An online museum dedicated to important works from notable and important cue stick makers throughout history. Also a resource for collectors featuring articles as well as cue stick history.
- The American Cuemakers Association - An organization dedicated to promoting pool cues as a unique collectible art form.
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