My workshop

[vmax]

I choose the weight that suits the cue in order to get it well balanced. Some shaft timbers are denser, therefore heavier than others so need a little more weight in the butt to balance it so that it doesn't feel heavy or light, either in the grip hand or on the bridge, the weight is irrelevent, it just feels good in your hands and this is why balance points must vary as not all timber is the same.

It's my belief that if one uses a very firm grip then the balance point doesn't really matter, but if one uses a looser grip, as one should, then the cue must rest nicely in the bridge as well as in the grip hand, and touch then comes from the grip hand and it's relationship with the balance of the cue, so IMO it's wrong to shy away from a cue that one deems too light or too heavy, it's the balance that matters.

I think Jimmy's cue might be poorly balanced as it has a very long hardwood butt. There must be less flex in the shoulder of that cue, which is the point at the tip of the splices on most cues and therefore less dense shaftwood, and if the balance is too far forward it could be a tad light in his grip hand, but Jimmy's problems come mainly from the fact that his cue action has changed over the years and he now has a longer follow through and tends to drop his upper arm into the delivery stroke, when he was young he didn't, he kept his elbow high, Hendry was the same in his prime.

[Cue crafty]

nice work Vmax. Glad you are on the mend. I note your cues generally seem to keep to traditional weights probably just based on the wood, no added lead/metal.

When you get time, i'd be interested to know your thoughts on cue weights again. I seem to remember you saying about Jimmy White playing with a heavier cue in recent years and you didnt think it suited his game?

I have, possibly like many others, upped the weight in my chosen playing cue to 18.5 (+) since younger playing days when i used 17.5 to half decent effect. The weight feels great! but i am well aware it has pro's & con's, i feel im losing some "touch" but gaining solid potting on general punch stuns etc.

[vmax]

Also re-tapered, finished and straightened an ash 3/4 that wasn't quite straight at the joint

60.25 inch ash 3/4 with amargo amargo butt with a palmira splice on wenge and maple veneers, 20 oz's, 29mm diameter butt, 9.8mm aluminium ferrule, 20 inch balance point with a 6 inch ekki mini butt

https://ibb.co/album/0s6Hm4

[vmax]

Been on furlough for the past two weeks so I've been busy in the workshop rather than watching virtual snooker
Finished these two today.

57.5 inch ash 3/4 with amargo amargo butt, 17.5 oz's, 29mm diameter butt, 10mm plastic ferrule, 17.5 inch balance point, spirolock joint for extensions.

https://ibb.co/album/Q7g2JT

57.25 inch beech 3/4 with cocobolo butt, 17 oz's, 29mm diameter butt, 9.5mm brass ferrule, 16.5 inch balance point, 5.5 inch cocobolo mini butt with spirolock joint.

https://ibb.co/album/sjyVmW

[vmax]

ImgBB
works similar to tinypic

On it Dean, thanks

[DeanH]

ImgBB
works similar to tinypic

[vmax]

if you are using the TSF attachment function - yep you probably have, and it is renowned as difficult to manage

hence I use image-sharing sites like ImgBB and TinyPic (this one may no longer be free)

I was using Flickr but they have been inactive over the past 18 months due to a take over and are now impossible to log into, I went to TinyPic but they have now stopped trading so I shall look for another.

[DeanH]

if you are using the TSF attachment function - yep you probably have, and it is renowned as difficult to manage

hence I use image-sharing sites like ImgBB and TinyPic (this one may no longer be free)

[vmax]

A couple more pics, can't upload anymore for some reason or other I've reached my byte allowance

[DeanH]

don't blame the tools - steadier hand

[vmax]

My latest
60 inch ash 3/4 with full bolivian rosewood butt, 30.5mm diameter butt, 9.9mm brass ferrule, balanced at 17.5 inches, 19 0z's, 160mm tigerwood mini butt.
This is a real beauty, very straight grained shaft, lovely balance to it, very similar to my own playing cue.
Had a knock with it on sunday night and it felt so right I'm very tempted to keep it myself. Took lots of pics but only one came out unblurred, need a new camera or a steadier hand, will take a few more soon and upload asap.

[vmax]

won 4 and then lost 3 --- tells you something
beech shaft, very smooth?

beech - easy to work with?

very nice looking, like that old cue that came with two alternating wood for the butt.

To be fair he picked his game up and all frames were quite close. Beech very easy to work with, planes well with very little tear out, glues well after dampening the bare joint surfaces with a moist cloth, and sands super smooth.
Those of you who like maple will like beech, those of you who like a stiffer shaft will also like beech, naturally a shade darker in colour and as it's more dense than ash or maple it's not reliant on grain characteristics for playability. I planed this one down to 3mm oversize last autumn and left it to settle until last week, stayed straight as a die all the while.

[mrbluejay]

I take it Beech is quite stiff then?

[DeanH]

won 4 and then lost 3 --- tells you something
beech shaft, very smooth?

beech - easy to work with?

very nice looking, like that old cue that came with two alternating wood for the butt.

[vmax]

Just finished this one yesterday and played with it tonight.
One piece beech shaft with two long wenge and two short iroko butt splices, six inch beech mini butt, 59 inches long, 30mm diameter butt, 9.8mm brass ferrule, balanced at 18 inches and 16.75 oz's in weight.
Very light cue compared to my 20 oz ash but it has a lot of power thanks to the beech shaft, lovely balance to it, TS Long Ba tip on it as good as always. I played very well with it, beat my mate first four frames, then switched to my own cue and lost the next three