Cue Tip Shape

[Acrowot]

This thread is about Cue Tip Shape, but nobody has said how they manage to get the right shape to their own personal taste. Do they do it manually or use some tip shaping tool? If they use a tool, which tool is the best to use for your own shaping?

[Lenny]

I found a useful page on Wikipedia about snooker cues and information about the profile of the cue tip. They refer to 'Dime' and 'Nickel' as a reference whereas the nearest British coins are 5p and 1p . Apparently popular in the states is the Willard cue profiler , I haven't found one in the UK yet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snooker_cue is the link

Cheers
len

[Particle Physics]

I spoke to Simon at craftsman cues about this. He and other experts suggest that one should use as hard a tip as possible, contrary to public perception. Soft tips, like blue diamonds are pretty good for pool, but snooker balls beat the tip up. Apparently, the pros are all using laminated tips that are hard; talisman, phoenix and kamui. Only Hendry uses an elkmaster, and even that is going to be medium. The chalk should grip the cue ball, and the rest, as the fellas say above, is down to technique. One crucial thing that a lot of folk forget, is cue length. You are aiming to put the tip and the cue through the ball. If your cue is too short, you will be cueing with an obtuse angle between forearm and table. It should be about 90 degrees or a wee bit less, but not a lot less. A short cue means less travel through the ball, and so less screw. I've noticed that the amount of screw I achieve has increased from using a maple cue at 56'', going up to an ash cue at 57.5''; that's an extra 1.5'' travel through the ball, probably about double the previous amount. It greatly improves spin on the ball. I always thought a full length cue at 57-58'' was too long, but having a cue at shoulder height will improve not just my spin on shots but my general technique. Now I have to full stretch my upper body to accomodate a longer cue, which helps to put it in line with the shot.

[Particle Physics]

Acrowat: I've just switched over to a tip shaper from craftsman cues. It domes beautifully. I will still use my large gauge metal file to shape the tip when I fit a new one to the cue, but for doming, the concave tip shaper is much easier than using a flat bladed metal file. And the carbide is meant to last quite a long time. As for shaping the tip when the tip is on, don't sand it if it goes shiny or you miss-cue. Use the ultimate cue tip tool (or equivalent). It has a lifting edge on it, that will lift the tip at the shiny point without sanding the leather. You sand one side of the leather; you will have to sand all the sides!

[ADR147]

I spoke to Simon at craftsman cues about this. He and other experts suggest that one should use as hard a tip as possible, contrary to public perception. Soft tips, like blue diamonds are pretty good for pool, but snooker balls beat the tip up. Apparently, the pros are all using laminated tips that are hard; talisman, phoenix and kamui. Only Hendry uses an elkmaster, and even that is going to be medium. The chalk should grip the cue ball, and the rest, as the fellas say above, is down to technique. One crucial thing that a lot of folk forget, is cue length. You are aiming to put the tip and the cue through the ball. If your cue is too short, you will be cueing with an acute angle between upper arm and forearm. It should be about 90 degrees or a wee bit less, but not a lot less. A short cue means less travel through the ball, and so less screw. I've noticed that the amount of screw I achieve has increased from using a maple cue at 56'', going up to a a cue at 57.5''; that's an extra 1.5'' travel through the ball, probably about double the previous amount. It greatly improves spin on the ball. I always thought a full length cue at 57-58'' was too long, but having a cue at shoulder height will improve not just my spin on shots but my general technique. Now I have to full stretch my upper body to accomodate a longer cue, which helps to put it in line with the shot.

the general advice is always to use as hard a tip as you can cope with.

[Acrowot]

Particle Physics:-

It was well quoted in this month's World Championships that Ronnie O was using an Elk. So how do you make out that only Hendry uses one?

[Particle Physics]

Particle Physics:-

It was well quoted in this month's World Championships that Ronnie O was using an Elk. So how do you make out that only Hendry uses one?

I heard he was very happy with a new tip but missed out that it was an elk, oooops! I'm amazed by that. That's quite a shock. I may have to put an old elk back on once the Phoenix wears down for comparison.

[ADR147]

ronnie changes tips like other people change socks.

[Acrowot]

Is it cos I do not change tips a lot, that my feet are beginning to smell?

[alexw147]

You should move youe bridge hand to the place of cueing, i used to miscue an awful lot when trying to generate side or screw. Then i had a lesson and i was able then to understand what i was doing wrong. You should lower the bridge to screw back and vice versa for top spin, and when your playing side you should move you bridge hand over so your still cueing in a straight line as a pose to what i used to do and can only suggest what your doing is placing your hand as if your cueing to the centre of the ball and rotating the cue round and playing across the cue ball
Hope this helps
Matt

Actually i have never miscued using side or screw when i realised if you keep the butt end inline as with a normal dead straight shot and just adjust the tip left, right, down etc, keeps the cue going through the shot in a straight line except you are applying spin rather than any swerve to the cueball. helps with deflection/miscues upon contact of tip and cueball as the power/timing comes from your cueing arm so makes sense not to adjust that. also the more you adjust you bridge hand off of centre ball striking will apply more spin. All depends if you are swerving to get out of a snooker or trying to pot a ball while applying spin to widen and angle off a cushion.

[jonny66]

Actually i have never miscued using side or screw when i realised if you keep the butt end inline as with a normal dead straight shot and just adjust the tip left, right, down etc, keeps the cue going through the shot in a straight line except you are applying spin rather than any swerve to the cueball. helps with deflection/miscues upon contact of tip and cueball as the power/timing comes from your cueing arm so makes sense not to adjust that. also the more you adjust you bridge hand off of centre ball striking will apply more spin. All depends if you are swerving to get out of a snooker or trying to pot a ball while applying spin to widen and angle off a cushion.

Do you mean you cue across the ball a little to play with side, and dip into it to play a screw shot?

[alexw147]

Do you mean you cue across the ball a little to play with side, and dip into it to play a screw shot?

No i mean if you move the butt end from the center line of the cue ball your more likely to miscue as you would then be playing across the center line of an accurate shot, or if you dont miscue you may put more side on the cueball than what your aiming for, easier to control the line of the shot when the power is centered with the cueball

[alexw147]

No i mean if you move the butt end from the center line of the cue ball your more likely to miscue as you would then be playing across the center line of an accurate shot, or if you dont miscue you may put more side on the cueball than what your aiming for, easier to control the line of the shot when the power is centered with the cueball

If having to play a shot with extreme swerve i guess the butt end may naturally move across the line slightly because that can help add the swerve effect, and yes it would be sort of dipping into a screw shot as again the power comes from the cue arm so that needs to stay inline, just adjust the tip position as necessary and maybe bridge hand slightly but not when playing soft spin or pots/creating an angle

[alexw147]

If having to play a shot with extreme swerve i guess the butt end may naturally move across the line slightly because that can help add the swerve effect, and yes it would be sort of dipping into a screw shot as again the power comes from the cue arm so that needs to stay inline, just adjust the tip position as necessary and maybe bridge hand slightly but not when playing soft spin or pots/creating an angle

As an example that comes to mind, jimmy white, one of the best screw players there is never lowers the cue arm end inline with where the tip is, i could be wrong