Joint wearing out?

[lostmycue]

I was watching a Steve Davis match from 2011 and noticed that Steve's cue joint runs through the splices. It looked to me that the splices were off line slightly. It looked like it was over tightened. Just wondering if this is something that can happen over a period of time where the joint might wear out a bit if it is put together too hard too often?

[CueAntW147]

Your right the joint will wear down it can happen with any jointed cue over time but is always more obvious & noticeable when the joint is cut through the splices like Steve's ( due to the four splice fingers being out of line ) or when cut above the splices ( in ash cues due to grain pattern being out of line ) joint can always be reset in line again though.

It not's too bad with a normal 3/4 joint cue cut through the ebony ( below the splices ) as the only marker for it being out of line is when sighting from butt to tip and looking at the badge ( and flat of the butt ) but this is easily corrected when held in the palm of your hand and many players wouldn't even notice as movement may only be very slight anyway.

[DeanH]

I dont think it is a matter of the joint wearing out but that the joint has rotated within the shaft so when fitted together it is now out of alignment of the splices/grains.
I believe Steve's cue has been like this for many years.
I assume that he does not want it corrected as he is now used to it, :shrug:

As to people putting the cue together too hard, i.e. twisting the wood too tightly, yep I would say that this could force the joint to rotate; also like a friend of mine last week, put his mini butt on for a shot, did the shot then started to take the mini off and the wood came off but left the two parts of the joint on the cue.
I repeated to him that I had always mentioned that he always joins his cue and accessories way-too-hard, and something would eventually give
ps - he is the same person who says "of course you always only brush the cloth from baulk to black" then immediately proceeds to brush the table with his hand in every direction, including round and round; other than what he said

[Neil Taperell]

Robert Osborne makes the splices slightly off set and after time the joint rotates ever so slightly and the splices line up .