machined splice cue

[poolqjunkie]

hi,
I would like to ask the cue makers here what exactly is meant by "machine spliced?"
Is the butt pieces all cut out by some machine and the shafts the same way? What kind of machine is this called?
How can the points all be so even and centered if they are mass produced?
How was the butt joined to the shaft, is it just glued?
Thank you.

[ADR147]

umm - the cue is made in two halves - a shaft and a butt - then the two are glued together - the process is very fast compared with hand splicing a cue.

[poolqjunkie]

Thank you ADR 147 for your answer.

How are the two parts cut to ensure a perfect fit on a mass production setting, what kinds of machine are used? How do they ensure the points are always so even?

Are the two halves also joint with some hardward such as a screw for balancing and structual purposes? Is they are only glued together, how is the cue balanced? Is the butt end then drilled and weight bolts added?

[ADR147]

they are cut with a cnc lathe of some sort i assume - a machine replicates the same thing every time - very easy to get points even - try doing it by hand and eye! as for weights etc i don't know enough about cheap cues to comment!

[poolqjunkie]

Thanks,
I think and I could be worng, but to get the points even, the cue has to be turned perfectly centered, and the splicing has to be done right before turning. I assume the splicing will be done by some human. It is not easy even with a precise machine, thus my question if there is a special way to cut and splice the wood before turning.
I would think that the ebony butt would be solid, that will be where most fo the weight sits. In order to move the weight forward, perhpas the joint can be installed further up or some weight need to be installed into the shaft or some taken out form the butt, may be cored with a lighter wood. Of course, a shorter butt section would also helps I guess.
I must admit I do not know enough about UK snooker cues and I know my question will look very silly to those who are knowledgable. I love snooker, and cues, and I want to thank you for all the valuable info here provided by the knowledgable members. Thank you.

[ADR147]

i would be suprised if any of the process was done by hand, doing things by hand is expensive also i don't think there will be solid ebony on many machine spliced cues - unless maybe its from a top maker like mike wooldridge but then thats hardly the same thing.

[poolqjunkie]

Actually, I was thinking more along the line of a Parris master.

My friend has a Paradon and the butt was painted black. Yuk!!!

[ADR147]

parris masters were ebony and finished well however the price was, and remains crazy.

[poolqjunkie]

Yes, they were only a few pounds cheaper than the Classic, which was hand spliced.

If I remember correctly, they had a shorter butt section, something like 12" or may be 14"?

For something like that, how did he cut the ebony butt section and was it just glued to the ash?

[SideShowKeith]

Andrew, what was the original price of the JP Master?

[trevs1]

Seeing as I'm doing not much else but eating chocolates and Christmas puddings, I thought I'd take a break from that and answer this one.

A machine spliced cue is a cue made from two sections, the butt, and the shaft.
These will always have a butt made from a solid timber, i.e, ebony and rosewoods of various types, etc etc etc.

The way these are made is entirely different to a hand spliced cue.

The shaft is cut along with the butt, to allow them to be jointed and glued together, with the jointing method being almost like a series of scarf joints. This is often done with a circular saw, mounted in a specially made jig, which allows the saw to travel perhaps 18" to 22" and cut a number of tapered slots into the material. These slots correspond with each other to allow the two cut sections to be pushed together and glued into place.

Scarf joint - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarf_joint

This creates a very strong connecting bond of the butt and shaft, due to the fact that there is an enormous amount of glueing area on the two seperate pieces of material.

Once the adhesive/glue used is cured or 'gone off' , the whole thing would be passed through a copy lathe, where the shape of the butt becomes apparent.

Bish bash....job done.....more or less anyway.

[poolqjunkie]

Thank you so much Trev.

Would you mind telling me how are these cues usually balanced then, are the butt section drilled and cored? How do they ensure that the points are even after the turn?

[ADR147]

umm don't bet on it but from memory i think it was £155

[Peer]

parris masters were ebony and finished well however the price was, and remains crazy.

Is this English..?

-- peer

[ADR147]

indeed it is, yes.