shape of cue tips
Gary Sabin
I always shape the tip of my cue to be hemi-spherical
is this the best shape?
different people i have talked with suggest both flat and rounded tips
some suggest having a thin tip and others a thick tip
what do people think?
Gary
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Elizabeth Shirney Lane
: Hi Guys
: I always shape the tip of my cue to be hemi-spherical
: is this the best shape?
: different people i have talked with suggest both flat and rounded tips
: some suggest having a thin tip and others a thick tip
: what do people think?
: Gary
: -:
As for the shape, compare the contour of you tip to that of a nickel. I
don't know of anyone who'd prefer a flat tip over a rounded one.
Liz
Michael Cassin
> Hi Guys
> I always shape the tip of my cue to be hemi-spherical
> is this the best shape?
> different people i have talked with suggest both flat and rounded tips
> some suggest having a thin tip and others a thick tip
> what do people think?
>
> Gary
For normal playing, the tip should be rounded. Some people suggest using the
curvature of a nickel as a guide, some suggest a quarter. Consider buying
a cue shaper. It is a piece of metal with a concave gritty portion. The
size of the dome is specific to the diameter of the tip. It's sort of like
buying socks; there is one cue shaper for size 9-10, one for 10-12, one for
over 12 ...
I don't think that the tip should curve right down to the ferrule. It should
look like a cylinder with a rounded top instead of a dome. I guess this is
related to the thick tip/thin tip question. I don't have a good answer for
this one, except that I hate playing with a thick soft tip ... they tend to
accordian.
Cues used especially for breaking usually have flatter tips to minimize the
amount of spin given to the cue ball.
Mike
Jari Kokko
Whatever works for you is best for you.
But I don't think a tip's shape needs as much attention as some
people give it. I usually stick a new tip on, remove the sharp
edge it has on its shoulder with sand paper and trim it down to
ferrule size with a sharp Stanley knife. After that nothing.
If you use the chalk like it's supposed to be used you don't
even have to sand/scuff/whatever it to keep it good. When the
tip becomes rockhard or wears down too much or loses a large bit
just replace it (I do it sometimes as often as twice a month).
The proper way to use chalk is not to drill the tip into it, but
to gently brush the tip from the top downwards.
Of course, I am talking snooker tips here. The brands I like are
Elk Master and Blue Diamond (which is usually a bit thicker and
harder than Elk Master).
Jari
Hank Miller, Ph.D. TSU Counselng Center, Towson, MD
>
>
>I think the shape of your tip is very important. I like having the
>curvature of a nickel, but my cue mechanic (Li'l Al Romero out of
>Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, CA, USA) also likes to put a 1/8"
>flat spot dead center. This he claims helps you shoot dead straight,
>and he has me convinced.
>
>It would seem to me that being able to shoot dead straight is even more
>important for snooker players than pool players, and I'm wondering if
>any snooker players out there have tried out Li'l Al's idea about having
>a flat spot in the middle of your tip.
>
My experience is that, like it or not, a flat spot in the middle of the tip
"just happens." Unless one shapes frequently enough to need tip replacements
on a monthly or even bi-weekly basis. My assumption is that the curvature is
most critical when using english, particularly extreme english. When shooting
center-ball, the flat spot would make less diffence. Do others agree?
By the way I have been using first Le Pro, and more recently Triangle tips.
Any opinions??
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Hank Miller | <--------< Mill...@toe.towson.edu >------>|
| "The best things in life are free... |
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Mark Stieffenhofer
: Cues used especially for breaking usually have flatter tips to minimize the
: amount of spin given to the cue ball.
And all this time I thought cues that were used for breaking had flatter
tips because they've been compacted from breaking. Silly me! ;)
Jon Gellman
(Dave Nadler) writes:
>
>
>I think the shape of your tip is very important. I like having
the
I have often seen the house cues in rooms shaped to a far smaller
radius than a nickel, leaving me wondering if the staff are
morons or what. There is no end to tip delusions, such as
rounding the edges, leading to miscues. I personally use a piece
of 60 grit abrasive cloth to rough and shape my tip every time it
comes out of the case. I probably change tips more than some, but
have great consistency in the shape and texture of the tip.
Jon
Dave Nadler
I think the shape of your tip is very important. I like having the
curvature of a nickel, but my cue mechanic (Li'l Al Romero out of
Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, CA, USA) also likes to put a 1/8"
flat spot dead center. This he claims helps you shoot dead straight,
and he has me convinced.
It would seem to me that being able to shoot dead straight is even more
important for snooker players than pool players, and I'm wondering if
any snooker players out there have tried out Li'l Al's idea about having
a flat spot in the middle of your tip.
dn
192602695
Well, that's easy...you want a rounded tip so that more of the tip will be able
to contact the ball in order to impart spin. The only time I could see using a
flat tip would be if you wanted a break shot with absolutely no english.
> some suggest having a thin tip and others a thick tip
> what do people think?
Easy...I think that a decently thick tip is needed to have proper 'give' when
shooting. I.E. if you have a cue tip only a couple of millimetres thick, you
might as well hit the cue ball with some chalk on your ferrule or the wood
underneath, because that's how rigid it will be. This, however is a personal
prefeference, and I don't know what others think.
Nate
Bob Jewett
> be able to contact the ball in order to impart spin.
You seem to be saying that the amount of spin the tip tronsfers to the
ball is proportional to the contact area. Is that actually what you mean?
Bob Jewett