An entirely different construction for RAVEN cues!

Building a cue with a solid core butt is probably the best way to build a cue with all the traditional decoration players expect. The reasoning behind this method of construction is really very simple. From the joint screw on back through the tenon in the forearm to the handle, where you hold the cue, there are no interruptions. The hand that holds the grip of the cue receives the least distorted vibration. That should translate to the maximum feel. Maximum feel gives maximum control. I suppose the natural products of a creative mind are new ideas. I constantly look for different ways to improve what I'm doing, whether it has to do with pool cues, golf clubs, or just other things I do. I've created prototypes of different joint constructions. I've created different ways of joining the forearm and the handle section of cues. I’ve experimented with different ways to change the hit of a cue. I look for better and better jump tips. And I’ve put a lot of time and effort into thinking about how a cue could be built better than by the current methods. A few years ago I started working on ways to build cues with the maximum amount of 'feel' and playability. People often talk about how the ideal two-piece cue has the feel of a one-piece cue. To be honest with you, I'm not necessarily sure that's how it should be. If you've read other things I have written, one thing that comes up over and over again is that no two people are exactly the same. What one person likes for the hit and feel of the cue will not necessarily be what another person likes. I suppose many serious cue makers have gone through a period of time were they searched for the perfect hit to build into their cues. I really don't believe there is one perfect hit or feel for all cues. Some cuemakers have settled on a certain style of construction (i.e. joint pin, joint material, joint type etc.) and they build their cues one way. Other cuemakers offer different styles of joint materials, joint construction, joint pins etc. In my opinion neither method is either good or bad, or right or wrong. They are just different ways of doing things. Good players disagree on looks, on style, on joint pins, on joint construction, and on things like, which ferrules and tips are best. They use different shaft tapers and even different shaft constructions. But the one thing that every good player, I've ever talked to, does agree with is that the cue has to give good feedback in terms of ‘feel’. They do not necessarily agree on what that ‘feel’ should feel like, but the cue has to convey that ‘feel’ back to the player, so he or she knows what the cue ball is going to do when they strike it with the cue. One thing that comes up all the time in discussions about how a cue feels has to do with the attachment of the forearm to the handle in the typical three-piece butt. Some people believe that using a metal bolt in this area destroys the feel of the cue. The use of a metal bolt is the most common method for attaching the forearm to the handle. The method has several advantages. By using a bolt that extends several inches into the forearm a very secure construction can be created if the proper attention to detail is used in constructing the joint in this way. Some people have said that the screw is responsible for the occasional ‘buzz’ in this joint. My research indicates that damaged or poorly constructed joints can buzz with or without a screw being used. There's also the issue of the proper weighting and balance of the cue. Many people believe that the most desirable balance is achieved by having weight in this area. In the cases where the wood in the forearm is sufficiently dense and heavy, cuemakers often use screws made from aluminum, or even phenolic for this attachment. Some cuemakers don't use the screw in this area. They join the pieces using a threaded tenon or dowel. I make cues, using both methods and believe that neither method is either better or worse; they simply produce a different type of feel. I have even seen people advocate not using a screw (because it destroys the feel of a cue) but replacing the weight it provides with cavities filled with, steel, lead or powered metal mixed with epoxy. Yes, I've built cues that way too. I may be wrong but I really don’t see much difference in using a steel screw in construction or not using one and filling an additional cavity with steel or lead. Either way there is something there to change the feel. It seems to me that the discussion about whether or not the steel screw or bolt causes a loss of feel in the cue is really not the issue. If you look at the section on this web site called ‘Inside a RAVEN’ what you'll see is a very detailed description of how the typical three-piece butt of a cue is built. No matter how you cut it, whether there is a screw involved or not, whenever you join two different pieces of wood together there is going to be an interface of glue. On either side of that interface will be two different types of wood with different densities that will conduct vibration differently. That is true no matter how that internal joint is made. The loss of feel, or the change in feel, is caused not so much as the result of having a screw or not having a screw, as it is by the fact that there's an internal joint located before the grip hand. So in my opinion, the problem isn't a screw. The problem (if you believe there really is a problem) is because there is the internal joint. Even the one piece house cue has the glue interface to interrupt the accurate transmission of vibration. The construction used on the original prototype of the solid core cues was intended to reduce the impact of the disruption of vibration as a result of the joint before the grip hand. As you'll see from the pictures above and below the handle section of this cue has the normal tenon that runs to the rear over which the butt sleeve is glued. But, it also has a tenon that runs the entire length of the forearm. Now I don't want there to be any confusion here. For years cuemakers have cored the forearm of heavier woods or lighter woods and attached them to the handle section. That isn't new. But that's not allthat has been done in this case. There is no attachment of the tenon at all. The handle, the forearm tenon and the rear tenon are all one single piece. I chose to construct these cues out of laminated stock for a couple of different reasons. The main reason has to do with reducing the possibility of warpage of the butt. The laminated stock has already been stress relieved. Laminated stock is commonly used these days to construct the handle section (wrap area) of the cue. The laminated stock is also often used in the case where the forearm is cored. It reduces the possibility of warpage and provides a stiffer structural center. The most pure method of building a two-piece cue that had the maximum amount of feel would be to make it out of a single piece of wood. It would not have a joint screw. I think it would probably have to have wooden threads like traditional billiard cues. To maximize feel it would have no joint collars, no inlays, no wrap, no rings, no weight bolt and no finish. It could probably have a butt cap because vibration transmitted beyond the grip hand may not matter. I’m not even going to go into the shaft section because as soon as a leather tip is put on the shaft maximum feel is lost. You get the point. The less there is to interfere with the transmission of vibration, the truer the feel. Obviously there have to be compromises to produce a cue that looks good and still has the highest degree of feel possible. If sufficient time and care is taken this same construction could be created out of a single piece of maple or other appropriate wood. Different densities of wood will produce differences in the exact feel but uninterrupted feel should be maintained. Once again, I used the laminated stock, because it has the advantage of being stress relieved. It is also possible to use plastic or other materials to make this piece so long as weight is considered. I experimented with other materials for the core, but for now I will use wood. This method of construction allows for the cue to contain all of the elements that are typical for a high-end cue. It can still have the ringwork in all 5 locations. It can still have inlayed or spliced points. The forearm can be made of birdseye or curly maple, or any other wood. The forearm and butt sleeve can be inlaid in the normal way and any type of joint pin and joint collars can be used. SN-00055 was the final prototype and was thoroughly tested before I made other cues with this construction available for sale. It should also be noted that even though I am more than satisfied with how this prototype performed I will still continue to build cues with traditional three-piece butts. The Solid Core construction method is just another option available on RAVEN Cues. Whether the entire construction method is Solid Core or the forearm is being cored to stabilize the wood or reduce weight, people have asked how we get such a deep hole that is so perfect? The answer is we use a Gun Drill to make a long perfect hole through the wood. The forearm is turning in the lathe chuck and is perfectly aligned with the Gun Drill. The air hose blasts cool air into the hole to remove chips and keep the wood cool while the lathe carriage slowly advances the Gun Drill. Click here for a video of the Gun Drill drilling a deep hole.

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