What is your cue made of? What and how are billiard cues made? Make a billiard cue

How to straighten a cue

Let's take a strong board, the cue is attached to it first with the thick end using a strong rope. At the place of the curvature (we determined it in advance by rolling the cue on a flat surface), place a spacer (for example, a simple pencil) between the board and the cue. Let's pull the second end of the cue to the board. We do not pay attention to the fact that the bend is decent. It should be 2-3 times larger (and, naturally, directed in the opposite direction) than the curvature itself. Let's adjust this by the thickness of the spacer.

The second method of straightening the cue.

We use a professional hair dryer for these purposes. We set the temperature to the maximum (>400 degrees), but heat the wood to 50-60 degrees (possibly more, but you have to be careful, the wood may burn), so as not to burn the wood, you need to “move” the nozzle and maintain a distance. The heating distance is up to 10 cm, the frequency of scanning the cue surface increases as the distance decreases. As a rule, only the convex side is subject to heating, but with significant coverage of the areas adjacent to the convexity.

We focus heating on the convexity. In this case, the convexity is mechanically pressed between two support points and warms up for 1.5-2 minutes. If the cue is dismountable, then you need to edit each part separately. Mark the convex side with a pencil. We take an old shoe, rest one end on it, and the other on the floor (preferably not a pile carpet, so as not to burn it), press it next to the bulge and warm it up. Next, place it on the surface and rotate again. When everything comes together, you need to do important operation- relieve tension in the tree. To do this, take a “cloth” or a flap of flannel and vigorously rub the entire shaft (or cue) until it is evenly heated; this cannot be done with a hairdryer. We check on the plane. If there is curvature, we need to repeat everything until we achieve the desired result.

How to make a sticker

Let's take leather (thick from old boots, for example), sand it with sandpaper to make it thinner, then chop it or cut it with scissors, degrease it with Acetone and coat it with instant glue, glue it again and fold it into layers, and into your device, and tighten it with nuts even more tightly.

According to the experiences of some craftsmen, after several months of playing with a 4-layer sticker, no fundamental differences were found from a cheap store-bought sticker, and the 6-layer one turned out to be softer. Factory stickers have a rounded shape, but homemade ones turned out to be flat and therefore the ball vented a little worse, you can make a small rounded depression in the lower part so that the sticker takes the desired shape under pressure, as for glue, it turns out you only need a little bit of it, layers between each other and without glue they stick together well under pressure.

It started a long time ago and continues to this day. Today this game has reached a new level of popularity and the number of its adherents. Therefore, more and more clubs and communities are appearing that practice billiards, train beginners, and also organize tournaments different levels, including international ones. All players, without exception, want success in the game and high achievements, but skill alone is not enough. Very often a cue is made to order that will help you achieve your goal.

How and from what is a cue made?

The pleasure of playing billiards, as well as our success, largely depend on the correctly selected cue. Therefore, in order to choose a cue that will show your professionalism, you should take this process very seriously. The cue is very important in billiards because if it is correct, an experienced player can easily win. Therefore, this necessary attribute for playing billiards must have excellent qualities.

It is no secret that how a cue is made, as well as from what material, determine its properties and final quality, and therefore its purpose. It must be hard enough to make strong and sharp shots, and also flexible, this is very important in billiards. Hard and soft rocks natural wood, as well as various alloys, allow you to combine these qualities. Materials for making this important attribute for playing billiards are easy to find, but their price is quite high.

How is a billiard cue made? First of all, the valuable wood species from which it is made are carefully selected and processed. They should not have cracks or knots, and must be well dried. For production, wood species with high density and elasticity are used. Cue cues are mainly made from valuable species tree. These are rosewood, buckout, colobolo, wenge, snakewood, black and white tree. The most expensive material is ebony. All these types of wood have very high hardness. In order to add the necessary flexibility to the product, pine or mahogany is usually used.

Quite often, the tip of the cue, which must be dense and resistant to impacts, is made from hornbeam. When making a cue, pay attention Special attention for even distribution of its weight. This is what helps you hit the balls accurately. During manufacturing, the shape, design, size, as well as the ability to fold (very convenient for frequent moves) are taken into account. For a long time, cues have been made from two or more types of wood. The wood is assembled into them using cuts, which at the final stage are folded into a certain pattern. Therefore, the following models are classified according to the type of cuts and their number:

crown- the most expensive and difficult to produce. This type of cue is made using special, expensive equipment and equipment. The construction and design of the crown cut are of several types: four-feather long crowns, four-feather regular crowns, as well as a rare and complex crown cut on the crown. These are the main types, but there are other varieties. Such products have a very high density. Gaming characteristics at a high level;
Viennese or classic washed down, has the widest distribution. All workshops make cues with this type of cut. Most often, it is the Viennese cut that becomes the first work of a novice master. Different craftsmen have different feather angles, and this is the most important characteristic. Most players and masters agree that this simple type of cut is the best for billiard cue;
tulip. It is one of the variations of the classic feather pen. How to make a tulip cue? When gluing, the classic Viennese cut is combined in a special way, and the result is a tulip cut. This product is characterized by high density. Due to the labor-intensive process, as well as the high consumption of wood, the price of such models is quite high.

A good cue is the key to a successful game

You don't have to use the most expensive cue to enjoy playing billiards. We already know how a cue is made, so it is always possible to choose a model good quality"by hand", from good stuff and not spend it a large amount. To maintain its characteristics and ensure its durability, you should definitely purchase care products.

The accuracy of a shot in billiards takes years to perfect. In order to comprehend the fascinating science of playing billiards, professional players systematically train in friendly tournaments and fights. Billiards in Melitopol is a great way to take a break from the worries and bustle of the city, have a great time, chat with friends and enjoy the atmosphere of this interesting game.

The playing qualities of a billiard cue directly depend on how and from what it was made. Let's talk a little about how cues are made in modern workshops.

What are cues made from?

What are cues made from?

All materials must be of high quality; the dried wood used is carefully selected and processed; there should be no knots or cracks in it. As a rule, the material is prepared in advance, then it is given time to “rest”, and only after that they begin processing and the actual production of a billiard cue - a gaming instrument. All bars that have led or exhibited any other defect are eliminated.

What kind of wood are cues made from?

Almost all high-quality billiard cues are made from several valuable types of wood high density. For the manufacture of the turnak and inlaid (cut) parts of the cue, hard and very hard wood is used, for example, sapelli, amaranth, laywood, paduk, black hornbeam, wenge, lemongrass, rosewood, bakote, cocobolo, makassar, ebony and a number of other materials. In this case, “gaps” can be connected different breeds wood, which has a positive effect on the playing properties of the cue. There may be cuts different shapes: classic - Viennese, cobweb, crown, flower, tulip and others. Shafts Kyiv self made made only from hornbeam. Factory cues are usually made from maple.

Making a handmade cue

The first stage after selecting materials is filing (or preparing glued parts). The cue parts prepared at this stage are glued together. At the same time, when making a handmade cue, the composition of the glue can also be changed so that its hardness after drying is equal to the hardness of wood. Then the billiard cue will transmit the impact energy without distortion. The pieces are glued together under pressure. After gluing, the cue blanks are sent to drying, where they rest for some time. And only after this the processing of the cue itself begins: all its parameters, dimensions are set, and its shape is given. If we're talking about For two-piece cues, a twist is inserted. At the same stage, a weight is added and the cue is balanced. What is important is that at this stage all actions are usually performed manually, using sandpaper, a blade, a plane, without using a lathe. Why? Because, according to the craftsmen, during turning, a huge amount of internal stresses in the wood arise in the blank of the future cue, even small ones - but they can greatly influence playing qualities cue. Good workshops try to avoid this. After this, the cue is cleaned. A logo, inlay or almost any image of the customer’s choice is applied to it - even rhinestones. In the case of factory cues, a logo is usually applied. After this, the cue is covered with wax or varnish and polished. Each cue is tested: when you buy a handmade cue, you can be sure of its high playing qualities.

Making a cue in a factory is faster and easier. At industrial production The cue is not glued; the turnstile and shaft are made of maple on a lathe. At the next stage it works lathe governed by computer program. The cue is given required form. The drawing is applied - also on a machine. After this, the twist is installed and the turnstile can be attached to the shaft. Next, the cue is varnished - again automatically.

Characteristics of wood species for billiard cues:

Ramin: density - 670 kg/m 3, Brinell hardness - 3.0

Maple: density - 650 kg/m 3, Brinell hardness - 4.0

Hornbeam

Beech: density - 650 kg/m 3, Brinell hardness - 3.8

Oak: density - 700 kg/m 3, Brinell hardness - 3.8

Ash

Lemon: density - 700 kg/m 3, Brinell hardness - 3.6

Amarilla: density - 800 kg/m 3, Brinell hardness - 4.5

Karelian Bareza: density - 700 kg/m 3, Brinell hardness - 3.5

Sapelli

Lacewood: density - 650 kg/m 3, Brinell hardness - 3.5