The Pool Cue ShaftA pool cue shaft is usually made of rock maple hardwood. The better cues will be made of quarter-sawn sections of this wood, glued together to help prevent warping. Cue shafts may also be made of graphite or fiberglass.
There are two types of shaft tapers in general use. The European or Straight taper is an even, gradual taper from the cue tip to the butt end of the shaft. The Pro tip does not taper for the first 12 to 14 inches of the shaft but maintains the same diameter. It then tapers up from this area to the butt end of the shaft.
The pool cue shaft is really the most critical part of a cue stick. There are several things that can adversely affect how the cue shaft performs in a typical pool shot. If the shaft is rough, sticky, or dinged up, it won't slide through the fingers of the bridge hand smoothly. If it doesn't slide smoothly, the player will not be able to hit the cue ball with the finesse required to manipulate the cue ball correctly. If the shaft is warped, the ability to hit the cue ball straight is compromised. The use of english and spin depends on the precise angle of the cue tip to the cue ball to work the way the shooter desires. With a warped pool cue shaft, it is much harder, and indeed may be impossible, to attain this precision angle consistently if at all.
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