If you’ve played pool for any length of time, chances are you’ve played with a few warped pool cues. This is especially true if you do the majority of your playing at a pool hall or bar as house cues are notorious for not only being warped, but just in bad shape in general. But what causes a pool cue to warp anyways?
There are many reasons why pool cues warp including excessive exposure to heat and cold, moisture absorption, improper storage, poor cue maintenance, and poor quality wood being used in the construction of the cue itself. However, most warping can be prevented simply by keeping your cue in a case when not in use and stored in a dry, room temperature environment.1. Excessive Temperatures
In this article we’re going to discuss everything you need to know about a warped pool cue including how to check for warping and how to prevent it.
2. Too Much Moisture
Because pool cues are made of wood they, like other wood products, naturally expand and contract as temperatures change. And because wood, and therefore pool cues, are porous, they have the ability to absorb moisture. Both of these factors play heavily in a pool cues ability or tendency to warp.
3. Poor Quality Materials
Because of these not so favorable characteristics of wood, cue manufacturers (good ones anyways) implement various drying and sealing processes to remove and lock out moisture. These processes vary per manufacturer but generally consist of a drying period which removes moisture from the wood followed by an application of sealant to keep moisture locked out.
4. Poor Cue Maintenance
Because of woods susceptibility to moisture and the negative effects it can have on pool cues, great lengths are taken to combat it. However, the effects of these anti-moisture and anti-warping processes can be quickly negated if subject to the right conditions causing your pool cue to warp.
5. Improper Storage
In this section, I’ll share with you some of the most common causes of a warped pool cue so you’ll know how to avoid having it happen to you.
6. Excessive Stress
1. Excessive Temperatures
Rolling Your Cue on a Flat Surface
Exposing your pool cue to excessive temperatures is not a good idea. Doing so can cause your cue to warp for reasons we’ve already discussed. Therefore, you should never leave your pool cue in the car or any other area where the temperature surrounding the cue is unregulated. If possible, always store your cue in a climate controlled location to help prevent warping.
Warp Detection Tools
2. Too Much Moisture
The Steam Method
Moisture is your pool cues biggest enemy. Because pool cues are porous, they will naturally absorb moisture if measures aren’t taken to prevent it. Too much moisture being absorbed by your cue will eventually lead to warping. Never store your cue in a damp basement or any other area with high humidity. Also, its a good idea to burnish your cue from time to time to help close its pores and lock out moisture.
Shaft Straightening Tools
3. Poor Quality Materials
How to Prevent Your Cue From Warping
Not all pool cues are made equally. Some cue manufacturers simply use better materials than others. And the processes they implement to help prevent warping will differ as well. Both the quality of materials being used and the measures taken to prevent warping will play a role in a particulars cues tendency to warp. For this reasons its always a good idea to buy from a reputable company that uses high quality woods and implements an effective drying and sealing process. Most of them that do will even offer a warranty against warping.
Do Not
4. Poor Cue Maintenance
Alternatives to Wood Cues
5. Improper Storage
In Conclusion
6. Excessive Stress
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Determining if a pool cue is warped is fairly simple and there are a few methods you can use to do so. The first, and most reliable method, is called sighting. Alternatively, you can roll your cue across a flat surface and look for any wobble. Lets talk about both in more detail.
Sighting a pool cue is typically the most accurate way to check for warping. To do so, hold the butt end of the cue at eye level, with the tip of the cue facing away and at a slight downward angle. Slowly rotate the cue 360 degrees as you observe the shaft and especially the tip. If you see any bends in the shaft, or if the tip moves irregularly, you know you’ve got a warped cue.
Rolling Your Cue on a Flat Surface
Alternatively, you can roll your cue across a flat surface and check for wobble. However, this method isn’t the most reliable in that it requires a perfectly flat surface. And while pool tabletops are obviously flat and generally level, small imperfections or variations in the felt can cause your cue to wobble even if the shaft itself is straight.
Worth checking out: For a reliable starter cue, take a look at the CUESOUL 58-Inch Pool Cue Set on Amazon.
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