CUE TERMINOLOGY

Below is a Glossary of Cue Descriptions.

ACTION: The amount of side, forward and back spin the cue produces on the cue ball.

BALANCE: How a cue feels when holding it and stroking it.

BALANCE POINT: The pivot point in an assembled cue.

BEAUTY RINGS: These are rings that are fancier than plain rings.

BONE IVORY: This is an ivory colored material that is made from the bone of an animal.

BRASS JOINT: An outer sleeve of brass at the butt joint.

BUMPER: A rubber or other protective material attached to the end of the cue to allow the cue to be rested on the floor without damaging the cue.

BUTT:  The larger rear half section of a two piece cue.

BUTTERFLY POINTS: These are colorful points that have very rounded ends.

BUTT PLATE: This is the very end of the butt just before the rubber bumper.

BUTT RING: The ring between the butt sleeve and the butt plate.

BUTT SLEEVE: A short section of wood between the butt plate and the handle.

CORED: This means the forearm or handle has been cored out and another type of wood glued inside. This is done for strength, stability or weight considerations.

CUE: A sports instrument used to play various billiard games.

CUSTOM CUE: A one of a kind cue designed by the cuemaker or the customer. Any cue that has custom features added, essentially making it one of a kind cue, even though it is very similar to other cues by the cuemaker. Any cue made to the customers specifications.

DECORATIVE RINGS: These are rings that are fancier than plain rings.

DELRIN: A plastic material used for butt plates. Does not get finished over.

DIAMOND: This could be a real gem inlaid into the cue. But more often it simply refers to the shape of an inlay.

DOTS: Small round inlays.

DRAW: The back spin produced on the cue ball.

ENGLISH: The side spin produced on the cue ball.

FEEL: The feedback you feel in your hand when the cue strikes the cue ball.

FERRULE: A short sleeve of plastic or Ivory glued onto the end of the shaft.

FLAT BOTTOM POINTS: These are longer inlays that are glued into inlay pockets that are cut straight down into the cue just like smaller inlays are done. Thus, they are flat bottom instead of V-grooves.

FLAT FACED JOINT: Both face sections of the joint area are flat.

FLOATING PONTS: These are longer forearm inlays that do not touch the wrap joint, so they are called floating points. The forearm is like a river and the inlay is like a boat.

FOLLOW: The forward spin produced on the cue ball.

FOREARM: The front section of the butt between the wrap or handle section and the joint.

FOREARM JOINT: The section where the handle and forearm screw together. This joint can either be loosened or glued permanently.

FOREARM RING: The ring where the forearm and handle meet.

FULL SPLICE CUE: This is a cue that has no forearm joint. Instead, the forearm and handle are attached by cutting V-grooves into the forearm and and matching prongs into the handle and gluing them together. This is one of the strongest Joints.

GRAIN: The appearance of the grain in the wood.

GROWTH RINGS: The amount of grain lines per inch in the wood.

HANDLE:  The section of the cue where you grip the cue.

HANDLE RING: This is the ring between the butt sleeve and handle.

HIT: How the cue feels and performs when striking the cue ball.

INLAY: A decorative part that is glued into the cue.

INSERT: A brass or other type of threaded insert that connects the shaft to the butt.

IRISH LINEN: A fine cord material wrapped around the handle/grip section.

IVORY: Usually refers to material that comes from the tusks or teeth of an animal.

IVORY BUTT PLATE: The butt plate is made of Ivory.
IVORY HANDLE: The handle or wrap section is made of sleeves of Ivory.
IVORY JOINT: An outer sleeve of Ivory at the butt joint.

JOINT: The section of the cue where the shaft and butt screw together.

JOINT INSERT: A brass or other type of threaded insert that connects the shaft to the butt.

JOINT PIN or JOINT SCREW: The screw that connects the shaft to the butt.

JUMP CUE: A short cue designed for jumping the cue call over other balls.

JUMP BREAK CUE: A cue that is designed for breaking and jumping and has a releasing joint at the forearm/handle section so the shorter section can be used as a jump cue.

LAYERED TIP: A tip that is made of thin layers of leather stacked on top of each other.

ONE PIECE BUTT: This is a butt that is one solid piece of wood.

ONE PIECE CUE: This is the common house cue that does not break apart with a joint.

PHENOLIC: A very strong material used in joints, rings and butt plates.

PILOTED JOINT: This means the face of the joint has an extrusion that seats down into a cavity of the opposite half of the joint.

POINTS: These are longer nlays in the forearm.

PRE-BAN IVORY: Refers to Ivory that was imported before the 1989 ban on importing some types of Ivory. We only use legal pre-ban Ivory and only ship cues with African Elephant Ivory to USA customers. We can ship cues with bone Ivory or mammoth Ivory outside of the USA.

PRONGS: Points in the Forearm.

RE-CUT POINTS: These are V-groove points that have been installed and then the inside grooved out again (re-cut) and another point glued inside of it.

RINGS: These are short sleeves/rings that can be plain or fancy and are installed in various places in the cue. These rings have five major places they are found in cues. They are called:

Shaft Joint Ring, Butt Joint Ring, Forearm or Wrap Ring, Handle Ring, and Butt Ring.

SEALED WRAP: A wrap that has been coated over with cue finish. Feels like a wrapless cue.

SHAFT: The thinner front half of a two piece cue.

SHAFT JOINT RING: The protective ring on the joint end of the shaft.

STACK WRAP: A leather wrap that has a thin band of leather wound around the wrap area.

STAINLESS JOINT: An outer sleeve of stainless steel at the butt joint.

STICK: A sports instrument used to play various billiard games.

STITCH RINGS: These are decorative rings that have lines or rectangles glued into them.

STONE: This is an inlay material that is either a natural or synthetic stone like material.

THREE PIECE BUTT: This is a butt that has a forearm joined to a handle with a butt sleeve installed on the end.

TIP: The small leather or synthetic piece that you strike the cue ball with.

VENEERS: These are thin colored sections of wood that usually outline points or inlays.

V-GROOVE POINTS: These are points that are machined in on an angle that come out sharp on the ends.

WEIGHT BOLT: A bolt installed into the end of the cue to adjust the weight of the cue.

WINDOW: This is a box or rectangle shaped inlay. It often gets a smaller inlay inside of it.

WRAP: A covering of the handle/grip section with leather, cork, linen, nylon or other material.

WRAP GROOVE: The channel section cut into the handle to accept the wrap.

WRAP JOINT: The section where the handle and forearm screw together. This joint can either be loosened or glued permanently.

WRAP RING: The ring where the forearm and handle meet.