Search This Site
Send to a Friend
Our Main Page
RAVEN Cues
Jump/Break tips
Limited Series
About Us
Used Cues
How to Buy
Discount Store
What People Say
Billiards Speak
Cue Care
Trade Up
Warranty
Publications
Engraving
Contact Us
Play Better
Billiards News
Teaching Videos
Why RAVEN
RAVEN Taper
RAVEN Owners
Inside a RAVEN
Pool Music
Pool Humor
Pool Pictures
Components
Custom Orders
Build your Own
Tournaments
For Collectors
Cue Anatomy
Lost or Stolen
Different Woods
Pool Game Rules
Directory Links
Fun Pool Videos
Old Growth Wood
What We Don't Do
Pool Cue Repairs
No Illegal Materials
Appearances
Non-Billiards
Privacy
Sitemap
Billiards Speak
Register
© Copyright 2000-2008
RAVEN Custom Cues
Marion, IA 52302
|
Additional pictures and more information may be added from time to time.
Tips : _________________________________________________We will generally put on whatever tip you want.New tips are being made all the time so not every tip is listed here. We typically put either Le pro or Triangle tips on cues unless a customer has a preference. Other options are RAVEN Black or White Jump / break tips, Elk Master, Triumph, Chandivert BB, Water Buffalo, StingRay, Moori, Tiger laminated, Tiger Everest, Hercules, Talisman Pro, Talisman Water Buffalo Laminated, Stratos, Dynamite, Magestic, Wild Boar, and Tsunami just to mention the most common ones. Common tip Options
Pad :_________________________________________________Regular fiber or hard fiber.Fiber pads protect the ferrule and can alter the feel of a cue. Different Pad Options
Ferrule : _________________________________________________If the ferrule material has not already been selected you may select whatever type of ferrule you wantand whatever length you want the ferrule to be.There are many different types of ferrule material. Ivory, fiber, melamine, ABS, PVC, grice, micarta, Ivorine-3, Aegis II, multi-polymers, antler, horn, cue ball and metal are the most common. All have different playing characteristics. Virtually anything that is fairly hard, machine workable and will glue well can be made into a ferrule.
Shaft construction : ____________________________________________________If the shaft material has not already been selected you may select whatever type of shaft you want.Hard rock maple is standard. Other options include 24 ply flat laminated, 35 ply flat laminated, Dominator 8 piece radially laminated, Matrix 8 piece radially laminated, Predator-314 10 piece radially laminated and Purpleheart.
Shaft diameter : _________________________________________________Pool cue shafts typically range from 10mm to 14mm. 13mm is the most common. Raven shafts can be tapered to suit your playing preference.
Shaft flex : __________________________________________________Shafts can be Flexible to Very Stiff. Much of that has to do with the taper and shaft construction. The conical or billiards taper is quite stiff. Laminated shafts also tend to be stiffer. The RAVEN taper is on the stiffer side. One of the advantages of the RAVEN taper is that it is stiffer.
Taper : __________________________________________________The RAVEN Taper is standard, but I'll taper a shaft how you want it tapered.The RAVEN Taper
Joint Type : __________________________________________________Generally the joint type will already be built into the cue but if it isn't the choice is yours.Joints are typically either flat-faced or piloted. Piloted joints generally have a little nub on the shaft that fits into a recess in the butt. There are other less common joint configurations. The conical joint (we don’t use it) is one of them. Sometimes the nub may be on the butt side and fit into a pilot hole on the shaft side. The joint screw can go from the shaft into the butt instead of vice versa.
Joint material : __________________________________________________Generally the joint material will already be built into the cue but if it isn't the choice is yours.There are many choices and all have different playing characteristics. Ivory, linen, implex, stainless steel, multi-polymers or no joint material at all. Sizes of the joint collars will vary to add character to each cue.
Ring work : ___________________________________________________The ring work design will already be completed if the cue has ring work in the butt.Examples of Ring Work in a cue
Joint screw : __________________________________________________The cue may already have a joint screw in it. Anything except a proprietary thread.The most common joint screws (or joint pins) are 5/16 - 18 like Meucci uses, 5/16 - 14 like a Schon or Joss or the 3/8 - 10 like you find on a McDermott. The Uni-Loc Radial and Uni-Loc Quick release joint pins are also options. The 5/16 - 18, 5/16 - 14 and UniLoc quick release typically have a brass insert they screw into on the shaft side. The 3/8 - 10 and the Radial usually just screw into wooden threads. Phenolic or multi-polymer inserts can be made for some of these screws. G-10 joint pins are an option. I generally use a 7/16 - 11 pin that goes into wooden threads. There is also a G-10 3/8 - 10 pin available. Click here to see more about the G-10 joint pin. 3/8 - 10 joint pin Radial joint pin Uni-Loc Quick release joint pin
Butt wood : __________________________________________________If you choose to request a cue that has not been started yet you may determine the woods used in the butt.This is the wood used from the joint back to the rubber bumper. The forearm is typically maple, but it can be many different woods. If there is no wrap on the cue, exotic wood can be used in place of a wrap. Woods used in cue building
Points : __________________________________________________Spliced, floating or none at all.Woods used in cue building
Veneers :__________________________________________________Traditional solid or RAVEN mottledVeneers are the colored strips of wood that often outline the points of a cue. I make my own veneers so they can be different colors. The traditional veneers should be a solid color throughout. RAVEN mottled veneers are specially treated to have a solid color on the outside but not all the way through. The colors are softer and give more of a pastel appearance. Traditional solid veneers Traditional solid veneers (2) RAVEN mottled veneers RAVEN mottled veneers (2)
Inlay work : __________________________________________________Not all cues will be inlayed
Jump / Break Joint : __________________________________________________This is really only for jump / break cues.
Wrap : __________________________________________________Irish linen or leather are the most common but snake skin, lizard, ostrich, alligator, eel etc. are possible.Irish linen choices from Blue Mountian. More Irish linen choices. These are from Hurlbert.
Butt sleeve : ________________________________________________Not all cues have butt sleeves.It is usually the same wood used in the forearm or points, but it doesn't have to be. Sometimes using a completely different wood makes a impressive cue. Woods used in cue building
Butt cap : ___________________________________________________Most often this is the same material used for the joint collar or rings around the joint collar if the collar is Stainless Steel, but it does not have to be. Common materials are Ivory, ABS, phenolic, micarta, multi-polymers, antler, horn, exotic woods and occasionally old cue balls.
Rubber bumper : ___________________________________________________We use several different styles of screw in or push in bumpers.
Screw in extension : __________________________________________________If you frequently play on 9 foot pool tables, snooker tables or just find yourself reaching and / or using a bridge often, this may be for you. They are generally about 6 to 8 inches long but could be as long as about 12 to 14 inches.
Overall length : ____________________________________________________40 to 64 inchesMost recently manufactured two piece pool cues are about 58 inches long. Jump cues start at 40 inches. Bar cues are usually about 57 inches long. If the butt and the shaft are to be the same length it is easy to make a cue approximately 60 inches long. Longer cues are possible. PLEASE NOTE many standard cue cases will only accommodate a cue about 59 inches long.
Overall weight : _____________________________________________________Approximately 16 to 25 ouncesAt either the lighter or heavier extreems the choices of woods are limited. I do not like to artifically weight cues. I prefer for the cue to be weighted by the materials used to build it.
Balance point : ____________________________________________________Approximately 18 to 20 inches from the end of the cue. The balance point depends on the coustruction method, length of the cue, the diameter of the shaft and the materials used to create it.It can be moved a little forward or backward by the forearm wood, joint material, joint pin and method used to build the cue. I do not like to artifically move the balance point by adding lead or drilling and coring the wood. A forward balance point makes a cue feel a little lighter. If it balances further back it makes a cue feel a little heavier. To RAVEN Cues Home Page |