It’s interesting to hear a guy who recycles old warped or bent pool cue sticks by making walking canes out of them. That’s probably telling enough to say that warped and bent cues are no longer usable.
Cues are built to withstand the normal straight line impact occurring in the game. However, wood cues, as they are mostly made of one, may not hold up well with side impact.
Being dropped on the floor or persistently leaning the cue against a wall result in side impact pressures that may seem insignificant, with no visible damage on a cue’s finish.
But repeated side pressure can cause internal fractures to the wood that will later show as a crack or warpage. Not only can this be aesthetically unsightly, but in severe cases, the warpage can cause the cue stick to lose its straight line shape that it becomes difficult to use in a pool game.
(Some good players have been known to stick with their warped cues and still win games.)
Bear in mind that the straightness of a cue is crucial in hitting the ball in the direction your want and in the proper consistency. And two-piece cues are often more vulnerable to warpage than one-piece cues.
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