The pool industry has seen several major shaft innovations in recent years. Engineering tests confirmed what players have long suspected, that one exact spot along the grain of a cue’s shaft would yield the best possible hit. Pool shooters began dotting their shaft along this prime spot with a magic marker. During play, they would be forced to awkwardly turn the cue in their hands before the final stroke to be “on the dot” (not that pros years ago did so to set any billiards records).
In response, Sill trademarked his innovative Q4 Shaft, built of four separate wood sections run together in an opposed grain fashion. Where one famous shaft maker has produced a line of soft wood shafts in a multi-piece style, Sill’s Q4 Shaft provides a hard shaft without impact vibration, for a rock solid hit. “What every pool player wants is the feel of a one piece cue, which they are getting with the cross-laminate technology in our bias stable shafts,” says Sill.
Sill creates each of his shafts and cue butts to suit his players’ needs, and has created a variety of fascinating options for their enjoyment. Sill searches far for unique materials of high quality to perform his custom and antique cue repairs. The orange rings on his Gator cues are semi-transparent, and he has even made an entire cue butt from the material. “When sunlight streams across the cue, you can see right through it, it’s a beautiful look,” says Sill.
Sill’s Orange & Blue Cues start at $179 with a beautiful wood finish or $199 with a custom cue wrap.
Recently, one of Sill’s Orange & Blue Cues was donated to the winner of the University of Florida League for the spring semester as its top prize. The University of Florida has a history of successful pool competition for many years. David Uwate represented UF as National ACUI Champion in 1991 at 8-ball competition, and popular UF administrator William Rion (after whom UF’s Rion Ballroom was named) was a student national champ in the 1930s at Straight Pool. UF’s J. L. Geiger won the National title in 1938, Leff Mabie was tops in ‘43 and '47, and Pool Hall of Fame member Nick Varner won his second Straight Pool national title at UF’s Game Room in 1972. Varner currently markets a personal line of pool cues named “Gainesville” in honor of that achievement.
