Category: Shafts

Buy a BurcHowdy, Get a Prototype too. Details below. Read the Details!

Next to Ship Prototype: V3

The BurchHowdy (prototype v3) handles amazing — feels solid. Can’t see any deflection from shooting. Did full table with right/left English with continuous even results hitting the diamond then getting the English to spin… Overall I’m loving it…
I did play APA league vs an amazing 7 skill in 8 ball and was able to win 2-0. The cue allowed me to almost get 2 break and runs going in the match.
On top on the great feel and play I got non stop compliments of the piece of art I now carry.

— Jovani Diaz, owner of Fancy Me; shaft next to the butt is BurcHowdy V3 built to match, sitting beside a shagbark hickory breaker.

Review of BurcHowdy V1

Review of BurcHowdy V2

The Character Cues Black BurcHowdy torrefied shaft, for sale now, is for delivery in summer of 2026.

Prototypes shipped as I get feedback about earlier versions and make improvements.

(torrefied wood = low deflection)

zero-interest payment plans

See video updates below

My Reasoning: Black Birch makes better cue shafts than hard maple from the git-go. See the Metrics and Relevance to Pool Cue Shafts analysis below the update videos.

The Stakes: Only 30 Black BurcHowdy shafts are available for pre-sale. After they sell out the price increases and they go on back order until I hire and train help.

The tradeoff: In exchange for saving $150 off the future price of $550 per shaft, you’re giving me a year to get it made. You’ll get a prototype shaft during the design process to beat the hell out of — provided you agree to give me a video review of the prototype — then when the Black BurcHowdy design is proven, you’ll get the best low deflection shaft on the planet.  

The plan below is in motion. I will build the best torrefied wood shaft on planet earth. I’m going to keep everyone up to date below.

1. DONE. (Arriving mid July.) In a few months I’m buying a sawmill; Alpaca Luke is supplying the black birch. He’s overrun with it and values a friend with a sawmill more than a few black birch trees. Til then I’ll be using my bandsaw to process limited batches for testing. The sawmill is to keep up after word gets out. 😉 I don’t want to have to seek capital to equip myself to meet the demand. I’ll thus be able to retain the company’s resources for the people who work in it. There will be more.
2. DONE I’m sawing our first logs in a matter of days. (Saturday 6/7/25) The bigger logs will be saved for the sawmill and will produce the wood that fulfills these orders. (Done. I got a 12 inch tree cut into 36-inch sections sitting in my garage with AnchorSeal on the ends. It’s enough wood to test 150 shafts, minimum.)
3. DONE The 8″ and smaller stuff I’ll process on my shop bandsaw into green turning blanks. I’ll use this wood for test purposes.  (done… and I bought a bandsaw sled that will help process both burl and shafts on the bandsaw, until I purchase the sawmill in a few months.
4. DONE I’m building a new slow kiln, complete with heater, dehumidifier, fan, and electronic tracking of temp and humidity. I’m following a slow drying protocol to go from green wood to torrefied shaft, all while turning on the taper shaper every few days. I’ll be tracking everything. 6/13/25: Done and testing.  
5. DONE I’m buying a giant stainless steel chamber (about $500) which I’ll seal and vacuum. (bought  6/5/25) (6/16/25 They shipped the wrong item. I sent it back. Now I’m waiting on them to send the right one.
6. DONE The stainless steel vacuum chamber will contain about 20 shafts at a time for the torrefication process. I’ll be experimenting with that process in about 1-2 months.
7. IN PROCESS NOW, ONGOING: Once I produce torrefied shafts I’ll begin testing different species, cook times, shaft designs, everything I can think to test, until the Black BurcHowdy is the best low deflection cue shaft on Planet Earth.

More…

• I’ll be posting about what I learn on the Character Cues facebook group.
• The planned BurcHowdy product delivery date is July 2026, however, it is possible I’ll be able to begin delivering them sooner. (First prototype BurcHowdy mails on 7/5/25) That depends on how the torrefying tests go later this summer. I’m planning an entire month away from cue building once the shaft process is ready to begin fulfilling orders.
• The images are of prototype 2 BurcHowdy.
• Burl joint protector is separate but can be purchased at the same time.
• Character Cues Black Burchowdy Shafts can be customized. See the many dropdown menus below. (As part of my normal order completion process, I verify each of the build details with you, so if something changes between now and production time, no worries. Just update me with the details and I’ll doublecheck them again before your build begins.)

Announcement:

To ensure the BurcHowdy is the best period, each of the buyers of the first 30 shafts will be invited to test a prototype of the shaft on the condition they provide feedback to me within a couple weeks, on video and with permission granted for me to publish on this product page in the review section below, on facebook, youtube, and my blog.

I don’t want to just say I produce the best shaft on the planet. I want to design one that your game says is the best on the planet, and that means I need to see the shaft through your eyes after you give it hell.

To be clear: the offer is conditional. I’ll only be sending prototype shafts to buyers of the first 30 who offer their word to provide me a video that I can post unedited to my Facebook group, my blog on CharacterCues.com, and potentially on marketing videos in the future. Also, I’ll need the feedback in a reasonably short time, as I want to be learning as much as possible from each 6 week cycle.

In your feedback, myself and everyone following the development of the shaft will want to know the diameter of the tip, what kind of English you’re getting, and what kind of deflection. Video from your cell phone is fine and it’s cool if you have a shooting buddy who’s a camera hog do it for you, if you’d rather stay off camera. So long as the feedback is genuine from someone who shot the hell out of the shaft, we’re good to go. Gimme something I can learn from and I’m silly with the happies.

The prototype shafts will not be designed for looks. Only to play hard. They’ll be sealed and waxed –I won’t put slivers in your fingers — but the collars won’t be brought to a high shine. These are testers not lookers. You can’t like it so much you’re afraid to break it. In fact it’s best if you break it on camera. 😊

Your tester shaft is yours to keep.

My intent is to send out shafts to get player feedback from every generation I cook, so over the next year I’ll be sending out probably 3 per month, once I get started. You’ll know when I get started if you follow the product page on Character Cues, my YouTube channel, or my Facebook group.

I’m looking forward to working with you select 30!