cue maker questions

R

rhncue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I believe this forum has been going down hill for some time now. This forum was started just to give a place for new cue makers to ask a few questions when they run into a small problem that they haven't had experience with yet. Sort of to help them over the bumps. Also so that buyers can get a clue as to what goes into a cue.

Any more though there seems to be many individuals, who are not cue makers and who have no clue how to answer a question nor what the correct answer is but are to ready to slam any one who does have an answer but it is not to their liking. They probably also question auto makers techniques on building their engines.

Some of us cue makers have opened our own private web-site just so that we can discuss techniques without having to be subjected to the accusations from the clue less who must be living in never-never land. I propose that no cue maker should expect an answer to their questions be posted on this forum. All replies should be through PMs to the individual cue maker asking the question. In this way there will be no more slanderous accusations from a few sanctimonious readers who have nothing better to do than to try and make themselves look good by making others look bad. So, as of right now I will no longer give any advice what so ever on this forum about cue making or repair techniques other than through private PMs. It's really a shame that many can not benefit from others experience because a few want to do their best to not question but to accuse.

Dick
 
Last edited:
Really too bad, know this is one of my favorite forums. Not because I want to build cues, but because I like to understand how they are made.

Good luck.
 
Dick,
Must be planet alignment. I just posted this in the 'point' thread.

This thread is the quintessential mother-load, the holy grail and the ultimate epitome all rolled into one convenient little package.
This is the type of thread that causes CMs to leave this forum. Plain & simple.

There should never be reason whatsoever that a CM can't come here and ask ANY type of question about a cue of a fellow CM and do it without the risk of jeopardizing ones reputation, integrity or credibility. The CMs that are gentlemen don't do or allow that.

With your permission, I'm going to go ahead and acknowledge the elephant in the room. I have noticed a trend.

Many a CM comes here and asks a question and maybe several CMs will help him out and that will be it. On to the next subject.
Regrettably it's when those who are NOT CMs start offering opinions or in this case, calling a method or technique into question, that the fireworks start. This can be very damaging.
It has gotten to the point now where reputable CMs will forego offering their knowledge and experience for fear of being toasted for trying to help.
I see their point very well. I also see that the integrity and knowledge base of this forum will suffer for it. God only knows how much has been lost already.

This has got to stop!
This is "ASK THE CUE-MAKER". It says so right on the front door.
This is not 'what's your best guess from whoever happens to be passing by'.
This is an exclusive section. It belongs to the professional CMs who unselfishly give their time and knowledge to help people understand what is happening with their cue when they are having a problem.
This is also where CMs share their knowledge and ideas with their fellow tradesmen in hopes of advancing our craft and increasing personal knowledge.

Only when CMs and CMs alone are allowed to respond to questions will integrity begin the restore itself.

I wouldn't have wasted everyone's time for this long if I didn't have a possible solution. I've been thinking about this for about a year now but have been hesitant to suggest it because it might seem like too big of a move.
What I'm suggesting is what I've already said, only CMs be allowed to answer questions in the CMs section. Any one can view posts and anyone can ask questions by starting their own thread. Only CMs will be allowed to respond.
Any CM willing to participate in this format would be required to have a 'cookie' placed on their PC for identification purposes. This is where the 'mods' come in. There would have to be a verification process (to be decided upon) and a 'cookie' placed on your PC by AZB tech staff.
Very small price to pay to give this forum the integrity it deserves.
Look, I'm tired of the fighting and back-biting that goes on here and I'm sure a lot of others are as well. It's not going to stop just by wishing it weren't so. If you want it to change, then be that change; make your voice heard.
What will change is that the forum will become more professional and the responses given will be more accurate as they will be coming from years of experience and given by people whose sole motivation is to help.


'Tellsit', you are going to be thought of in this post so might as well get after it. Sorry to use you as an example but you happen to be close and relevant.
I don't think that you made your initial post with any thought of helping the OP, not in the direction he was looking anyway. You're not a CM so how could you help him? I know what he was feeling; he NEEDED help. Honestly, all you were qualified to offer was your opinion. As it turns out, it wasn't so helpful. Trust me, you alone are not the impetus for this post. You are 1 of 100s. I've been watching this same scenario for a couple of years now and this just seems like the right time and place to start working on a solution. I hope you understand. It's not about you personally. It's about the way things exist as they are now.

The only reason that I'm offering this solution is because that I care about what goes on here. I'm really not interested in an alternative 'private' CMs forum. In my opinion, that's only running away from the problem. There are sufficient tools in place to deal with the problems that we have and they are already in place. They merely need to be activated.

Any thoughts? Mods are also welcome to respond.
 
I'm new here but when I came to this section I was under the impression that "ask the cuemaker", implied that there might be a panel of cuemakers or one "dear Abby" sort that would be answering the questions.

KJ,
I don't know if your plan will be implemented but it would be nice to know that the answers to my questions might come from a Guild member, someone with x number of year's experience, someone in the blue book of cue values, billiards encyclopedia or whatever criteria is chosen.

Being in the American Custom Gunmaker's Guild I know the answer we had was to have a "Member's Only" section where guys could ask each other questions without the "You don't know that?" or "how can you call yourself..." comments. It's too bad though as guys who are thinking about starting or wanting to learn (like me with CM), get left out.


bman43,
I'm sorry that you got the brunt of this. Unfortunately the downfall in asking questions is that others are not aware of the exact situation. Pictures would have helped. From your later posts I'd say you had a cosmetic flaw or blemish as it were. If it were structural, I'm sure you wouldn't have even asked the question.

Making things out of any natural material requires the understanding that flaws in the materials are not uncommon. With wood in particular, the most beautiful pieces commonly have minor flaws or soft/hard spots that can cause an unexpected chip etc...

What you do with the occasional cosmetic issue/flaw that shows up and how you make it look in the end, is what makes you an artist instead of a production worker. If you were making production cues, you wouldn't have even asked. I applaud you for caring enough to want to know the best way to make your cue look as good as you make them play.:thumbup2:
That's my 2 cents,
Trez
 
Well said KJ.
I have been on the forum just about every day reading everything in the CM forum.
There is so much good information on here and I have had my share of questions.
I have been in the cue repair and cue making industry since 1995 and I can remember when there was no one to ask about how to get over a road block you have come to with a cue. On here you can get more than one way to address the problem you have.
I would be glad to be a part of this forum and all of it's information.
If they will do it I am in.
 
> Wasn't me slamming people,LOL. I make a solid effort here if I know something to contribute,and absorb,not argue. Tommy D.
 
KJ Cues said:
Dick,
Must be planet alignment. I just posted this in the 'point' thread.

This thread is the quintessential mother-load, the holy grail and the ultimate epitome all rolled into one convenient little package.
This is the type of thread that causes CMs to leave this forum. Plain & simple.

There should never be reason whatsoever that a CM can't come here and ask ANY type of question about a cue of a fellow CM and do it without the risk of jeopardizing ones reputation, integrity or credibility. The CMs that are gentlemen don't do or allow that.

With your permission, I'm going to go ahead and acknowledge the elephant in the room. I have noticed a trend.

Many a CM comes here and asks a question and maybe several CMs will help him out and that will be it. On to the next subject.
Regrettably it's when those who are NOT CMs start offering opinions or in this case, calling a method or technique into question, that the fireworks start. This can be very damaging.
It has gotten to the point now where reputable CMs will forego offering their knowledge and experience for fear of being toasted for trying to help.
I see their point very well. I also see that the integrity and knowledge base of this forum will suffer for it. God only knows how much has been lost already.

This has got to stop!
This is "ASK THE CUE-MAKER". It says so right on the front door.
This is not 'what's your best guess from whoever happens to be passing by'.
This is an exclusive section. It belongs to the professional CMs who unselfishly give their time and knowledge to help people understand what is happening with their cue when they are having a problem.
This is also where CMs share their knowledge and ideas with their fellow tradesmen in hopes of advancing our craft and increasing personal knowledge.

Only when CMs and CMs alone are allowed to respond to questions will integrity begin the restore itself.

I wouldn't have wasted everyone's time for this long if I didn't have a possible solution. I've been thinking about this for about a year now but have been hesitant to suggest it because it might seem like too big of a move.
What I'm suggesting is what I've already said, only CMs be allowed to answer questions in the CMs section. Any one can view posts and anyone can ask questions by starting their own thread. Only CMs will be allowed to respond.
Any CM willing to participate in this format would be required to have a 'cookie' placed on their PC for identification purposes. This is where the 'mods' come in. There would have to be a verification process (to be decided upon) and a 'cookie' placed on your PC by AZB tech staff.
Very small price to pay to give this forum the integrity it deserves.
Look, I'm tired of the fighting and back-biting that goes on here and I'm sure a lot of others are as well. It's not going to stop just by wishing it weren't so. If you want it to change, then be that change; make your voice heard.
What will change is that the forum will become more professional and the responses given will be more accurate as they will be coming from years of experience and given by people whose sole motivation is to help.


'Tellsit', you are going to be thought of in this post so might as well get after it. Sorry to use you as an example but you happen to be close and relevant.
I don't think that you made your initial post with any thought of helping the OP, not in the direction he was looking anyway. You're not a CM so how could you help him? I know what he was feeling; he NEEDED help. Honestly, all you were qualified to offer was your opinion. As it turns out, it wasn't so helpful. Trust me, you alone are not the impetus for this post. You are 1 of 100s. I've been watching this same scenario for a couple of years now and this just seems like the right time and place to start working on a solution. I hope you understand. It's not about you personally. It's about the way things exist as they are now.

The only reason that I'm offering this solution is because that I care about what goes on here. I'm really not interested in an alternative 'private' CMs forum. In my opinion, that's only running away from the problem. There are sufficient tools in place to deal with the problems that we have and they are already in place. They merely need to be activated.

Any thoughts? Mods are also welcome to respond.
Click to expand...

Great Idea, and I wish you luck.
 
for some time i have wanted to tell non cuemaker that offer bad advice to not post but i didnt feel it was my place so i didnt. overall the place is good tho. we know who the trouble makers are. as i said to pfd. dont let the few spoil it for the many
 
Trez Hensley said:
I'm new here but when I came to this section I was under the impression that "ask the cuemaker", implied that there might be a panel of cuemakers or one "dear Abby" sort that would be answering the questions.

KJ,
I don't know if your plan will be implemented but it would be nice to know that the answers to my questions might come from a Guild member, someone with x number of year's experience, someone in the blue book of cue values, billiards encyclopedia or whatever criteria is chosen.

Being in the American Custom Gunmaker's Guild I know the answer we had was to have a "Member's Only" section where guys could ask each other questions without the "You don't know that?" or "how can you call yourself..." comments. It's too bad though as guys who are thinking about starting or wanting to learn (like me with CM), get left out.


bman43,
I'm sorry that you got the brunt of this. Unfortunately the downfall in asking questions is that others are not aware of the exact situation. Pictures would have helped. From your later posts I'd say you had a cosmetic flaw or blemish as it were. If it were structural, I'm sure you wouldn't have even asked the question.

Making things out of any natural material requires the understanding that flaws in the materials are not uncommon. With wood in particular, the most beautiful pieces commonly have minor flaws or soft/hard spots that can cause an unexpected chip etc...

What you do with the occasional cosmetic issue/flaw that shows up and how you make it look in the end, is what makes you an artist instead of a production worker. If you were making production cues, you wouldn't have even asked. I applaud you for caring enough to want to know the best way to make your cue look as good as you make them play.:thumbup2:
That's my 2 cents,
Trez
Click to expand...
What ever you CM's want to do with this forum is fine, it is your forum, but keep in mind that folks like Trez may also have something to offer in certain instances. Out of the box thinking is sometimes helpful.

I'm guilty of commenting on this thread and not a cue builder. Only a industrial tool peddler for over 35 years. Sometimes I couldn't help myself but to offer tooling advise or sources to acquire specializes tools when these questions were asked.

Sorry about that, I'll refrain from commenting in the future.
 
I would hate for this to become a cue maker read only fourm. Being new at this I have learned alot by reading this fourm and have asked alot of stupid questions. That couldn't be answered anywhere else. I could support a change to where only cue makers could answer.

Dick, what does a person need to do to join the new cue maker websight! I have only made about 10 cues and desperatly need a place where I can continue to ask my stupid questions.

I have only been here for 8 months and have learned to respect alot of people that don't post here very often anymore because of all the B.S. Wish I had some answers and hope I haven't been part of the problem.

Larry
 
AFAIK, the forum can be as moderated as it needs to be. It can be policed as tight as it needs to be. A sticky can be made listing the members (including their real names and professions) who have the ability to answer questions.

A sticky can be made telling how forum members can apply for "resident forum cuemaker" status. There are a lot of repair people who may not be "cuemakers" who have a lot to offer. Should cuesmiths be accepted, or only builders?

There is a hobby machinist who posts here who does not build cues. He is a friendly chap who stays out of the cue making specifics, but likes to try and be helpful regarding equipment and machining. Should he be included?

I am not yet a "cue maker", but I am studying the art and science of it, and I try to develop my skills with the equipment I have at each operation in cue making before I move to the next one. I have done some repair work for customers, but not a very high volume compared to most on here. Should I be included?

Forum members answering questions for which they are not qualified for is rampant. It happens all over the board. But even sometimes people who are qualified can't answer a question in an open minded or considerate way. Non qualified posters are not the only problem with this forum, many people stay away due to the bickering.

If the forum were to become heavily moderated such that you have to be deemed qualified to answer questions (or selectively post in general), then those given approval, or those who serve on a "board" doling out approval should adhere to a certain standard of conduct. There has been a lot of pissing in others cereal here. There is a fundamental problem with some people (occurs frequently with cuemakers), they just can't disagree with people in a polite manner. Someone gets their feelings hurt and gets defensive, or lashes back two fold (some like to drop nuclear bombs when a grenade was lobbed in their camp). There is no need to give examples, those who have been here for years can cite all kinds of examples that have touched on nearly every "qualified poster". Can that crap be taken to pm and left out of the forum? Will that stop?

Will cuemakers who can't get along, but are otherwise qualified to offer insight into cuemaking be included? If they are not included, will the end result still offer the free exchange of ideas, or will it be too censured to provide thoughts deemed slightly controversial that in the end could expand the art and science of cuemaking?
 
A simpler solution?

I too have become more and more concerned about the level of bickering that now occurs on this forum. Since the purpose of this forum is the sharing of information, you might as well say that it is for sharing "opinions". When I post a question on this forum, I am looking for any and all opinions. If I'm not smart enough to sort the BS from the useful information, I'm probably not smart enough to use any of the information anyway.

Where I see things go wrong is not in the answers I get to my question, but the infighting amoung the different responders. Here's my suggestion for a simple solution.

When responding to a post:

1) Begin with "IMHO"

2) Word your response to the originator of the post as if he/she had asked you the question in person

3) DO NOT reference other responses....just give YOUR answer/opinion

4) Ignore those who do not conform to this practice

If you don't add fuel to a fire, it can't keep burning :wink:
 
cuemakers forum

Dick,
I agree with you in general about this forum's down spiral. I've stayed away from posting for many of the reasons already posted.

I believe we should allow those newbie cuemakers and regular cue repair folks to join in because they may provide a different view and may have already stumbled on a technique that more experienced people haven't seen yet. Their fresh views may provide fodder for deeper discussions. They, on the other hand, need to appreciate and respect the experience of the more advanced cuemakers.

I believe the important thing is for ALL of US to LISTEN and THINK first. Consider the salient points and respond with the utmost respect to the questioner.

You, KJ and many others have taken much of your time, experiences and good will to spread fine cue making/repair technique information. Your leaving the forum will be the forum's HUGE loss. I like to think of you folks as long distance friends and comrads in the struggle to build finer equipment. Please stay in touch and I do look forward to meeting you all, face to face. Maybe at the Super Billiards Expo in March????? The first drink's on me. OOOPS, I already spilled it. lol.
Darn, I have to build some more ringsets.
Tom Gedris, Triple Cross Cues:cool:
http://www.triplecrosscues.com
 
I open this section almost every time I'm logged on. I appreciate the concerns being voiced on both sides of the issue, but don't care to pay the bill for what I don't owe.
If the forum is to use tools & moderator influence to effect a change - then get to the known problems you refer to.
 
It is irritating to read the 1st 6 words of a post that starts out "I AM NOT A CUEMAKER, BUT..." Dick; I think this is the sort off thing, you are talking about...JER
 
Ask the Cuemaker

I read this forum at least once a day. I post very seldom and I try not to get involved in the contraversy.

I do build cues and repair cues. I have learned a ton from the cuemakers on this site and would hate to see it disappear. When I was starting out I asked questions and quite often a well known cuemaker would not answer on the site but send me a private email and help me out.

I can understand Dicks frustration, as I get frustrated just reading some of the flame wars that go on. KJ's idea has merit and I would be willing to let someone put a cookie on my computer if that would help. I would really miss this forum if it cannot be turned around.
 
Last edited:
It takes 2 to argue. I think the solution is a lot more simple, when someone posts something you don't like, or agree with, just ignore it. Give your piece of advice, and let the person seeking advice sort out what he thinks is the best route. After all, the best way to learn is to do it the wrong way first.

Just my 2 cents,
Rodney
 
As someone that has just recently started building cues, the way things are going in this forum suck. On the point thread, I can see myself asking the same type of question. I've actually had that happen, but was able to find the same info on a fix by doing a search through the old posts. It sucks that someone asks a honest question, and he gets accused of taking short cuts and not building a cue the right way. Then, those that offer a solution get blasted. I log on almost every day, and would be light years behind where I am now without the info from poeple on here. It sucks that this forum keeps losing great cuemakers because they don't want to risk their reputation by answering questions because some self appointed "cue expert" decides they don't like the answer and blast them for it.

Roger Sward
 
Kelly_Guy said:
There is a hobby machinist who posts here who does not build cues. He is a friendly chap who stays out of the cue making specifics, but likes to try and be helpful regarding equipment and machining. Should he be included?
Click to expand...

It is obvious that these types are not welcome.

Dave
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top