cue maker questions

roger u are right on the mark

radge69 said:
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
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by the time this thread is done all will think this is my first cue.because of the super billiards expo, i know alot of cuemakers.some r my friends that have told me to call them anytime. i try not to bother them as they r always busy and i feel like i am nagging them even though they all tell me im not.ive been reading ask the cuemaker for some time now.it is a great help to beginners and the experienced.losing richard or kj would be a big loss to everyone.i hope they dont leave because of the few bad
 
i dont think thats what they ment

3kushn said:
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.
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its the "this is an unexceptible touch up"for something they dont really know about.ive been making cues for 8 years and know what im doing. there r some who read some thing and that makes them think they r cuemakers.i know and have read a lot on physics,that dont make me a physicist. offering advice on tooling and sourses is only helpful to us.
 
i agree...but

rhncue said:
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
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i agree with u, but your advice kj several others are an asset to cms and this site.i hope this will work out.i dont want to be the one who started this fire.
brian
 
Censorship is a very big stick. I for one would not want a system with cookies for those cm's that can post. Who would decide? What economic fallout would come to those not chosen as cue experts? And, in an open forum, who has the right to make such choices?
Since the moderators seldom see fit to moderate it is up to posters to moderate themselves, something that otherwise sane adults sometimes have a hard time doing. If you don't like what someone posts in response to a question then don't respond to their post. Everyone has had a different set of life experiences, a different collection of tools and machines to make cues and a different way of doing things as seen by the varied responses to questions. Sometimes, as someone else just posted, you have to look outside the box. Simply because a person does not make cues does not disqualify them from giving their opinion based on their experience. It is up to that poster to limit themselves to what they have specific knowledge of. Maybe someday those posters will make cues that play as good or better than anyones.
It is no cm's obligation to post. We all have a personal reason for posting. Some like post more for the informational and humor value which benefits us all. To use it as a forum to start arguements or censor what someone else has to say benefits none of us. And since lunch is ready, that's all folks.
Happy Holidays to all.
Bob
 
This is my favorite place to read also and I have only made a handfull of cues and many repairs and if this forum dies out I will be sick. There has been way more good than bad here for sure and I agree with Qbuilder if you get paid to repair cues and build cues there will be times when you need to repair what you are building. This dosen't mean you can build ringwork or draw points on with a sharpie but colored epoxy is just as strong as the wood I think and I think every great cuemaker has dyed epoxy to fill a small void or tearout.--Leonard Holmes
 
Yeah, other than the lathe and all the extras, Chris also included a container on black powder for me. I guess I'm going to be a bad cuemaker too.
 
trez, thank you

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
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thanks for the common sense approach to my question.i dont have the computer tech to take pics and put them on the web.that would have probabley helped.this repair i used pigment instead of saw dust thinking it was a better idea.oops.it was so small and if i had a pic it would have stopped a lot of nonsense. the structural,blank squareness and idea of me drawing a point.lol that makes me laugh.oh yeah,btw i told my customer before the original post that i had to touch up the point and he said " no problem i know u will make it look good ive seen your cues." these were his words.
 
Ask The Cuemaker (12 Viewing)
This is the place to post questions to any of the fine cuemakers who frequent our forums.
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Since when has this forum EVER been JUST for up and coming cue makers to ask veterans questions? Seems to me its for ANYONE to ask cuemakers questions, and to discuss cuemaking in general. I agree there are some people poking their nose in and criticizing things they do not understand and that can be a huge frustration...... but all in all Im confused by the elitist attitude being displayed here.
Chuck
 
I have been out of town so I have not got caught up on what happened.
But I have been very vocal that only cuemakers should answer questions on this forum.
Blud felt the same way and he got this thing started.
I am not sure the Mods can do it, but for it to function well, anyone could start a thread. But then after that only "known cuemakers" could answer the questions. To become a "Known" cuemaker on here you might have to be given a heads up by a small circle of other known cuemakers. Once you are known as a cuemker then you could respond to any thread on the Ask the Cuemaker forum, but no one else could post in it except to start a new thread. If they start a new thread that is junk we just ignore it and move on. If they keep starting junk threads then ban them from the ATC forum.

Or you could all join the ICA and participate in our private forum. Just kidding. :)
We have a pretty civil bunch there, but the forum does get kinda dead at times as anyone doing a search can probably already find the answer to 90% of their questions.
 
It is impossible to lock a thread for only cuemakers to post after the question has been answered. Then what happens when another question needs to be asked. Start a new thread?

Overall the system is good. Leave it. Nothing in life is perfect.
 
It's not people asking questions that is the problem. It's not people answering questions that is the problem. The problem occurs when someone who has no clue about the questions answer but wants to throw his two cents worth in to the ring just to slander or negate someone trying to help who DOES have a clue. When a question is asked and then answered correctly on this forum the person asking the question and all others who never knew the answer are rewarded with new knowledge. The person answering the question gets no reward. He gives up his knowledge for free to help others from making the same mistakes that he has made in the past to acquire this knowledge. Now, not only does he get no reward but he takes a chance of hurting his reputation and losing customers because some clown wants to just throw around his opinions as fact.

It is for these reasons that I am not giving any more knowledge except through PMs to the original poster. It's hard to be slandered by someone if they can't read your post. The only ones who are losing out are all of the other readers of these posts who are interested in the answers also as they no longer will be able to read them either.

I've had a number of PMs from people wanting to know the location of the other forum of cue makers. I can give no information about it as it is a private forum of nothing but full time cue makers and each member is nominated and voted in or out by the members. There has never been an argument on it as every one there knows what's going on to start with and we all know that what information is talked about comes from experience, not opinions.

Dick
 
rhncue: I hope that, in time, you will change your mind about no longer giving public advice.

KJ Cues: I disagree with your proposal that only cue makers be allowed to answer questions. Plenty of others are qualified to address some of the questions asked here.

bdcues: I agree with what you said in post #24, including "Simply because a person does not make cues does not disqualify them from giving their opinion based on their experience. It is up to that poster to limit themselves to what they have specific knowledge of."

Several times I have provided answers to questions asked in this forum, but only when I thought I was qualified to do so, despite the fact that I do not build cues. Perhaps someone got a usable answer quicker from me than waiting for an equally knowledgeable or more knowledgeable cue maker to respond.

Most threads like "touch up points" ultimately cause no harm. The reputation and standing of the OP may even have been enhanced when all was said. The thread ultimately became much more educational as it played out than if it had consisted solely of the original question and a brief response or two from cue makers.

When someone posts something that is ignorant or rude, the proper response is from someone who is informed and civil.
 
he wants only qmaker to answer qmaking questions...

AtLarge said:
rhncue: I hope that, in time, you will change your mind about no longer giving public advice.

KJ Cues: I disagree with your proposal that only cue makers be allowed to answer questions. Plenty of others are qualified to address some of the questions asked here.

bdcues: I agree with what you said in post #24, including "Simply because a person does not make cues does not disqualify them from giving their opinion based on their experience. It is up to that poster to limit themselves to what they have specific knowledge of."

Several times I have provided answers to questions asked in this forum, but only when I thought I was qualified to do so, despite the fact that I do not build cues. Perhaps someone got a usable answer quicker from me than waiting for an equally knowledgeable or more knowledgeable cue maker to respond.

Most threads like "touch up points" ultimately cause no harm. The reputation and standing of the OP may even have been enhanced when all was said. The thread ultimately became much more educational as it played out than if it had consisted solely of the original question and a brief response or two from cue makers.

When someone posts something that is ignorant or rude, the proper response is from someone who is informed and civil.
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because of the negative comments like i had to deal with.the accusations that i was covering up shoddy work.he doesnt know me or my work and a cuemaker giving advice for a touchup that all cuemaker run into get hammered for a common fill in.this is just a blemish,not structural and u dont toss a nice cue because of it.i have tossed several cues that had flaws that cant b e touched up as all cuemakers have.he is tired of giving sound advice then being told this repair is shoddy because of people that dont make cues commenting on what we have to do to improve the looks of our product.thats what they r talking about.not things like a machinist saying this is the best way to take backlash out if your lathe has wear on a certain area on the bed.(just an example) this is my opinion or atleast what i think they mean.so dont take offense to what they want.if your knowledge was questioned about your trade u would probably feel the same.again, this is my opinion.
 
No one is suggesting that this become a cue maker 'read-only' forum. Certainly not me. I'm definitely not in favor of restricting the free-flow of information that CMs offer to any poster's question. My remedy suggests that only CMs be allowed to answer posts.
Any and everyone can read posts as has always been the case. Any and everyone can ask questions of their choosing pertaining to cue building, etc.
Only CMs would be allowed to answer the question and only the OP would be allowed to respond in HIS/HER thread. This would be necessary for the OP to achieve a better understanding of the answers to his question. No one else could post in that thread.

The intent of the format modification is to protect the integrity of the answers given. Those coming to this 'ATC' forum for help do so on the assumption that the answer that they receive will be given by someone who actually knows what they're talking about; a true CM or repairman.
That's not an unreasonable assumption. That's how it should be.
What concerns me greatly is that the CMs that go out of their way to help are treated like yesterday's news by people who are allowed to post anything they want regarding the CMs integrity because he took the time and effort to help.
Those people need to be restricted. They may be the 'masters of the main forum' but they have no rights in the ATC section. They certainly have no right to call into question, the integrity of the CMs answer. They're not qualified.

There are also many who read these posts yet they themselves never post.
They are entitled to accurate information in what they read regardless of whether they post or not. The AZB database is HUGE. That doesn't mean that all the info contained therein is accurate. When only CMs are allowed to answer questions will the level of the integrity of the answers be elevated.
People read in this forum what they may believe to be accurate answers and again, they should have every expectation that the answer is correct.
When those who are not CMs start doling out their opinions/suggestions, even if their intent is good but their info isn't, then the answers to the OP's question becomes corrupt. The novice who reads this may not know the difference and assumes it's correct because they read it in the ATC section on AZB. Does anyone else see the flaw in this? Who is to be held accountable when a reader comes away with info that causes him/her to damage their cue?

As far as cookies being placed on your PC, you already have an AZB cookie.
AZB already knows who you are when you land on their site. You've had that cookie since you first registered. They are only a few kb in size so what's one more? If it means that the answers given in this section will be more accurate and based in experience and fact, then give me 2.

Those who are not CMs and are wondering whether or not they will be allowed to continue to post my be jumping the gun with their concerns. Nothing has been decided yet.
I for one appreciate the input of some of the non-CM posters who have considerable knowledge in related fields. They have contributed greatly and should be allowed to continue to do so. Let me clarify that I would not want to see their expertise excluded.
We all have a pretty good idea of who the positive contributors are and loosing them would be detrimental to the intent of this proposal. They have already proven themselves with their track record.
We also have a pretty good idea as to who the negative contributors are. They also have proven themselves with their track record.

We can do nothing and the status-quo will survive in all it's glory.
The fact that there's discussion is encouraging. It tells me that people are interested in making AZB a better place. I happen to believe that it can be.
 
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cookie

KJ Cues said:
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.
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KJ,
First let me say I am sorry for only pasting part of the response I do not mean to take anything out of context.
I think this needs to go one step farther to work. In bb style forums there are permissions that allow users to do certain things ie: post, start new threads, add attachments etc... The mods are going to be swamped with a qualification process and editing credentials for the majority of users to not be able to post in certain sections. I do not believe this is going to be an easy task. Also for that reason it will be expensive. I am not hounding your idea by any means. I am understanding of what kind of a time consuming PIA it will be to remedy this.

Do I think this problem can be fixed in a public forum? In a word NO!
Can this be done in a private forum? By all means yes. With qualification of the members who are joining. There are associations out there for this reason.

John
 
dave sutton said:
It is impossible to lock a thread for only cuemakers to post after the question has been answered. Then what happens when another question needs to be asked. Start a new thread?

Overall the system is good. Leave it. Nothing in life is perfect.
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No, the orginal poster could participate all he wants in his own thread.
Another option would be for someone to volunteer to mod this section and delete threads and posts that go south. I have to delete posts on our ICA forum that I feel don't stay within our rules. But I rarely have to as everyone pretty much cooperates in a civil manner.
 
I read this thread with great interest as I took a lot of heat early on from one cue maker in particular when I made (what I believed to be) useful contributions to this forum section based on my life's experiences when I was first on-board.

I have also completed a couple cues as well at this point.

Regardless of that fact, do I call myself a cue maker? No. But, I can and do make cues. The line is blurred; I think drawing the 'demarcation line' between cue makers, cue repair people, and (what I would call people like myself) "hobbyists" is not often clear.

I understand the direction that the OP would like to go in; in fact I think it is a great idea. However, dependent on the 'qualification criteria' people like myself (as mentioned earlier) who may have some related experience with (for example) wood working, machinery use and selection, finishing, (and with some relevance to the source of this thread) repairing flaws that occur when working with wood (and more so with highly figured woods), etc. should be allowed (IMHO) to post for the benefit of all who read here.

In summary, I will support the division of the section even if it means I will no longer be able to offer my opinion and/or advice on the subject matter. But, I will certainly continue to read.:)
 
Cue Guru said:
I will support the division of the section even if it means I will no longer be able to offer my opinion and/or advice on the subject matter. But, I will certainly continue to read.:)
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<lurk-mode off>

My position as well. I hope this works out for all of our benefit. Let me also take this opportunity to thank all of the fine cuemakers who share their experiences with the forum. Please continue as you see fit. To those who have an opinion but little experience, please re-read this thread.

<lurk-mode on>

Sincerely,

Dave
 
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