I have a golden opportunity here....

snipershot

snipershot

Go ahead.....run for it.
Silver Member
A local cuemaker has agreed to teach me how to make cues and do cue work. Im pretty excited about this, and I cant wait to get going. I will only be able to do it for a few hours a day, and a few days a week. So with that said, how long should it take me to start making cues? Im not talking about super duper inliad to hell cues, but simple 4 pointers and such. I would also like to learn how to make my own splices, but Im not sure this guy knows how to do that. I dont really wanna be a cue assembler, I want to know it all, even if it takes forever. Id also like to hear any suggestions or advice from all of you experienced cue makers out there. Im soooooo excited, I cant wait :thumbup:


Joe
 
SK Custom Cues said:
Making cues ain't that hard, it's everything else that's hard.
Click to expand...

Tru-that lol

the finish is the biggest pain in the ...... in my opinion


id say within a yr you should have a really nice cue made see if he will let you throw together a couple cheap blanks after a while then then pick out some wood and make a merry widdow and go from there youll pick it up fast im sure, the general concept is pretty easy to get but the fine detail and tricks of the trade or secrets of the industry are whats hard to learn or get people to teach you. have fun good luck:thumbup:
 
finish is also my toughest part. i did repairs for 4 or 5 years before i made any cues. theres alot to learn. nothing comes fast. also youll learn something new everyday. never done buying and never done learning. learn the basics get them down first. the more you "understand" they better off youll be.
 
dave sutton said:
finish is also my toughest part. i did repairs for 4 or 5 years before i made any cues. theres alot to learn. nothing comes fast. also youll learn something new everyday. never done buying and never done learning. learn the basics get them down first. the more you "understand" they better off youll be.
Click to expand...

I'm basically on the same boat as you brother, did repairs while apprenticing in Weinstocks shop for about 5yrs, also did much work on different aspects of building new cues. He started me off small just doing the ferrules and such, eventually moving up to installing joints on sneakys, then the next step and the next till i built my own cue....that ended up getting stolen:eek::mad:

It takes time to build a cue, not working time....the work doesn't take long....its the wait time and being patient so you don't f*k it all up. Its better to take too long than to not take long enough. BE PATIENT, if you don't know then ask someone here, we will help you best we can!

The finish is a BEEOTCH! LMAO, with my limited space and such I opted to not go the spray route, and all my finishes are going to be CA (thankyou S&K for the help)now that i know how to polish it out right....for me its much easier and I get better more consistent results than I ever could with paint.....but hey I've hated to paint since I was a little kid so CA is perfect for me lol.

best wishes,
Grey Ghost
 
I will agree with the greyghost, It takes alot of patience.
Most people don't have that quality! !:smilewinkgrin:

Lee
LP Custom Cues
 
Way to go Joe. That is a super opportunity. Baby steps tho, you'll know when you've achieved certain goals and your mentor will let you know when its time to move to the next step. The challenge of repairing will make your chest swell when you are able to do it proper. Making a cue in the end is just a culmination of all that you will learn as you move along.
 
If he is willing to stand over you & show you just what to do, you can expect to make a cue very quickly. My granddaughter & grandson made their own qs, when they were 12 & 13 years old. I put the joint screw in & sprayed the clearcoat, but they did everything else to make their Qs. GOOD LUCK...JER
 
I too got that chance to make cues under someone. The biggest pain for me was the wait. Still haven't sprayed a cue yet but Im close. All I can say is have fun and learn as much as you can. The only way to learn is to do it!!! Good luck!
 
snipershot said:
A local cuemaker has agreed to teach me how to make cues and do cue work. Im pretty excited about this, and I cant wait to get going. I will only be able to do it for a few hours a day, and a few days a week. So with that said, how long should it take me to start making cues? Im not talking about super duper inliad to hell cues, but simple 4 pointers and such. I would also like to learn how to make my own splices, but Im not sure this guy knows how to do that. I dont really wanna be a cue assembler, I want to know it all, even if it takes forever. Id also like to hear any suggestions or advice from all of you experienced cue makers out there. Im soooooo excited, I cant wait :thumbup:


Joe
Click to expand...

What's the agreement you have with him? Is he solely going teach you to build while he does nothing or are you going to work for him as an apprentice gofer while he continues to build also?
Either way you will learn but one way is going to take a lot longer for you to finish a cue.
As mentioned....patience is going to be a virtue.
When I started out...I never knew what I was going to be doing until I showed up. One week I was installing ferrules and the next time I showed up I was weeding the garden. Oh the life of an apprentice!

You're going to find that once you learn something and start doing it on your own, you are going develop your own style and way of doing things anyway so make sure you pay attention to the basic stuff more than anything. I was fortunate that I had my own equipment back home when I was learning so I could take what I learned and immediately do something with it. You're going to have to destroy some wood before you can call yourself a cuemaker!
 
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snipershot said:
Thanks for all the replies! I will update everyone with my progress.


Joe
Click to expand...


Please don't ever forget about the loyalty you should have to the maker. That is something that is truly lost today. What happens in the shop, Stays in the shop.
 
I am completely new to cue building and have some friends that are new builders too. It's great to be able to talk to them about what is posted on AZ, but if your cue maker mentor is not a poster here. Please don't ever say" That's not the way the guys on AZ do it".

When I used to restore cars, it seamed every body was a expert after reading a magazine artical or two. They would ask for advice only to tell me I was wroung and magazine X said this was how it should be done. Then they would ask another question. Above all listen to MR. Webbs advice " What happens in the shop, stays in the shop"

Enjoy the journy. Don't be so hung up on getting your first cue done. This isen't a race.

Larry
 
snipershot said:
A local cuemaker has agreed to teach me how to make cues and do cue work. Im pretty excited about this, and I cant wait to get going. I will only be able to do it for a few hours a day, and a few days a week. So with that said, how long should it take me to start making cues? . . . . . . I dont really wanna be a cue assembler, I want to know it all, even if it takes forever. . . . . .

Joe
Click to expand...

Given your stated set of goals and limitations above, I think a more pertinent question is "How am I going to retain/remember everything my mentor teaches me on the first pass?". Just as a Level3 player in league pool can't even begin to think of all the shot possibilities and outcomes that a Level7 (or higher) player does, you will have a hard time understanding what you are being taught/told without the experience to reinforce those teachings.

My 2 cents,

Gary
 
In your situation, you are very lucky to have a teacher on your side to teach you. On my time, i did it all by myself. lots of trial and error. Untill now i'm still trying and at the same time learning...Maybe its human nature, still not contented..:rolleyes:
I agree those guys, PATIENCE is the main ingredients on this career. I know that you are excited right now, but i'll be hoping that kind of feeling will not melt like an ice when you do those meticulous things..Also, teacher must be respected at all times..
So Good luck to your new path:thumbup:

Al
 
BarenbruggeCues said:
What's the agreement you have with him? Is he solely going teach you to build while he does nothing or are you going to work for him as an apprentice gofer while he continues to build also?
Either way you will learn but one way is going to take a lot longer for you to finish a cue.
As mentioned....patience is going to be a virtue.
When I started out...I never knew what I was going to be doing until I showed up. One week I was installing ferrules and the next time I showed up I was weeding the garden. Oh the life of an apprentice!

You're going to find that once you learn something and start doing it on your own, you are going develop your own style and way of doing things anyway so make sure you pay attention to the basic stuff more than anything. I was fortunate that I had my own equipment back home when I was learning so I could take what I learned and immediately do something with it. You're going to have to destroy some wood before you can call yourself a cuemaker!
Click to expand...

Im going to be doing cue work only, no weeding the garden, lol! It will take a while for me to learn im sure, but Ive got the time to do it.


Joe
 
GEBrown said:
Given your stated set of goals and limitations above, I think a more pertinent question is "How am I going to retain/remember everything my mentor teaches me on the first pass?". Just as a Level3 player in league pool can't even begin to think of all the shot possibilities and outcomes that a Level7 (or higher) player does, you will have a hard time understanding what you are being taught/told without the experience to reinforce those teachings.

My 2 cents,

Gary
Click to expand...

I understand what you are saying, but Ive been running mills and lathes for about 10 years, so using the machines and doing the measurements will be easy to adjust to. Im more interested in the inlay work, and detail stuff.


Joe
 
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