Gambler Cue build-log.

Cutting through the forearm point barbs, similar to the butt sleave.
 

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Forearm points flushed out. Maple Burl with Ebony frames, Paua Abalone.
 

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Bloodwood and Ebony suits. Club and heart on alternate faces.
 

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Cutting in the pockets for the 3D dice facets. I cut one facet per die at a time so as to maintain the wood web between facets (again, no colored filler). Easier to see in the next picture.
 

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One facet per die already epoxied in, cutting the next one, and so on.
 

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Oops, a little out of sequence, but here are the Ebony club and Bloodwood diamond.
 

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Machining the dice pips. They are ellipses, not circles (3D dice) and are done using a .010" radius at the small end. These are later filled with black epoxy (the only colored filler used on this cue).
 

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Butt sleave. Note, all windows show a different set of dice. The wood web left between the dice facets is .010" wide. I'm positive the dice would have looked better in ebony, but that didn't fit my design for this cue. I like the idea of the wood between the facets and not filler.
 

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Trademark, FLQ, lines up with the Hard 8 and the spade point.
 

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OK, I guess that's it for now. I hope someone get's something out of this build log. The cue was a blast to make and I can't wait to start the next design. I'm eyeballing a BEM with Wenge wrapless handle I have in my rack.

The particulars on this cue:
- Bubinga forearm and butt sleave
- Hardrock Maple handle
- Sterling silver stitch rings in Double Black Linen (Clocked, or aligned all the way to the shaft, and centered on the points)
- Ebony frames around Maple Burl
- Mother of Pearl dice
- Paua Abalone spear points
- 20.1 ounce total weight, with 3.69 in the shaft. No weight bolt added.
- Balance point is 18-3/4"
- Ivory ferrule and Moori medium
- Black with walnut pressed irish linen wrap.

The only things I didn't make were the joint collar, joint pin and bumper (ok, I didn't weave the irish linen either, but I'm sure you get the idea). Everything else was fabricated by me, in my shop, on my machines. Figured I'd throw that out there, just in case.

Thanks for looking!

Regards,
Frank
(Hobbyist)
 
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Wow Frank that is one kick ass looking cue that you have made there.. How do you like that blurry machine?
 
Hey Joe,

I really couldn't be happier with the machine. Alex at Blurry Customs makes a great CNC for the price point. I got the "Dark" version and built it up from there, adding my own selection of motors and controls. I added an air line, a K2 Kress mount and I'm going to add some LED flexible stalk lighting at the spindle and I want to cover the ballscrews to keep them clean, but that's a task for another day.

The bed I added, it's just a particle board spoil board for now, I'm going to replace that with a 1/2" aluminum jig plate, which will REALLY be nice, adding some more wieght and rigidity. Repeatability is evident in the cue pics. I tweeked the X and Y rails to a tighter tolerance, but still need to attend to the Z axis a little, as I'm not quite 100% perpendicular to the table.

All-in-all though, I think it's a great machine and perfect for hobbyist's like me. We'll see how it fairs with more use, but I suspect it's going to last pretty well.

Regards,
Frank
 
Hi, your Gambler Cue hits me like a ... sorry, cannot find the right words.
imo your cue is a real gemstone , i like it very very much, also your great
pictures. Wow !!!

Thank you very much for sharing.:bow-down:

Greetz from Germany
 
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That is honestly one of the best build threads I have seen and the result is beautiful. I am not usually a mother of pearl fan but you nailed those dice and made me a fan of it in this cue for sure.
 
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