Early cue making techniques.

C

crazysnake

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello,
Would anyone out there be able to shed some light on what sort of tools, equipment and or techniques may have been used by cue makers early on. I mean specifically, Rambow, Balabushka, Szamboti, Palmer etc....
Thank you.
 
I don't think they had taper bars... diekman didn't use one in his early tapes...early 1990's

Kim

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2
 
Rambow did not even use a router for tapering from what I am told. He turned them on his lathes the old fashion way with hand held wood turning tools. That is the same way I started out until I decided that I would find an easier way.
 
cueman said:
Rambow did not even use a router for tapering from what I am told. He turned them on his lathes the old fashion way with hand held wood turning tools. That is the same way I started out until I decided that I would find an easier way.
Click to expand...

Wood lathe and chisel.
One very famous west coast maker ( now deceased ) tapered his shafts with a single point bit inch by inch then sanded them. They were prone to warping of course. Talk about hard work.
 
Just went through my billiard encyclopedia and he did indeed use chisels to turn. And if I remember correctly he made his own tools to boot!
 
whammo57 said:
I don't think they had taper bars... diekman didn't use one in his early tapes...early 1990's

Kim

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

They had taper bars for lathes in the 1500's.some just don't choose to use them.

bill
 
vasilios said:
They had taper bars for lathes in the 1500's.some just don't choose to use them.

bill
Click to expand...

1500's?!?

So before the USA was even 'invented'? :D

Do you have pics/info? i'm quite interested in seeing old lathe stuff. :smile:
 
Those are all very interesting comments, especially those made concerning Szamboti and Rambow. It makes me wonder how their tools and techniques influenced the feel and mechanics of those cues. My understanding is that many of those early cues seem to have a larger diameter at their forearm/butt compared to many of today's more slender forearm tapers. I've heard also that much of the ornamentation was not done solely for appearance but also to add or remove weight from/to that portion of the cue.

Any thoughts on this?
 
Ornamentation doesn't change weight enough to notice. I've made cues with chisels and a wood lathe and the shafts are still straight 25 years later.
 
I could be mistaken but I don't think Dennis Searing used a taper bar until the very late 90's, maybe into 2000.

My first custom shaft done in around 1994 was done the inch by inch method and still straight as can be.

You do with what you have.
 
whammo57 said:
I don't think they had taper bars... diekman didn't use one in his early tapes...early 1990's

Kim

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

Palmer used a shaft template, in effect, sort of a pooor man's tracer lathe, in the 1960s.
FWIW - it isn't a taper bar no many how times people call it one, shafts have a profile, not a simple taper.


Diekman has never been accused of being exactly 'cutting edge'.

Dale
 
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taper

pdcue said:
Palmer used a shaft template, in effect, sort of a pooor man's tracer lathe, in the 1960s.
FWIW - it isn't a taper bar no many how times people call it one, shafts have a profile, not a simple taper.


Diekman has never been accused of being exactly 'cutting edge'.

Dale
Click to expand...



Hey.... never thought about not being a taper bar if it wasn't a linear taper.

You are being kind to Mr. Diekman........... When I watched his tape...... I was aghast.

Kim
 
whammo57 said:
Hey.... never thought about not being a taper bar if it wasn't a linear taper.

You are being kind to Mr. Diekman........... When I watched his tape...... I was aghast.

Kim
Click to expand...

Do you have a copy of the dieckman vid?
I would love to see it
 
Joey, can you find vids of Bautista working on his modified wood lathe.
I tried.

His son is the artist. Draws the design for the inlays and chisels them out
with a piece of steel from a vice jaw as a hammer and modified hack saw blades
for chisels. Talk about necessity is the Mother of invention.

Those vids would give the OP an idea of how cues are still built in some areas these days.
 
Blue Hog ridr said:
Joey, can you find vids of Bautista working on his modified wood lathe.
I tried.

His son is the artist. Draws the design for the inlays and chisels them out
with a piece of steel from a vice jaw as a hammer and modified hack saw blades
for chisels. Talk about necessity is the Mother of invention.

Those vids would give the OP an idea of how cues are still built in some areas these days.
Click to expand...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ5zFAXfIng&feature=plcp
That's him at work.
 
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