cue maker?

snipershot

snipershot

Go ahead.....run for it.
Silver Member
What all is required to be able to say that you built a cue? If you call yourself a cue maker, or take credit for building a cue, how much of the actual building process should be done by you? I call myself a beginner cuemaker. I make simple cues, but they are all made by me. Often i turn the wood from square to round, core it, cut tennons for the a joint, bore the butt sleeve, cut simple rings from wood or plastics, pin it, clear coat it, and finish it, all in my shop, so i feel pretty comfy saying i "built" a cue. If you buy your fancy rings, have someone else cut your points, and have someone else do your clear coat, is it ok to advertise it as a cue built by "you"? It seems like fraud to me. What do you fellas think?

Joe
 
I would have to agree with you Joe. One thing is I MYSELF do NOT refer to myself as a cue maker, cue builder, or even a repair man. Sure, I own a lathe and do very small repairs for payment or trade but even that doesn't make me a repair guy. I refer to myself as a "hobbiest" (<<<I think I just made that word up) that wants to learn the trade and would love to be able to BUILD my own cue one day all by myself.


Lee
 
I turn square to round, core, inlay, lay finish and polish
I have made shafts from squares,

I am capable of doing all of this.

My time however is limited. So I am now purchasing shafts that are round, recently more that are coned
I am also purchasing cored forearms.

Does this diminish my work?
 
EightballJunkie said:
I've been at this for a year and a half, so I'm basically a rookie. At this point, I do every thing from turning squares round to final finish. I use all raw materials with the exception of tips, bumpers, weight bolts, joint pins & inserts.

This isn't to say I'm above finishing a nice veneered full-splice blank or converting a worthy house cue, but then again I have no plan of doing full-splice construction to call my own.

Am I a cue maker ...well I make cues and other people buy & play pool with them, so I suppose it's fair to say.
Click to expand...

But would you finish a cue with points and say that you did all the work, knowing that you didnt? I know you wouldnt. Theres nothing wrong at all with using a house cue for conversion, or using a Davis blank, but i dont see how anyone could possibly say they did all the work if they use a blank.

Joe
 
cuejo said:
I turn square to round, core, inlay, lay finish and polish
I have made shafts from squares,

I am capable of doing all of this.

My time however is limited. So I am now purchasing shafts that are round, recently more that are coned
I am also purchasing cored forearms.

Does this diminish my work?
Click to expand...

I dont think it dimminishes your work. You are an honest guy, and wouldnt tell people that you cored it yourself. As for cones, thats really no biggie to me. I buy 1 inch dowels and cone them. I have used and bought finished shaft dowels on here from a great cuemaker, but i still have to put the ferrule on, rings, drill, tap, etc. I dont think buying shaft wood thats already close to finished size, or wood that doesnt need 2 more years to dry makes your work "not yours." When ive made a shaft out of a finished blank that i bought, i do tell the customer that i made it out of a prefinished blank. I guess as long as theres honest disclosure, that would eliminate the fraud aspect of it.

Joe
 
Balabuska used other peoples blanks. I have always considered him a cue assembler and he did a fine job at it.
Gus Szamboti made almost all the parts himself. I considered him a cue maker.
Probably a fine line depending on your opinion on cue maker or assembler.
Personally I don't care which it is as long as the final product is good.
 
Technically Joe, probably close to nothing.
Let's say Joe Sniper is really Joe Thug but uses Joe Sniper as
a brand name. He has workers do all the qmaking stuff.
Cues are sold as Joe Sniper.
Sorry, it's his brand . He can do whatever he wants in making
that cue.
He can even claim he built it.
He'd be lying but that cue still has his name.
Ideally , he should have done most of the work.
But, it is what it is. A brand.
The downside is, if he loses valuable workers he can't replace,
he might " retire ".
 
cuemaker

"Cuemaker" a word that is best used with an adjective.
Hobbyist
Wannabe
Closet
Old
New
Professional
Master (should be used sparingly and not about yourself)
HOF

Most people could use several of these during their cue career.
Probably only 20 people have made it to the HOF adjective.
 
I did it all. From Conversion to blanks to Prathers to CNC to cutting the points. As Joey pointed out I also lost my best asset, my partner.

At the end of the day the cue had to have a name. If your looking to put a definition on fraud I guess you could put my picture in the dictionary next to it.

I care because I love working on cues and the game of Pool, everything about it. Let me know where the firing squad will be and what time to show up.
 
measureman said:
Balabuska used other peoples blanks. I have always considered him a cue assembler and he did a fine job at it.
Gus Szamboti made almost all the parts himself. I considered him a cue maker.
Probably a fine line depending on your opinion on cue maker or assembler.
Personally I don't care which it is as long as the final product is good.
Click to expand...

Carefull I made a similar comment in the main forum and it bought out all kinds of hate lol


Anymore the term Q'Builder is so watered down that refuse to use it when possible and just say I make cues :grin:
 
Thanks for the interesting answers. My original question didnt really apply to shops with multiple people, like Schon, Scruggs, Southwest, etc, it was more about a one man show or a hobbyist cuemaker. I see some good points that you guys have made, but i still think at some point, my pride in my work, even if its not fancy (yet), wouldnt allow me to take credit for something i didnt do. At the end of the day, my integrity is worth far more than trying to impress people with my cues. Thanks for all the points of view.

Joe
 
My question is what's the difference in taking square stock, turning it round, joining together with an a joint, using rings (plastic or metal) making a butt sleeve, butt cap, shaft and ferrule, finishing it, wrapping it and using it.....

Compared to the same exact process but changing out the square stock to something someone already put points into....

My opinion your still a cue maker if you can take raw materials and "make a cue" out of them.....

Now.....that's not to say lying about it isn't wrong.....a cue maker should if asked disclose if the parts were bought or made....I still feel he doesn't have to disclose this information upfront to a buyer.....

It's just my opinion.....


I compare it to the fact that I have built computers in the past, I didn't actually build the chips or microprocessors but i put it all together to make a functional computer.....but I still say I built a computer
 
there is a local person who i will not name that buys parts for a cau puts them together and clears them and sells them as a custom cue he built.. my friends and i call him the "cue assembler"
 
Hi,

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"

It is what other's call you that is important. That is all that matters.


Rick
 
Last edited:
I kinda agree with Rick.
At the end of the day, I don't know many who grows their own wood, mills and dries it, forges their own steel, melts and forms bumpers..etc etc

We all have to get parts from a supplier, at least I do :)

I call my cues Cuejos Customs and they are.

My customers come over, pick out the exact chunk of wood they want, tell me what kind of rings, wrap etc and I assemble(build)(make) what have you the cue.
I may be an assembler but I'm cool with that.

I think I know where joe was going with the original post and I'm on the same page as he is. :)

I would probably take a little offense if someone bought a complete unfinished cue from Prather and added clear, then called it a custom.
Meh. My .02
 
scdiveteam said:
It is what other's call you that is important. That is all that matters.
Click to expand...

OK, but the thread is about what a person calls themselves, if I interpret the OP correctly when he says "If you call yourself a cue maker, or take credit for building a cue, how much of the actual building process should be done by you?"

Dave
 
IMO cue building should be like other trades, you are labeled a welder, machinist or carpenter. But until you have done your time and have acquired the knowledge from a trade school you are also labeled an apprentice. If you break cue building down to certain procedures, it is a matter of being competent at all the various tasks of building a cue.
 
Last edited:
I can see all of your points, and i think most are valid. I have no problem with someone buying components and "building a cue" with them. Ive done this myself, and its not much easier than just doing it all myself. If you buy a blank, you still have to let it sit, taper it, let it sit, taper,sit, taper, etc. I tapered a blank down to finish size too fast a couple times and it took a hard left turn. Lol. So the basic ideas and processes are the same. My only problem is when a guy claims that he did all of the work, and it turns out, all he does is the basic assembly/building. If i had someone else cut points for me, and then i tell all of AZ that im cutting my own points, that is fraud to me. If i buy my ring billets from someone, and tell everyone i made them, thats fraud to me. If i have someone else clear coat my cues, and then tell people i did it, thats fraud to me. I dont think less of any person for not being able to make their own rings, cut points, or any other aspect of cuemaking, but dont take credit for work thats not yours.

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