I gotta ask about Unique machines **NOT trying to purchase any additional machines**

icbm

icbm

Registered
I started out looking for the how to's & what with questions probably in 09. At the time google and yahoo would only spit out Hightower, Porper or Unique machines. I instantly rejected Unique because it is incredibly cost prohibitive unless you are very serious and very very experienced cue makers. For me this a hobby. Not trying to make anywhere close to the $ to cover everything I've purchased over that entire time period. While everything else in precision cue specific machines and CNC has either plateaued or in some cases rolled back prices. My question:

Why in hell's name are Unique cue making ("Building" if you ever spoke to Denney Diekman God rest him) machines so @%$#@ng expensive new or used? MId-America, Mr. Hightower and self-made CNC or modified lathes or 2-5 axis cnc parts and CAD/CAM software are available through your first google search results and much much more affordable now. For folks that do not mind sourcing from China or Taiwan you can get a stand-alone made to order CNC Wood lathe that are pretty much completely automatic stand alone 800lbs factories that can include feeding and moving material in seconds and uses incredibly basic CAD for DXF or G-code software for far less than the "6090" type cnc with a 4th axis and ABSOLUTLEY much more affordable than anything Unique sells. (I do NOT recommend that unless you use it as a production shaft or dowel batches for cores if you sell materials) But for custom cues its so much overkill it's just about like using a shotgun to kill a shrew. Though they are extremely accurate down to a pretty easily achievable tolerances.

So what is the big draw for Unique machines?
 
What is the purpose of this post? Bashing Unique? Hightower and MidAmerican do not make CNC machines. You answered your question about buying china made machines, or building your own to save money. Alot of Cuemakers are not machine makers, and China machines - well good luck. If you do not like the pricing, or quality of Unique then simply move on - it is really easy. Honestly have not been on AZ for years, and this is the reason. Ha e a great day!
 
So i just went on their sites and I thought that Hightower lathes were too expensive compared to Unique for what you get. If I wanted a taig based lathe Midamerica was less expensive. Just looking at prices
 
icbm said:
I started out looking for the how to's & what with questions probably in 09. At the time google and yahoo would only spit out Hightower, Porper or Unique machines. I instantly rejected Unique because it is incredibly cost prohibitive unless you are very serious and very very experienced cue makers. For me this a hobby. Not trying to make anywhere close to the $ to cover everything I've purchased over that entire time period. While everything else in precision cue specific machines and CNC has either plateaued or in some cases rolled back prices. My question:

Why in hell's name are Unique cue making ("Building" if you ever spoke to Denney Diekman God rest him) machines so @%$#@ng expensive new or used? MId-America, Mr. Hightower and self-made CNC or modified lathes or 2-5 axis cnc parts and CAD/CAM software are available through your first google search results and much much more affordable now. For folks that do not mind sourcing from China or Taiwan you can get a stand-alone made to order CNC Wood lathe that are pretty much completely automatic stand alone 800lbs factories that can include feeding and moving material in seconds and uses incredibly basic CAD for DXF or G-code software for far less than the "6090" type cnc with a 4th axis and ABSOLUTLEY much more affordable than anything Unique sells. (I do NOT recommend that unless you use it as a production shaft or dowel batches for cores if you sell materials) But for custom cues its so much overkill it's just about like using a shotgun to kill a shrew. Though they are extremely accurate down to a pretty easily achievable tolerances.

So what is the big draw for Unique machines?
Click to expand...
When someone asks me about CNC and since I do not sell CNC machines, I send them to Unique. Here is the main reason. Customer support. I have talked to many cuemakers who assemble the cues with my lathes and do inlays and tapering with Unique CNC machines. They have all seemed to be able to learn the CNC operations and keep their machines running with Unique's customer support. Look at how many threads there are with people trying to keep their home made or Asian machines operating. Many have asked me why I do not offer CNC and it is simple. I do not know CNC operations well enough to handle the customer service. And my son has no desire to try and walk people through CNC operations day in and day out, so at this time we don't build CNC equipment. I bought the wood and a few items once from a shop that included a very rough looking condition Unique CNC machine with the deal. I cleaned it up a little and never even bothered to try to get it working. I sold it to a newer cuemaker. He called me within a few weeks and said Jim at Unique had talked him through getting it running and he was doing cue work with it.
So the same reasons I send people to Unique for CNC are the same reasons their CNC machines are worth the money. QUALITY AND CUSTOMER SUPPORT!
 
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billiardbum said:
What is the purpose of this post? Bashing Unique? Hightower and MidAmerican do not make CNC machines. You answered your question about buying china made machines, or building your own to save money. Alot of Cuemakers are not machine makers, and China machines - well good luck. If you do not like the pricing, or quality of Unique then simply move on - it is really easy. Honestly have not been on AZ for years, and this is the reason. Ha e a great day!
Click to expand...
Ok pal first thing
I WAS NOT "bashing" unique. I asked for someone to help me EDUCATE me on the major differences in price & quality of their machines
"What purpose behind this post?" I explained myself and precisely identified what I was asking in the OP. You immediately attempted a gas light. Congratulations, it worked.
Here's your receipt: You attempting to call me out...for the EXACT SAME THING you have just done with are the worst example of why I don't come to the forum very often for the same reason you don't either. You could have simply scrolled right by if you weren't going to answer my question. Your nonsense flaming my question immediately without ANY cause is absolutely unnecessary & malicious. This is not facebook. This forum says: "Ask the Cuemaker" and I was in fact actually "asking cue makers". Your reply does not make you sound like a Bad@$$. It makes you sound like a hypocritical, insecure, immature 14-year-old snowflake keyboard warrior on facebook.
Did that make you feel better about yourself?
 
cueman said:
When someone asks me about CNC and since I do not sell CNC machines, I send them to Unique. Here is the main reason. Customer support. I have talked to many cuemakers who assemble the cues with my lathes and do inlays and tapering with Unique CNC machines. They have all seemed to be able to learn the CNC operations and keep their machines running with Unique's customer support. Look at how many threads there are with people trying to keep their home made or Asian machines operating. Many have asked me why I do not offer CNC and it is simple. I do not know CNC operations well enough to handle the customer service. And my son has no desire to try and walk people through CNC operations day in and day out, so at this time we don't build CNC equipment. I bought the wood and a few items once from a shop that included a very rough looking condition Unique CNC machine with the deal. I cleaned it up a little and never even bothered to try to get it working. I sold it to a newer cuemaker. He called me within a few weeks and said Jim at Unique had talked him through getting it running and he was doing cue work with it.
So the same reasons I send people to Unique for CNC are the same reasons their CNC machines are worth the money. QUALITY AND CUSTOMER SUPPORT!
Click to expand...
Your lathes products and tooling are an industry standard and are priced very affordably. Thank you for that explanation. That is exactly what I curious about. You are well renowned for your professionalism and "QUALITY AND CUSTOMER SUPPORT" that is absent in a lot of folks that have no notion of what customer service these days. Thank you for all your help and lengthy phone calls when I set up deluxe and definitely many many posts in here. Happy Sunday sir.
 
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