Recent content by Alan

I had a Hightower pantograph. Well built and accurate. I made several cues with it. Got busy at work and cue work went on hold, so I sold it. Wish I hadn't. I have a CNC, but haven't used it for cue work yet. I bought it for small projects and have used the crap out of it for engraving...

If you don't leave enough room for epoxy to escape, hydraulic pressure will crack ebony. This is about 9 years old.

Hard to rate my biggest error, but maybe rubbing my knuckle against a rotating chuck. Made a mess and badly stained a forearm. As to wood, I keep many of errors hanging behind my lathe. It reminds me not to make the same error again, but I always seem to find new ways. This is about 10...

I live in Raleigh. I know Chris ships these things, but I'd prefer not to. Though another cue is tempting, I'd rather not do any trades. Besides, my main playing cue is one of the ones I made with this machine.

Didn't get much interest. Maybe it's price? How about $1,000

SOLD $1,400. I can't imagine trying to ship this thing, so would prefer local delivery or we can work out where to meet. I'm in central North Carolina. I bought it, made three cues with it and then lost interest in cue building. Stored it for about 7 years with the hopes the cue...

Doc, Chris Hightower's "From Tree, To Tip, To Trade Show!" has some good text about materials found in cues. It also does a good job of explaining the construction of cues. If you can find a copy of it, it's a good read and reference book. Alan

It could have been worse. There's incompetence and then there's real bone head. How about a picture of the "after". It looks like the earlier "fix" made uglified the butt. I'm curious how you made out.

Joey, Made some this weekend. Sure is a lot easier to use than a concave live center. Thanks!

Joey, Are the interiors straight walled or is there a slight taper?

Jim, You have one J/P on your gallery that I don't understand. It's a long cocobolo one with a penny in it. Why is it so long? Alan P.S. Not intending to highjack the thread, and it is related to J/P.

Thanks for all the replies. I think I get it now. Didn't even consider the concentric issue. The buzz (and glue adhesion) I thought about, but didn't really understand it - - now I have a better understanding. The risk of ugly wood hiding below an oversize blank is an issue with one-piece...

So, when my forearm is cut to about 0.950 I join it to my handle section by fitting a tenon and using a screw. From what I gather, most cue makers wait to join their forearm to handle nearer to the finished diameters. I need to ask why. What if the A-joint is done much earlier? If you still...

For some reason I hear Johnny Cash's voice singing "The Ring of Fire". I developed an allergy to cocobolo a few years ago. Wasn't affected by it for 15+ years, then all of the sudden, I broke out and was itchy in every place that sweats from any of its dust - - arm pits, finger webs, between...

Ray, I like the tulipwood - - very clean. What equipment are you using to make these?