The one time I've removed one of these bumpers, I squirted a little WD40 in around the edges of the bumper, then covered it with a cloth and used a pair of channel-lock pliers. Got it out without damaging it!
I believe Darrin Hill, north of Chicago, does his own full-splices. Check out his webpage: www.hillscues.com. He does some beautiful work and is a great guy.
I leave the tip of my break cue similar to what Craig mentions...mostly flat....and if it flattens out more as the tip compresses, I leave it alone and don't reshape it.
Try Lego blocks as they come in various sizes and "lock" together. This way, he can customize his props and if something doesn't work out just right, you can modify it or even take it apart and reuse the pieces.
There are templates for a 9-ball rack on the San Francisco Billiard Academy website that you may be able to adapt: http://www.sfbilliards.com/template.pdf
Nice equipment. My only question is which one is your playing table and which one is your sleeping table....for when the wife kicks you down into the basement for having (2) tables!
I believe the WPBA has a STRICT rule against any of their members gambling at the tournament site or during a tournament. Your best bet for this matchup would be the DCC, which Jeanette normally attends, but I've not seen Kim there before.