Ferrule ?.....

garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What is the most common/popular ferrule used by cuemakers? Any reason as to cost, hardness, etc?? Thanks.
 

Kim Bye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What is the most common/popular ferrule used by cuemakers? Any reason as to cost, hardness, etc?? Thanks.

I would say Juma. Cheap, machines well, fairly scratch resistant and does not seem to shrink. Does yellow a little though.
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
I would say Juma. Cheap, machines well, fairly scratch resistant and does not seem to shrink. Does yellow a little though.

Biggest reason is availability .
Ivor-X, old Mason Micarta and clean LBM's are not readily available.
 

Dave38

theemperorhasnoclotheson
Silver Member
On my shooting cues I use juma primarily, but sometimes isoplast. For break cues I use a variety of phenolic/G10. For repairs it all varies according to what I am repairing.
Dave
 

Ssonerai

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm still learning. :)

Have used mostly melamine, because i like it on my own cues.
Should probably experiment more.

smt
 

JC

Coos Cues
I like tomahawk however I find it hard to justify the cost of over three times that of Juma which I equally like. T hawk is a little whiter. I guess it's lighter but with the mass of a ferrule so what? Seems like you pay for a lot of waste at 19 mm size. Wish it came in a size closer to our ferules. Of course Kelly will cut it down allowing you to pay extra for the waste a second time.

I have seen a couple pieces of hydex, not sure what it's all about but it machined well. Seems like a good material. I hear it's safe to eat off of too.
 

Ssonerai

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hydex or Kydex?

Have some Kydex sheets. Seems soft to me.
OTOH PVC used to get used back in the day.

Edited: Nevermind - found Hydex online. Agree - it looks promising on paper. Thanks for the reference.

smt
 

j2pac

Marital Slow Learner.
Staff member
Moderator
Gold Member
Silver Member
I like tomahawk however I find it hard to justify the cost of over three times that of Juma which I equally like. T hawk is a little whiter. I guess it's lighter but with the mass of a ferrule so what? Seems like you pay for a lot of waste at 19 mm size. Wish it came in a size closer to our ferules. Of course Kelly will cut it down allowing you to pay extra for the waste a second time.

I have seen a couple pieces of hydex, not sure what it's all about but it machined well. Seems like a good material. I hear it's safe to eat off of too.

Hydex is Isoplast. Have you managed to find a consistent source? Undoubtedly it will cost more than Juma as well. Tomahawk is also a U.S. made material. FWIW, if Kelly turns the material down, you're not paying for waste, you're paying for his time. :cool:
 

JC

Coos Cues
Hydex is Isoplast. Have you managed to find a consistent source? Undoubtedly it will cost more than Juma as well. Tomahawk is also a U.S. made material. FWIW, if Kelly turns the material down, you're not paying for waste, you're paying for his time. :cool:

I know that. Can't imagine who would pay to have it reduced by Kelly and have the skill to use it.

I do have a good source but haven't tapped into it as of yet. It's not much more than juma.
 

j2pac

Marital Slow Learner.
Staff member
Moderator
Gold Member
Silver Member
I know that. Can't imagine who would pay to have it reduced by Kelly and have the skill to use it.

I do have a good source but haven't tapped into it as of yet. It's not much more than juma.

I do understand. Folks need to have options, and buy what they like. I can only tell you that I know what Tomahawk cost me, when I found a solid supplier, bought it, cut it, packaged it, and shipped it. The margins weren't fantastic. It was more a labor of love than anything. But, being a great material, and USA made, along with the scores of interesting, and solid folks like yourself, that I met along the way, made it a worthwhile endeavor. Shouldn't you be turning some birdseye by now? ;) I am dying to see some pics. :cool:
 

HawaiianEye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I know that. Can't imagine who would pay to have it reduced by Kelly and have the skill to use it.

I do have a good source but haven't tapped into it as of yet. It's not much more than juma.

I just looked up the price for one ferrule and juma was $5 and Tomahawk was $10. I assume they are cheaper if you buy in quantity. What difference does the cost make if you add the cost into the price of the cue?

Would a customer complain if an extra $10-20 dollars was added to the price of their shafts, if they got the ferrules they wanted?
 
Last edited:

Dave38

theemperorhasnoclotheson
Silver Member
I just looked up the price for one ferrule and juma was $5 and Tomahawk was $10. I assume they are cheaper if you buy in quantity. What difference does the cost make if you add the cost into the price of the cue?

Would a customer complain if an extra $10-20 dollars was added to the price of their shafts, if they got the ferrules they wanted?

One here and one there isn't too bad, But as a cuemaker or repair guy/gal....We buy more than one to keep in stock, so that seemingly inexpensive material adds up QUICK, especially if you care more than one type of material.
 

MVPCues

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I just looked up the price for one ferrule and juma was $5 and Tomahawk was $10. I assume they are cheaper if you buy in quantity. What difference does the cost make if you add the cost into the price of the cue?

Would a customer complain if an extra $10-20 dollars was added to the price of their shafts, if they got the ferrules they wanted?

I sell solid ferrule blanks for $3.75 a piece.
 

MVPCues

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Tomahawk is 17%+ lighter weight than juma, yet tougher. Each person can "weigh" that however he wants.

http://dzcues.com/ferrules_4.html

My rod prices are shipped prices. If you go to you know who and purchase 1 foot of ferrule size juma rod (which at .629" is hardly free of waste), the price is $26 (at least for me where I live). My price is $25 for one foot to everyone in the country. As such, I have been known to give quotes to people who wanted to order in quantity after a small test purchase.

I install Tomahawk on every player shaft I build unless the customer specifically requests something else. So, I turn Tomahawk rod down for my own use. Because I do that, it is a logical choice to offer that size as a purchasing option. If anyone were to pay extra for my time to save them the hassle, I don't think they should be ridiculed for it. Everything isn't always about saving the last $2 on a shaft build.

The first person to send me a PM on here who has never purchased, and never tried Tomahawk, I will send them a free 6" piece to try out. I will even send them the turned down diameter so it's free twice.
 
Last edited:

dzcues

newbie
Silver Member
Response to emails & PMs

In response to a few questions I received:

I had been using Ivorine3, Juma, Elforyn, Mason's Micarta, LBM and several other one-offs until I tried Tomahawk. Each had its own share of problems. Juma, Elf & LBM will all crack, particularly on a thin shaft in a sleeved configuration. It's almost impossible to get a shine on Elf and it seems to expand or shrink now & then. MM has never cracked but the color turns me off. Iv3 was my favorite, as it consistently played very well but it picked up chalk dust like it had a static charge.

And then I was introduced to Tomahawk. Tomahawk hits great, has good color, takes a nice shine and has never failed me. More care is required to machine it but once finished, it will never shrink, collect chalk dust or hit funny. After installing several hundred ferrules, I've never had one crack - including thin wall sleeves for LD shafts. And did I mention that it hits great?

If it's more expensive (and I don't know that it is), so what? I'm not producing thousands of cues where a few cents saved here & there will make a difference. I'm trying to make a quality product that will serve my customer well for the rest of his life. IMO, that product should include a Tomahawk ferrule.

BTW, here's a look at two installed Tomahawk ferrules: https://www.dzcues.com/images/finished-cues/2N2B9569a.jpg

And now I can sink back into anonymity.

PS I have a decent assortment of threaded ferrules that I made on my CNC that I will probably never use. Some Juma, some Elforyn and probably a few Mason's Micarta. Some capped, some not. If anyone is interested, shoot me an email & I'll take some pics & work out a price for any or all of them. No PMs, please.
 

Ssonerai

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Question:
I drill most of my shafts. use thin wall capped ferules.
Does Tomahawk require threading to stay on?
Or does it make a good bond with impact resistant superglue?

Thanks!
smt
 

cueguy

Just a repair guy
Silver Member
tried PM

Tomahawk is 17%+ lighter weight than juma, yet tougher. Each person can "weigh" that however he wants.

http://dzcues.com/ferrules_4.html

My rod prices are shipped prices. If you go to you know who and purchase 1 foot of ferrule size juma rod (which at .629" is hardly free of waste), the price is $26 (at least for me where I live). My price is $25 for one foot to everyone in the country. As such, I have been known to give quotes to people who wanted to order in quantity after a small test purchase.

I install Tomahawk on every player shaft I build unless the customer specifically requests something else. So, I turn Tomahawk rod down for my own use. Because I do that, it is a logical choice to offer that size as a purchasing option. If anyone were to pay extra for my time to save them the hassle, I don't think they should be ridiculed for it. Everything isn't always about saving the last $2 on a shaft build.

The first person to send me a PM on here who has never purchased, and never tried Tomahawk, I will send them a free 6" piece to try out. I will even send them the turned down diameter so it's free twice.


I tried to PM you but it says your message cue is full.
I would like a foot of black and white if you have both.
You can contact me at cueguy@bellsouth.net.

Thanks,
Larry Hale
 

MVPCues

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Question:
I drill most of my shafts. use thin wall capped ferules.
Does Tomahawk require threading to stay on?
Or does it make a good bond with impact resistant superglue?

Thanks!
smt

No, you don't have to thread it.

Because I couldn't say it any better, quoted from the post just prior to yours: "After installing several hundred ferrules, I've never had one crack - including thin wall sleeves for LD shafts."
 
Top