Beginner questions.

Avoid the one in Florida.

ndp said:

I'm a 40ish year old second generation woodworker (antique restoration, custom cabinetry, custom furniture, refinishing, insurance claim work, etc) I've mostly focused on the refinishing side of things while Pops does mostly design/layout then we build together. I've always been fascinated with building pool cues. We've got a fairly well outfitted shop and I finally carved out a space on one wall to set up a cue lathe with room for expansion as needed.

I just finished Mr. Hightower's book (if you read this Chris thanks a ton) and I figure my next step is a cue lathe and some sneakies while I start to hone my skills and get a "river of wood" flowing.

Not really sure how to ask this but I was wondering if, via PM, I could get a few opinions on various suppliers of butts. Maybe some first hand accounts of suppliers that others have worked with? I assume all the major suppliers are good to work with or they wouldn't still be in business. I just figured it couldn't hurt to double check and try to get a few personal recommendations before I drop a few grand on shaft wood, full-splice blanks and materials.

Thanks,
Nathan

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Go to your local taverns and ask them for "irreparable" house cues. Then start hacking them up, re attaching them, and what not. It's amazing how much easier it gets as time goes on to hold the tolerances necessary for cue work. Practice practice practice.

Skip the cue lathe and buy a solid metal lathe and deck it out for cue work.

JC said:

Go to your local taverns and ask them for "irreparable" house cues. Then start hacking them up, re attaching them, and what not. It's amazing how much easier it gets as time goes on to hold the tolerances necessary for cue work. Practice practice practice.

Skip the cue lathe and buy a solid metal lathe and deck it out for cue work.

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You're a trouble maker.
Then again, there are plenty of old steel out there now .

NDP,
There's another guy here who goes by the screen name of Ssonerai who also comes from a furniture building background, so he may be a good source of what is needed and what to expect from a common perspective. Use the search function to see some of his posts and get his contact info.
I will also send you a link to another source of cue lathes (we're not really supposed to post links to wood and machinery sources here - though Chris Hightower is a common and long-time contributor here)
Just realize that space you carved out in the corner of your shop is much like a boat - a hole you pour money into LOL
Gary

GB - that is an awfully generous comment but i don't rate it yet. Being a pro-woodwhacker and occasional machinist of the non-cnc persuasion, i have perspectives on doing joinery and processes for accuracy. Beyond that, there is way too much to learn and practice to actually turn that effort into a good reliable cue.

There are a couple factors i thought about as i made yet another series of mistakes today. 1,) Patience. I have a production mindset and want things to move. That's not a good attitude to bring to cue making, which is a form of instrument building. 2.) Today I stepped outside my comfort zone and added a trim ring! But realized i still don't have artistic aptitude in the cue field. Unless you copy someone else. Some people find it easy to come up with cue designs. I don't. Simple FS sneakies are my speed. I hope they come out clean, and hope they stay straight. And i have not built very many.

What i would say to the OP is that cue building does not use much that is familiar from cabinet or furniture making. It is either a mostly hand-tool process, like the original BBC workers that appear to have cut full splice joints by hand saws. Or like the guys that build high-end snooker cues today. Otherwise, it is done on machine tools and modified machine tools. Anyone starting today with an idea of selling is going to have cnc.

Thinking like a woodworker in selecting wood has some value if you have the skill. Thinking like a machinist, whether you started as one or not, is essential to building cues.

It is possible, barely, to make a cue on a wood lathe. I first made a couple shafts in the 80's, for cues guys gave me that had warped, or too skinny shafts. A few old timers still made cues that way, but it is really old school work. You use one hand for your follow rest, the other to hold the chisel, and your third to..... Plus use a hand plane a lot with the lathe stopped, to plan the developing bow out and fair it. Then turn some more...then mark and cut the bow.. then... etc. At the point of making joint work, the lathe at least needs a precision compound cross slide & some tooling, and the operator needs a drawer full of mics, dial indicators & dial test indicators, and a whole bunch of support tooling.

Regarding wood - turning squares are seldom "artificially" dried. The ends are waxed, and they may or may not be dry depending how long and where they laid around. Exotics take a very long time. Some woods like 8/4 Ebony, and most any snakewood can take decades to airdry without turning into a mass of cracks. If you can pick actual lumber, it is usually kiln dried, often vacuum KD these days, and there will be a MC spec. There's a number of (at least used to be) good lumber suppliers in NC. I know because i am still pissed that both moved there (a couple decades apart) from out of my area in upstate NY. Some dry their lumber, some dry some of their lumber.

Most interesting wood should probably be cored. I have not done any of that yet.

Good luck, it is fun and challenging.



smt