Question about high level cuemakers
- Thread starter alstl
- Start date
I don't think you will find a simple answer to your question. But if your a high-end cue maker, your quality controll starts way before you have turned a blank close to final size.
That said, we all make mistakes and wood can be an unpredictable material and shit do happen...
That said, we all make mistakes and wood can be an unpredictable material and shit do happen...
I remember at SBE several years ago checking out Jim Buss’ cues. He had the pimpest jump cue for sale I’d ever seen! 4 point, 4 veneer, birdseye front, inlays... I asked him about it and he said it started off as a full cue with an “oops moment”, and he turned it into a jumper.
One of our top dollar cues we built had a very fancy matching jump cue with it. It is probably the nicest jump cue I have ever seen. It started out as the forearm in the full cue but had to be cut off because something happened in the bottom of the snakewood points. We finished inlaying it and gave it a mini butt sleeve over the point flaws in the bottom.. We even put matching rubies in it. It is now rare to lose a blank from uneven points. An inlay issue inside the points is more likely.
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Years ago I would stop by and visit Bill McDaniel at his shop and he had a bin that was about three feet wide and six feet tall that was completely full of butts that were in all stages of completion all the way to having inlays and almost ready for finish. As he would work, once he saw something he didn't like it went in the bin. He would occasionally take on from the bin to use for inlay pattern experimentation. I saw a bunch I would have like to have had some finish put on them and taken them for playing cues.
My Definition of Cue construction.
1/2 machine set up and 1/2 hand crafted. They are both equally important. Anything can go wrong anytime and you don't know til the cue is turned.
1/2 machine set up and 1/2 hand crafted. They are both equally important. Anything can go wrong anytime and you don't know til the cue is turned.
When I lived in St Louis Jim was my tip installer. In the front room of his shop he had a pool table and some cues on the wall. I pulled one of the cues off the wall and asked him about it and he showed me a small crack which he said came from his early days of cuemaking when he made the mistake of using too much glue. Didn't affect playability but he wouldn't sell it because it wasn't a good example of his work.
Hi,
Once you have your machines tramed and dialed in for points, there should be no reason to have uneven point length.
That is after your procedures for repeatable veneer thickness, pre squaring point stock and glue pressure is repeatable.
Its all about geometry and machines that repeat every time.
JMO,
Rick
Once you have your machines tramed and dialed in for points, there should be no reason to have uneven point length.
That is after your procedures for repeatable veneer thickness, pre squaring point stock and glue pressure is repeatable.
Its all about geometry and machines that repeat every time.
JMO,
Rick
That's called Mr. Bills Burn Bin
I once saw the late Judd Fuller's fire place.
It was next to his pool table.
He burnt a lot of 8-point blanks.
It was next to his pool table.
He burnt a lot of 8-point blanks.
A few years back I posted a cue that had some problems with some miters not meeting up and how I hid it. One very innovative cue maker PMed me and congratulated me on the the fix. He also said if his early attempts turned out perfect. All the really bas a$$ stuff that came later would never have been done. Same thread had a world class maker congratulate me on finishing the cue with good results.
If I ever get to a high level in cue making. I will continue to finish what I start and hope to learn from it.
Larry
If I ever get to a high level in cue making. I will continue to finish what I start and hope to learn from it.
Larry
Jerry Rauenzahn has extremely high standards. This past summer I spent a week in his shop learning skills he was willing to pass down to one of his proteges so his methods wouldn't get lost on how to build, the Brunswick/Rambow full spliced 360 which his generation had figured out how to build the crazy double and triple full spliced cues with butterflies. AMAZING!!! SIMPLY AMAZING!!!
We spent our time building an -R- 360 Brunswick tribute cue. He had me gluing, cutting, and turning all the parts necessary for the butterflies, points, and a second set of butterflies and full spliced points in the lower butt section. When we were finished with the joint end first set of butterflies and points, we were both very happy. They were even and lined up perfectly. I was amazed quite frankly.
However, when the second set of points and butterflies were done, he said her wouldn't let it out of his shop for any paying customer. A couple of the butterflies were just over 3/8's of an inch off from being even.
What???, I said. It wasn't that bad.... I thought.... and he told me you NEVER EVER EVER let a less than near perfect cue leave your shop. He took the butt and ran it through his band saw so it couldn't be used as a full spliced cue. I almost cried. Seriously!!!
I learned a VERY VALUABLE lesson that day. Now I understand why the high end cue makers have such great reputations and they take with them to their graves. YOU NEVER EVER EVER let a cue out of your shop that doesn't meet your expectations!!!
Lesson well learned as painful as it was for me to watch.
Thank you Mr. Jerry Rauenzahn.
John Marshall
We spent our time building an -R- 360 Brunswick tribute cue. He had me gluing, cutting, and turning all the parts necessary for the butterflies, points, and a second set of butterflies and full spliced points in the lower butt section. When we were finished with the joint end first set of butterflies and points, we were both very happy. They were even and lined up perfectly. I was amazed quite frankly.
However, when the second set of points and butterflies were done, he said her wouldn't let it out of his shop for any paying customer. A couple of the butterflies were just over 3/8's of an inch off from being even.
What???, I said. It wasn't that bad.... I thought.... and he told me you NEVER EVER EVER let a less than near perfect cue leave your shop. He took the butt and ran it through his band saw so it couldn't be used as a full spliced cue. I almost cried. Seriously!!!
I learned a VERY VALUABLE lesson that day. Now I understand why the high end cue makers have such great reputations and they take with them to their graves. YOU NEVER EVER EVER let a cue out of your shop that doesn't meet your expectations!!!
Lesson well learned as painful as it was for me to watch.
Thank you Mr. Jerry Rauenzahn.
John Marshall
I think I would have cried when I know I could have take the perfect part and used it for a very fancy matching jump cue.
Only ever seen pictures; but IIRC the points and butterflies on the originals didn't line up all that well? Some appear seriously displaced, unless they matched them side to side (180°) but not all the way 'round?
Could be interesting to make a shaft like that and see what it feels like. Since cue robots and the Argonne Labs physics analysis, almost everything points to getting mass out of the tip area of a shaft. (for low deflection) Yet one of the iconic cues of the ages has a big block of high density material right up there "where it shouldn't be"
Sure looks nice. Very tempting to just make a shaft and see.....
smt
Could be interesting to make a shaft like that and see what it feels like. Since cue robots and the Argonne Labs physics analysis, almost everything points to getting mass out of the tip area of a shaft. (for low deflection) Yet one of the iconic cues of the ages has a big block of high density material right up there "where it shouldn't be"
Sure looks nice. Very tempting to just make a shaft and see.....
smt