Aspiring Cue Maker

Henny HaHa

Henny HaHa

Go Cardinals!!
Silver Member
Hi evrybody,

I am very interested in learning to make cues. Are there any good books or videos out there that can help to teach the basics, including all different types of cues (full splice, half splice) and the equipment needed and so on?

I know most cuemakers have learned their trade through working with another craftsman, but I have to start somewhere.

Thanks for any input!

Mike H.
 
Hi Mike, Welcome.
Chris Hightower has some info that you would be interested in. He also makes a series of dedicated cue lathes.
There are a few people who make dedicated cue lathes.Check them all out and search on the forum. There are a lot of threads about lathes and how to get started.But any of the books buy the cue makers on how thaye do their craft will be of interest and benifical to you.
Collecting wood is very important , as it takes a while for the wood to season before you can use it.
All the best, and don't be shy to try things. If you can get you hands on an old bar cue, that is a good way to learn how they are constructed by cutting it and seeing what they have done.
It is a vast subject with many disiplines from wood skills to woodworking to being a machinist.

Neil Lickfold
 
If you are interested in the Barringer complete set of videos on cue building, let me know. I recently purchased the complete set from another AZ'er for $75.00 but I'm only doing cue repairs, not building. Now that I've watched the videos I wanted to watch concerning repairs, I would be more than happy to sell them to you. I believe they cover just about anything/everything for cue building on the DVD's. PM me if interested.
 
Hey guys,
Thanks for all the info. Hightower's book looks like a great place to start. I'll probably check into his video collection too along with the Barringer set of videos when I get back in town. You can never have too much INFO!!!!!:thumbup: :thumbup:
Thanks again,
Mike H.
 
First things first.

Hi Mike,

I would definitely recommend Chris Hightower's book and videos to start your education.

If you decide it's right for you, the next purchase should be wood. Start building your supply early to give the wood time to season.

IMHO, before you buy a lathe and the other woodworking equipment you will need, think about dust collection first. You won't be sorry!
 
chris hightowers book and videos will help you more then anything imo

get them for refrence then come here for the odd stuff and youll be ok
 
I started with Chris Hightower's book and VHS (now DVD) tapes and I had them for a year before I ought a lathe. I actually bought the books and videos just because I thought cuemaking was interesting and I wanted to learn more about it, I never actually intended to do it. I ended up buying a lathe from Chris and doing this as a hobby with the intent of making some nice, playable cues for myself and maybe a few friends. It's still a hobby with me and I enjoy the challenge of trying to make each cue a little better and more accurate than the last one. Making my simple cues as a hobby gives me a real appreciation of what many of the people on this site can produce. It's one thing to look at a beautiful, intricate cue as a player, but once you have some understanding of what that builder had to do to make that cue you can really appreciate beautiful design and craftsmanship. Some of the stuff I see pictures of on here just blows my mind.

However you start you will learn a lot on your own by trial and error and make many, many mistakes. The videos and books are excellent guides to get started with but there's a lot to learn. Like anything, guys who are pros make things look easier than they are. Even something that looks as simple as replacing a ferrule and getting the ferrule/shaft joint perfectly even with no glue line is harder than it appears. There's a million little steps that all add up to make a cue and there's potential for errors and imperfections, big and small, at every step. It can be frustrating but I like it, it's a great hobby. Start small and find some old house cues to practice on. I think it's like surgery, it's best to learn how to do a good job removing a mole before attempting any heart transplants :)
 
Very important is read, read, read, read....and if is possible will be repairman before cuemaker so you learm more abaut all components and so you can see bad and good cues. This is my counsel.

Is possible that you will have more mistakes but my father says " a cuemaker is always learning and if he dont learn never will be a cuemaker "

check this link, is very interesting:
http://www.cuecomponents.com/cuebuon.html
 
I hear the "Ask the Cuemaker" section on AZBilliards.com is a great FREE resource. I would start on page 229 of the topics and work my way forward. Your only investment will be time. Come back every 6 months or so and do the same thing all over again. You'll find that as you progress through the levels of cue repair, and then cue making, you'll better understand things that were said that you thought you understood, but didnn't really get until you did it a few times. Or something that was discussed and you said you would try at a later time when you got to that point.
 
shakes said:
I hear the "Ask the Cuemaker" section on AZBilliards.com is a great FREE resource. I would start on page 229 of the topics and work my way forward. Your only investment will be time. Come back every 6 months or so and do the same thing all over again. You'll find that as you progress through the levels of cue repair, and then cue making, you'll better understand things that were said that you thought you understood, but didnn't really get until you did it a few times. Or something that was discussed and you said you would try at a later time when you got to that point.
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Worth repeating.
 
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