Balabushka Tools / Cuemaker Blanks

Matt_24

Matt_24

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
To steal from another thread, I want to personally say that I think Balabushka was smart. When you have blanks from a titlist, Burton Spain, or Gus Szamboti to choose from - WHY bother making your own? I just don't have a problem with a cuemaker not making every component of their cue. It is all how the end product is put together in my eyes.

Does anyone know what kind of tools Balabushka used? I know he had a lathe, but did he use a pantograph for his inlay work, or was it done similar to Gene Balner with a drill press, chisels, and wood putty?

On another note - who are the top makers of "blanks" these days?

Oh, and to make this appropriate for CUE GALLERY, here is a blank currently in the early stages for a custom cue I've commissioned. Any guess as to who made this? (If I've told you, don't answer..LOL)

Thanks!
 

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Matt_24 said:
To steal from another thread, I want to personally say that I think Balabushka was smart. When you have blanks from a titlist, Burton Spain, or Gus Szamboti to choose from - WHY bother making your own? I just don't have a problem with a cuemaker not making every component of their cue. It is all how the end product is put together in my eyes.
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I think if he had lived on, he would have eventually been making his own blanks.

Does anyone know what kind of tools Balabushka used? I know he had a lathe, but did he use a pantograph for his inlay work, or was it done similar to Gene Balner with a drill press, chisels, and wood putty?
Click to expand...
Atlas lathe. According to interviews with Pete Tascarella, for inlays, George mounted a Stanley router to the lathe to drill holes (circles for circle inlays). He made templates of diamonds and such to lay over the hole. Then he'd painstakenly chisel out the rest of the material. That is to say, there was no pantograph in his shop.

Fred
 
A little triva on the same topic-outsourcing, watches, very expensive watches $100,000-$700,000 come from different watch houses in SWitzerland and most of the time they out source certain parts, there has been a trend in the past 5 years or so to bring everything under each companys roof but because there are so many parts 100-600 in watches-depending on how many complications that outsourcing certain parts is necessary and cost effective, even Rolex did it with the Dayton until a few years ago and thats a $10K watch-equivalant to a Joss East alot of watch for the $$$, Patek Phillipe uses Lemina based movements(the motor so to speak) in $100,000 to $475,000 watchs today, and they are the Bushka of watches, infact I sold a couple and bought Bushkas.
 
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Yep, Christopher Claret makes whole movements for big watch companies. I believe the Harry Winston Opus IV has a Claret complication (you mentioned this watch a while back).
 
Cues are more fun that watches.

I would like a nice Rolex Submariner someday though. Ok, back on topic.
 
Watches & Cues

Fatboy said:
infact I sold a couple and bought Bushkas.
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About 10 years ago I traded a Bushka & a Szam for a Patek, a Corum, and a President with diamonds.
 
Matt_24 said:
Oh, and to make this appropriate for CUE GALLERY, here is a blank currently in the early stages for a custom cue I've commissioned. Any guess as to who made this? (If I've told you, don't answer..LOL)

Thanks!
Click to expand...

i am finishing a cue with the same exact colors. i just put a coat of finish on it this morning. post pics soon for ya if u want

MVC_066S.jpg
 
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TommyT said:
I've got the James Bond special edition SEAMASTER and it's a fine watch.

TommyT:)
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i had 3 choices a rolex date/just, a corum admirals cup or a breitling navitimer heritage and i chose the breitling. i didnt want ppl to nag me about my rolex being fake. i didnt trust the resale value of the corum and i got a great discount at my casino in ac. :D
 
Matt_24 said:
Oh, and to make this appropriate for CUE GALLERY, here is a blank currently in the early stages for a custom cue I've commissioned. Any guess as to who made this? (If I've told you, don't answer..LOL)

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Now, who makes their v-grooves with a cutter that makes that shape at the base??? Hmmmmmmm.
 
Matt_24 said:
Cues are more fun that watches.

I would like a nice Rolex Submariner someday though. Ok, back on topic.
Click to expand...

I hope you are not comparing "those watches" to Patek..........
In my book youre compaing apples to "raisins" literally...........:)
 
pooldogue said:
I hope you are not comparing "those watches" to Patek..........
In my book youre compaing apples to "raisins" literally...........:)
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Umm, no. I was just naming watched that this poor schlub could reasonably afford at some point.

I'm just too cheap - and I'm happy with my Bulova Diver Watch.
 
Matt_24 said:
To steal from another thread, I want to personally say that I think Balabushka was smart. When you have blanks from a titlist, Burton Spain, or Gus Szamboti to choose from - WHY bother making your own? I just don't have a problem with a cuemaker not making every component of their cue. It is all how the end product is put together in my eyes.

Does anyone know what kind of tools Balabushka used? I know he had a lathe, but did he use a pantograph for his inlay work, or was it done similar to Gene Balner with a drill press, chisels, and wood putty?

On another note - who are the top makers of "blanks" these days?

Oh, and to make this appropriate for CUE GALLERY, here is a blank currently in the early stages for a custom cue I've commissioned. Any guess as to who made this? (If I've told you, don't answer..LOL)

Thanks!
Click to expand...

George started making cues around 1960 - when Rambow was the
established 'Legend' of cuemakers, and he did what virtuall every
other cuemaker did in those days - he used Hoppes and Titlist for
blanks. When the quality sank like a stone, luckily Burton filled the bill
for a short time - then Gus sold him blanks for $18!!!.

Believe this, if I could buy Gus blanks for 7% of the selling price
of my cues, I'd throw all my jigs in the river tommorrow.

Denny Glen told me a great story at the Philly one pocket in 90 -91(?)
As a naive 18 year old, he stopped in George's shop wanting to trade in
his 'old' Bushka on a new one - George laughed, gave him a note
verifying the cue, and sent him on his way, telling him to just go
into the first poolroom he could find.

Some other info from Denny - George had a small lathe, a bandsaw,
and a drill press - that was it.
He also said George did make about 5 blanks using the band saw,
but they were pretty rough.

FWIW - I feel certain he could have made excellent blanks if he had
chosen to, but that would not have been a good biz decision
in his circumstances.

Dale Pierce
 
Bump.

Any guesses on who made this blank? It is bee-u-ti-ful. Heck, if I was a cuemaker I would just hire this guy to make my blanks if they were available.
 
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