Thanks blud, loooking forward to seeing it.
Sorry to hear you guys are still getting slack for helping others out. It's an old, sensitive argument, and sorry to hear it has'nt been dropped yet.
Just for the record, I was doing simple repair way back with primitive tools, I must have aggravated Chris for 4-5 years after that with long emails, nickle and diming him to death with small stuff I needed, because I started out with basically nothing. He was one of the few people that would even give me the time of day, and he did'nt know I would end up Buying a lathe, and some of the other stuff I've purchased from him, because I was trying to build stuff for cheap, but he still took time out email me back no telling how many times, and give me pretty straight forward answers to My questions. Most of which I have found out to be true now.
Maybe some people start out with the funds to setup early, That's good, as it can be a tuff, slow road. but I know from PM's and emails I get, that many people are out there just like I have been, and struggling to set things up on a limited income. I try to pass what info I can on, help when i can without getting into someone else's propriatary info, and tell them like it is, even though not always what they want to hear I'm sure. I know it was'nt always what I wanted to hear, but was true, and knowing what I know now, I could have saved alot of money, and aggravation If I had done a few things different, and listened better to what I was told. So even though I was warned, I have always had to find out the hard way for Myself anyway. I do that in everything I do, I don't just take someone's word for even though sometimes I should, but I do like all the imput I can get before hand. There are are others that I know of like this, and I have a feeling one day they will be making some fine cues, because they love It enough to stick through the struggle, and try everything within their meens for theirself to get by with until they can get better.
You learn alot of usefull stuff taking the hard road, but It is nice that when you can get the funds, someone has done the hard work for You, and you can save some time & aggravation of working the bugs out of your own design. If I wanted to go through all that everytime, then I would be better off building cue making machines like you guys, but why do that when you have already gone through the trouble and put the investment forth to do it, and save me the aggravation. I still setup equipment on My own, and will continue to, because some of it is'nt even offered for sale, and some I just choose to do Myself.
There's people that had more funds,listen better the first time, and produced some nice looking cues alot quicker then me, and altough I do somewhat envy them, I don't regret they got there sooner, or learning the way I did, and how long It has taken, because the experience is worth It to me. I have to keep up with repair work also, to support the cuebuilding, and I'm happy with just building a few cues a year. I'm almost setup to make some nice cues, I like the way they play, I have them rolling nice and true, just need a good finish setup, and some equipment setup to broaden My designs. The shaft machine I would like for shafts. I want My own stock, for the repair side mostly, and some prime picks for the few I build. I don't have the time keeping a lathe tied up like that if I want to build any amount of stock up, and get any other work done.I could build a manual unit to do this, even have most of what I need to set a router type up, I may still do that to rough butts out on. I'll probably just use My pantograph for a while on inlay, until I can afford a decent cnc, but I do need something for shafts first.
Building a cue that's tight, with no air pockets takes enough time, and inlays, design, and finishing is a whole other story. You can build the whole cue make a tiny mistake and ruin the entire cue. Even If It can be touched up you still know it's there. I choose not to sell a cue like that, even if no one notices, but if I did, I would feel compelled to tell them, and have to knock the price down to reflect it.
I guess My point is pretty much in line with what you guys mentioned, the guys that truly love doing it, even if a hobbiest at first, are more likly to to stick It out, and the ones in It for the money will eventually be weeded out. Maybe I'll be able to get some deals on equipment then
J/K
First most, I have the up most respect for makers that feel the way they do about this, I understand what it's like to pay your dues, teach someone hands on, just to have them turn around, and start doing the trade you taught them once they thought they could go out on their own, but at the same time, That is hands on, not advice or equipment for someone that's still got to learn for theirself. They had alot more time, and money invested in that person for the future, and saw no return on It. That's one reason I could understand a contract for a hands on apprentice for x amount of years before they could work on their own. It's their right to keep what they've learned to theirself, but sad to give a guy a hard time that chooses to.
It seems the guys that have passed knowledge on, and helped others will be respected for it by the people they have helped, even if they don't always see eye to eye, so I would'nt sweat the slack your getting guys, I for one will always remember the fine makers that have passed info on to me, and try to continue passing the torch when I can with common knowledge stuff, and what I learned the hard way, but I do try to stay away from stuff that someone has told me in confidense, or is exlusive to someone else at the same time. I'll leave that stuff for them to share if they so choose to. I've even had some guys just breaking into It, that had a few ideas I was impressed by, so i don't count anyone out.
Anyway Thanks for the info on the new design blud, looking forward to seeing the stuff you guys got going on now.
Greg
