Budding Cuemaker

N

n33njah

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So after three years of dedicated playing, and swapping cues and selling and buying pool items more often than a woman buy's shoes i've decided to give it a go at making my own cues. I do understand the process, i've watched and worked on shafts before.


I don't expect my first cue or even my first 50 cues to be the most amazing cues ever made. So with that in mind is there anyone who can give me some advice on Keep It Simple, Stupid. In terms of cue making and workmanship?

I understand this is a broad subject, and don't feel out of line if ya tell me i'm a moron. Who knows this could be a lost cause, but the simple fact that I have the equipment and everything I need to give this a go, I'm gonna try and see where it takes me.

So thanks in advance for anything you can give me. And i'll be sure to post pics of my first completed and usable cue. :grin-square:
 
n33njah said:
So after three years of dedicated playing, and swapping cues and selling and buying pool items more often than a woman buy's shoes i've decided to give it a go at making my own cues. I do understand the process, i've watched and worked on shafts before.


I don't expect my first cue or even my first 50 cues to be the most amazing cues ever made. So with that in mind is there anyone who can give me some advice on Keep It Simple, Stupid. In terms of cue making and workmanship?

I understand this is a broad subject, and don't feel out of line if ya tell me i'm a moron. Who knows this could be a lost cause, but the simple fact that I have the equipment and everything I need to give this a go, I'm gonna try and see where it takes me.

So thanks in advance for anything you can give me. And i'll be sure to post pics of my first completed and usable cue. :grin-square:
Click to expand...

Just a thought, but I bet some cue makers here dont even go to the main
forum. I recommend posting this up in the cue makers section. Good luck
with your new endeavor! Please share some pics when you get one done!
 
n33njah said:
So after three years of dedicated playing, and swapping cues and selling and buying pool items more often than a woman buy's shoes i've decided to give it a go at making my own cues. I do understand the process, i've watched and worked on shafts before.


I don't expect my first cue or even my first 50 cues to be the most amazing cues ever made. So with that in mind is there anyone who can give me some advice on Keep It Simple, Stupid. In terms of cue making and workmanship?

I understand this is a broad subject, and don't feel out of line if ya tell me i'm a moron. Who knows this could be a lost cause, but the simple fact that I have the equipment and everything I need to give this a go, I'm gonna try and see where it takes me.

So thanks in advance for anything you can give me. And i'll be sure to post pics of my first completed and usable cue. :grin-square:
Click to expand...

What equipment do you have?

Kelly
 
Cue building

If you want some good advice and the equipment you need contact Chris Hightower. He sells everything you will need and he can steer you in the right direction if you want to build cues. I bought a repair lathe from him years ago and it's paid for itself many times over.

Here's a link to Chris's site which has his contact info.:

http://www.cuesmith.com/index.php?page=about_us

James
 
Okay, just a few thoughts ....

Measure twice, cut once.

Think thru the entire process before you make cut #1. Sequence of steps is incredibly important ... if you do this before you do that, the other will fall into place. Or, heaven forbid; the other will be impossible.

Go slowly. Think thru each step. Draw a lot of diagrams and sketches.

Just my $0.02
 
My fault

I should have included that this isnt my first time working on an idea like this. I have the equipment already set up, I've got 3 different lathes in a shop. I've grown up around carpentry and working with wood. Everyone from my great grandfather down was a carpenter for a living,and I chose electrician much to their dismay. I can't remember brands or length on the three lathes, but I know for fact that one will work for what I have in mind because i've already used it to turn down a couple of shafts for friends.


I suppose i'm not looking so much for the ' work ' side as I am advice on simple designs and what most of you feel is a ' good cue ' when you buy a custom. I will keep all thoughts in mind, my first cue is basically going to be one hundred percent trial and error using some spare wood that i already have laying around. We have plenty of maple available so i'm basically going to take the ground work and build upwards.

I also would have posted there, but I didnt see the section when I logged in, possibly over looked it. Thanks for the information and who knows guys If i do good work you might get a sneaky pete for free. lol I dont plan on selling these first few, in fact i may end up charging cost of materials [ ferrule tip] etc etc to get them into player's hands to see how they play. Once again thanks for everything guys and I apologize for being out of proper place.

Wish me luck as I will be starting the process officially on wednesday.
 
Good Luck...

I've just browsed a few threads about cue making, and watched some videos of cue makers.....

Only thing that comes to my mind that was a somewhat recurring theme in some of the stories was about 'glue relief' and finding a way to 'vent' the excess glue and/or air bubbles. Many told of having to learn how to accomplish that. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing... and I have LESS than a little. :eek:

I'd be happy to test out any of your creations! I've been wanting to add a sneaky to play with.


td
 
Building Cues

Hello n33njah,

Building cues is and will always be a personal journey. You will get lots of advice here on the forums from lots of different people. Everyone has their own reasons for getting started. My reasons were simple, I loved pool and enjoyed quality cues. I wanted to create this quality before I even understood it. Fourteen years later I would like to think I have a deeper understanding of how to produce such quality but I am still learning. I would like to share my perspective on craft.

In order to build a cue to a high standard you need refinements in all aspects of your build. I would recommend keeping a journal of your approaches to building cues. Document every aspect regardless of how small it is. You are making a recipe in a sense and that's how you get consistent with your builds. It is also helpful in "de-bugging" if your encountering problems.

There are lots of obstacles in your path if you decide to pursue perfection in cue making: money, equipment, experience, and motivation. Anyone of these can turn it from fun to work to something worse. As a business I can tell you it is VERY difficult to become successful. I have been at it full time for a very long time and don't have much to show for my 14 plus years of involvement. I like building cues. I really like people using my work and getting satisfaction from it but unfortunately I have a lot of business debt. I am not saying these things to dissuade you but to give you one perspective. I love what I do but it's not a business that is doing well for me.

Getting back to the heart of your question "designs." While in the early stages of the learning process I would focus on sneaky petes and basic cues (3 section butts). I would avoid using expensive woods until you feel your getting a handle on your process. Inevitably your going to "kill" some pieces that your working on and it would be far better to kill some plain maple versus your sweetest piece of birdseye or snakewood for example.

I would pay a lot of attention to your "specifications" and a keep an accurate record of them in your journal. Shaft tapers should be carefully documented. At one time I carefully measured all my favorite tapers in one inch increments. If you are going to use taper bars on your lathe to reproduce tapers I suggest have "setup" blanks of you shaft and butt. This way you can dial indicate off them to make sure you have your machine set up properly.

Consistency is big when it comes to cue making. You want to develop processes for every aspect of your build from making ferrules to spraying your finish. It is the sum total every process regardless of how minute it is that will make your cue into what it is. This is what I didn't understand the first time I held a Gus Szambotti or South West cue. It was the attention to detail that made them great. Someone who really cared about all the little things worked on it.

It will take time but if you work hard enough on it you'll make great cues. You have the advantage of the internet and all the sources it contains. A lot of cue makers will freely share info nowadays. I wish you well in your pursuit and my biggest tip "don't quit your day job," and focus on the steps you take in every process.

If I can be of further help please let me know.

Good luck!

Bryan Mordt
BCM Cues
 
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n33njah said:
So after three years of dedicated playing, and swapping cues and selling and buying pool items more often than a woman buy's shoes i've decided to give it a go at making my own cues. I do understand the process, i've watched and worked on shafts before.


I don't expect my first cue or even my first 50 cues to be the most amazing cues ever made. So with that in mind is there anyone who can give me some advice on Keep It Simple, Stupid. In terms of cue making and workmanship?

I understand this is a broad subject, and don't feel out of line if ya tell me i'm a moron. Who knows this could be a lost cause, but the simple fact that I have the equipment and everything I need to give this a go, I'm gonna try and see where it takes me.

So thanks in advance for anything you can give me. And i'll be sure to post pics of my first completed and usable cue. :grin-square:
Click to expand...

I have a fairly large cue building shop with about everything I could possibly need to build cues efficiently. My oldest boy is a finish trim/cabinet maker. I have bought a few machines to help him out but that I have absolutely no call for in cue making. About the only thing I use in common is a band saw, of which I have 3 and a wood lathe I use for sanding and polishing and a good table saw for cutting up boards into usable lengths and widths but a 75.00 table saw would work just as well. Nothing else. When building cues you need the precision of metal lathes, not wood lathes. As a hobby you can get into building cues for 5 to 10,000.00. If you want to make a living at it think more along 50 to 75,000.00. I have 11 lathes, a milling machine, 2 additional CNC mills, 2 shaft tapering machines and myriads of other equipment to speed up productivity times so as to be competitive with others. You don't need that much equipment but by having a machine set up for a certain procedure saves time and time is money. When I started doing cue repair there were very few in the country doing it. When I got into cue making there was only around a 100 or so cue makers but I had a built in clientel from my repair business which I had been doing for 25 years prior. Now there is probably a 1000 or more cue makers. Most are just hobbiest but it is still compettion for some one starting out. It can definitely be an enjoyable past time but it is low on the money making scale.

Dick
 
Thanks

I appreciate the advice from everyone, and I really would like to thank you particularly bryan for giving me the insight on what you have experienced and been through. I don't plan on making this a ' day' job. This is more of a hobby and just something that I really want to give it a go at. You never whether you're great or a failure at anything until you try..right??


Like I said i have zero expectations for my first few cues, and I truthfully expect this entire process to be hit or miss for quite some time, but thankfully i have the stubborn personality of a donkey to not give up until i realize that i'm terrible or I fail about 6000+ times. lol. I'm blessed in my current situation, and i'm blessed to have my experience and the chance to do something that I -hope- I will love. As i said this is going to be more of a hobby/ enjoyable thing that I can do and my hope is that if i never make a dime,that I make something I can be proud of, and will hit like a frieght train.


Anyway enough rambling, I'll try to post some pics of the equipment, the shop, the first cue, and whatever else I can think of. Otherwise Wish me luck. :)
 
I'm not too far ahead of you at this point, but I can offer these bits of advise to you:

1) You will not make money making cues. Some get lucky; most go bankrupt.

2) Do it because YOU love it, not to impress or receive love from others. You won't get it.

3) Take your time. If you rush, you screw up. (and sometimes you screw up anyway)

It sounds like you have the right approach. What I am doing is making cues for me. If someone wants it badly enough to make me an offer I am comfortable with, and I feel this person wants the cue for themselves to actually play with, than I would at that point consider selling it.

Otherwise, I make cues for me to use and enjoy. I enjoy the challenge of making them, and sometimes I'm even proud of the work I do!

Plan for the worst, and hope for the best. That pretty much sums it up!:wink:
 
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