Howdy folks, new topic!
Mechanical machinery is what most of us [the older] cuemakers started out on. We would go purchase a Gorton [or simuliar machine] panamill machine [panagraph] and have templates made and then sit for hours on end, getting a neck, back, and butt acke. It would take several hours to mill out the female pockets in a cue. A four point cue [4, at the forarm and 4 at the butt], would take about 6 to 10 hours, depending on how fancy it was. [Design and order more patterns from someone at a machine shop] making them with a big, CNC milling machine, Each cue has differant designs and requires differant patterns.].Then you would start the same thing over again the next day. Then you take a new cue order and have "new" patterns made for that cue. Pain in the rear. Never the less we all paid our dues.
It's my believe, that if you mill a female pocket today, you need to fill that pocket today. Meaning don't start the milling in the afternoon and then take the familly out for dinner, crash, and finish up tomorow.. Won't work. Pockets shrink and parts do the same or swell on you. Nothing fitts, doing them on differant days.
CNC, Today you purchase a new CNC milling machine for parts and pockets. You learn how to write programs with your CAD program, and then you mount the cue in a fixture on the machine [ about the same type fixture as used with a panamill ] and pull up your new CAD program and then hit the enter button. Well it's a lot more to it than that. Learning how to mill the wood, ivory, exotic woods and other materials, at the proper feed rate and spindle speed, and on and on and on.
Yes, there's a hell of a lot more to it than that. Not many folks, but some bitch about how much cues cost. If they only knew how much each of us spent, not only on machinery, but in time, [the learning curve] and I mean many, sleepless nights, getting it just right, so the cue will play well and look real good to make a sale. Man, oh man. What work....
The average shop cost about with mechanical machinery cost around $16,000.00.to $20,000.00, complete. Everything you need........ The average CNC shop with everything you need, will cost you about $35,000.00, and up..... So with CNC included, your only talking of about 15K more, to be efficient and first class. I have several 100's of thousands of dollars invested in my shop. My equipment " IS " top shelf..........
Teaching cuemaking, cue repair, building and selling top shelf equipment, I'am constantly re-vamping and adding new stuff[goodies] all year long. Got to have the latest goodies, at all times. [ I make money, but never get to keep any]. MO-TOOLS.........and MO-TOOLS...
{ My good friend Don Purdy from DC. was here this spring, [The purdman] was amazed at how many tools I have for cuemaking}.
CNC, milling [ for parts or pockets] is the same as a mechanical panagraph machine, except it never takes a vacation, or a day off, or any of the problems as employers, face with hired help. The end results are the same, we still have to [prep] the milled pockets and do the same to the parts. Then we glue them in as required. The only differance is, the CNC, did the work while the cuemaker was doing some other task.. The CNC, works it's ass off and never breaks a sweat, never bitches, or wants a raise, or needs to eat, or take a leak, or go get the kidds from school. It's like the pink rabbit, it keeps going, and going, and going.
The CNC mill will allow a cue maker to expand his cue making skills beyound what one can imagine. The things one can accomplish with CNC powered equipment, not only are endless, but mind blowing as well.
So the next time someone says to you, "CNC" is easy, tell them, there is more to it, than meets the eye. The Panamiill and CNC are doing the same type of work, with the CNC, allowing you to do other things in cue building, while it's running "OUT" and not bitchin about the, A/C or it's raining or whatever. There are several cuemakers who still use the panamill today. They use them and some take the time to "hand carve" the points to a very fine point. But 95% of it was milled out with a panamill or CNC milling machine. I know of several cuemakers, who will not let anyone know that they have CNC equipment in there shop. [Hell if I was scared, I would of stayed home]. Nothing wrong with using either machine. You can do more in designs with CNC than you can with a manual panamill. [ cost of patterns are to great].
I still build true "VEE" pointed cues, the old way, without the CNC.. It's a lot of fun. Not a panamill or CNC flat bottom pockets, a real 90 degree "VEE" point. These are made with a "total" 90degree cutter.
I will write an article on what it takes to build quality cues, woods, materials and so on, shortly.
rock&roll
Da-Blud
send private e-mails to, bludworth@direcway.com
Mechanical machinery is what most of us [the older] cuemakers started out on. We would go purchase a Gorton [or simuliar machine] panamill machine [panagraph] and have templates made and then sit for hours on end, getting a neck, back, and butt acke. It would take several hours to mill out the female pockets in a cue. A four point cue [4, at the forarm and 4 at the butt], would take about 6 to 10 hours, depending on how fancy it was. [Design and order more patterns from someone at a machine shop] making them with a big, CNC milling machine, Each cue has differant designs and requires differant patterns.].Then you would start the same thing over again the next day. Then you take a new cue order and have "new" patterns made for that cue. Pain in the rear. Never the less we all paid our dues.
It's my believe, that if you mill a female pocket today, you need to fill that pocket today. Meaning don't start the milling in the afternoon and then take the familly out for dinner, crash, and finish up tomorow.. Won't work. Pockets shrink and parts do the same or swell on you. Nothing fitts, doing them on differant days.
CNC, Today you purchase a new CNC milling machine for parts and pockets. You learn how to write programs with your CAD program, and then you mount the cue in a fixture on the machine [ about the same type fixture as used with a panamill ] and pull up your new CAD program and then hit the enter button. Well it's a lot more to it than that. Learning how to mill the wood, ivory, exotic woods and other materials, at the proper feed rate and spindle speed, and on and on and on.
Yes, there's a hell of a lot more to it than that. Not many folks, but some bitch about how much cues cost. If they only knew how much each of us spent, not only on machinery, but in time, [the learning curve] and I mean many, sleepless nights, getting it just right, so the cue will play well and look real good to make a sale. Man, oh man. What work....
The average shop cost about with mechanical machinery cost around $16,000.00.to $20,000.00, complete. Everything you need........ The average CNC shop with everything you need, will cost you about $35,000.00, and up..... So with CNC included, your only talking of about 15K more, to be efficient and first class. I have several 100's of thousands of dollars invested in my shop. My equipment " IS " top shelf..........
Teaching cuemaking, cue repair, building and selling top shelf equipment, I'am constantly re-vamping and adding new stuff[goodies] all year long. Got to have the latest goodies, at all times. [ I make money, but never get to keep any]. MO-TOOLS.........and MO-TOOLS...
{ My good friend Don Purdy from DC. was here this spring, [The purdman] was amazed at how many tools I have for cuemaking}.
CNC, milling [ for parts or pockets] is the same as a mechanical panagraph machine, except it never takes a vacation, or a day off, or any of the problems as employers, face with hired help. The end results are the same, we still have to [prep] the milled pockets and do the same to the parts. Then we glue them in as required. The only differance is, the CNC, did the work while the cuemaker was doing some other task.. The CNC, works it's ass off and never breaks a sweat, never bitches, or wants a raise, or needs to eat, or take a leak, or go get the kidds from school. It's like the pink rabbit, it keeps going, and going, and going.
The CNC mill will allow a cue maker to expand his cue making skills beyound what one can imagine. The things one can accomplish with CNC powered equipment, not only are endless, but mind blowing as well.
So the next time someone says to you, "CNC" is easy, tell them, there is more to it, than meets the eye. The Panamiill and CNC are doing the same type of work, with the CNC, allowing you to do other things in cue building, while it's running "OUT" and not bitchin about the, A/C or it's raining or whatever. There are several cuemakers who still use the panamill today. They use them and some take the time to "hand carve" the points to a very fine point. But 95% of it was milled out with a panamill or CNC milling machine. I know of several cuemakers, who will not let anyone know that they have CNC equipment in there shop. [Hell if I was scared, I would of stayed home]. Nothing wrong with using either machine. You can do more in designs with CNC than you can with a manual panamill. [ cost of patterns are to great].
I still build true "VEE" pointed cues, the old way, without the CNC.. It's a lot of fun. Not a panamill or CNC flat bottom pockets, a real 90 degree "VEE" point. These are made with a "total" 90degree cutter.
I will write an article on what it takes to build quality cues, woods, materials and so on, shortly.
rock&roll
Da-Blud
send private e-mails to, bludworth@direcway.com
