Cue Building Cost to Start?
- Thread starter Shooter08
- Start date
PracticeChampion
Well-known member
I've been at it 5-7 years or so as a second job kinda thing. Not much I can't do with what I have and when you look at it it's not much but got 20-30k easily in there, probably more. Tools, lathes etc are expensive but seems like the little stuff is what really wraps up quick. I do a lot of repairs so keep a wide variety of things on hand which gets expensive quick. Think I'm going to start getting away from repairs though except tips, takes up too much time
Hard Knock Cues
Well-known member
I'm a carpenter so had a bunch of shop equipment, then I spent several K buying the remaining supplies, wood, and equipment from a cue builder that passed. Added a bunch of stuff including more wood and probably into it more than 20 K now. I haven't invested in cnc yet . It's the time I don't have, still need to work construction to pay the bills. also it'll take years to build a reputation that makes it profitable, never mind getting my money back on what I already spent.
I think looking to be profitable in one year is not realistic IMHO. It takes time and experimentation to figure things out.
I think looking to be profitable in one year is not realistic IMHO. It takes time and experimentation to figure things out.
Thinking you can turn a profit after a year is a huge mistake. If you have a huge stash of seasoned wood, you're allready a skilled machinists and you have at least 600 square feet of space and 30K deep pockets, you might get up to speed faster, but it's going to take a long time to pay back your initial investment.
I'm going to be a little bit rude:
Are you already the kind of guy who already makes things? Just can't help not making things?
It takes a certain amount of that. In every trade, there are people who dream of being a high end maker. Especially in the eyes of other people. But they don't really dream of doing the work. day in, day out, good days and bad.
Directly to your question of profitability - I should have realized at a much younger age that nearly anything can be sold. That aside: do you have in mind cues that are either a.) more attractive than anything out there or b.) a concept that means you have a good chance of making cues that are better performance than what is out there? If not, you have to work a fairly hard slog and build a rep. Based on enough people thinking your production is better looking (at the high end: "compellingly unique") or better performing than similar options in the price range they want to afford.
I'm not in Hard Knock's class for production, but like him i am/was a carpenter/millwork/furniture maker so had all the equipment and just started making cues out of the scrap and off-cuts from my regular work. The additional cost was very low. Until you start buying wood specifically because "that might look good in a cue"
In the realm of cues, though, i just don't have much artistic talent or vision. I like simple FS cues & occasionally sell one. Which means they would pay for the effort, but not as well as other work i can do instead. So i keep it a hobby.
PS: I made my first couple shafts in the early 80's because people gave me broken sticks, or sticks they thought i could use. I had a full shop at that time except did not do turning work. So i used my buddy's Sears lathe. Some of the old makers had little more than that.
George Balabushka became a legend though he never actually "made" a complete stick. He had very little equipment, though IIUC he did have a small metal lathe. Maybe a pantograph? He understood weight and balance for those times and type of billiards games (14.1). He cut & modified Brunswick sticks to make 2 pc cues and gussied them up a bit with inlays, butt sleeves, & linen wrap. When the BBC supply dried up, he bought blanks from other makers and assembled the parts. He had both an understanding of the type stick needed for the games and times (performance) and added a subtle esthetic design improvement (appearance) that still resonates with many people. AND he did that with almost no investment + zero cnc.
At that level, it's more a matter of will, and the innate fascination to slog through the years of developing technical acumen.
People who "buy" a trade, any trade, often don't really progress enough to make their money back unless maybe they buy the maker that goes with it & act primarily as banker and marketer.
Last edited:
That is a good question and if only doing it for business reasons I agree with you. Repairs normally are the best place to start a cue building business. But believe it or not I would guess over half the people who get a cue building lathe first instead of just a repair lathe is because they want to build some cues even if they never make much money doing so. It is kind of like a hobby that most hope might make them a little extra money some day.
Whatever a loaded deluxe cuesmith cost me from Chris 20+ years ago was roughly what it cost me to start building cues. I've certainly blown way more than that now on machinery, supplies and wood but that initial investment was good enough to get me going building cues.
Hard Knock Cues
Well-known member
I'm still barely producing any cues since my first one 10 years ago, by hand with and old sears lathe. I just love doing it when I can and a major tool junkie. I hope to semi retire making more cues in about 3 years when I'm done paying for my daughter's college.I'm not in Hard Knock's class for production, but like him i am/was a carpenter/millwork/furniture maker so had all the equipment and just started making cues out of the scrap and off-cuts from my regular work. The additional cost was very low. Until you start buying wood specifically because "that might look good in a cue"
I'll keep trying but not sure if I'll ever be able to only make cues and make a living from it.
But heck I sure do love it
A friend of mine bought a used repair lathe” just to do tips”. I told him $10,000 just flew out his wallet and he didn’t even know it. About eight months later I ask if he hit the 10K yet. Him and his girlfriend added it up a few days before I asked. He said he was just under $20K at the time.
It’s an addiction and huge money and time suck. It is worth it to play with a cue you made yourself.
It’s an addiction and huge money and time suck. It is worth it to play with a cue you made yourself.
DeeDeeCues
Well-known member
I made my first cues with about $400 investment, but I had access to a full cabinet shop.
My second setup was about $3k, but I had years of machine design and access to cad software at the time. I could make half splice cues on that, no inlays.
My current CNC lathe cost about $3k in parts and materials. I did the machining myself with a mill I bought for $4500. Designed it in Solidworks ($4000).
Realistically, I believe that a person can make a very plain cue with about $2000 outlay if they have some ability and imagination. I also believe that this is a good way to start as it really teaches a lot of extremely valuable lessons.
My second setup was about $3k, but I had years of machine design and access to cad software at the time. I could make half splice cues on that, no inlays.
My current CNC lathe cost about $3k in parts and materials. I did the machining myself with a mill I bought for $4500. Designed it in Solidworks ($4000).
Realistically, I believe that a person can make a very plain cue with about $2000 outlay if they have some ability and imagination. I also believe that this is a good way to start as it really teaches a lot of extremely valuable lessons.
Most lose money for years.
75% quit within 2 years
Babysitting
Probably more per hr than making cues, not only that, but zero overhead.
yup. and free food from the govt
Whenever it comes up on Practical Machinist about someone wanting to know how to get into the machine shop business or whether to buy a machine shop that is for sale, the advice is always "Buy a Hotdog cart and stake out a good corner" You'll make more money, be cash positive within a year, winter in Florida, and even at the worst you won't starve.
icbm
Registered
Being honest I certainly have accepted that I needed to temper my expectations a good bit. I'm trying not to be in that 75%
I would start by really analyzing your motives for getting into the trade/hobby/past time... If the main goal is to simply make more money than you invest or is it to try and make a living wage. Lots of makers pay for their hobby by doing this but it takes a brave sole to try and make a living. I myself never aspired to make a living, I just wanted to try and offset some of the cost of my interests. I have a bit of a hording problem when it comes to machine tools, so building cues helps justify some of that expense. I also had a keen interest in cues since starting to play the game in my late teens. As a part time cue builder/ repairman I am not a slave to it either. I like spending my summers doing other interests. Having said all that if I were to try and make a go of it I would first asses my local market. How many other cue makers are in your market. It will become difficult to compete when you have guys giving away their work because it is just a hobby. If you decide you have enough players to support your business I would try and develop a reputation as a problem solver and a person whom people can depend on. At the end of the day, I think that goes the furthest. Trendy cue makers lose their appeal when they can't be relied on. Start by only getting the equipment you need and upgrade as demand increases. Tips, ferrules, shaft maintenance, wraps, repairs, modifications. IMO these things are the bread and butter of a cue business, cue making is the gravy. The price of repairs is a fixed variable. X amount of time for X amount of profit. Selling cues is regulated by whatever the market will bear, so it doesn't matter how much time you spent building said cue it is only worth what your particular market will bear. So you are competing against all the manufactures as well as all the other custom makers. Material is the other big factor, you don't have an endless supply of exotic hard woods either. With the world in this conservation mode, it is getting increasingly harder to obtain the wood we use. To summarize I would try and become a really good repairman and then slowly progress to building. I would start by building house cue conversions, give them away to friends as testers and see how they hold up. Tweak the balance weight and so forth until you get them to play how you think they should. you can learn a lot building them. That is my two cents.
Easy question!
Anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $40-50 thousand should get you up and running.
I built my first cue with a half inch drill motor strapped to a 2x6. It wasn't much of a cue, but it worked. Couldn't really call myself a cue maker, but I made a cue with what I had.
The money invested will depend on what you want to produce, and what you're able to learn.
It's tough to make a substantial amount of money from building cues until you gain a good reputation. This will take a while, and require some skill and innovation.
I think a lot of cuemakers started out doing repairs. Some of them go back to that if they don't catch on as builders.
Anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $40-50 thousand should get you up and running.
I built my first cue with a half inch drill motor strapped to a 2x6. It wasn't much of a cue, but it worked. Couldn't really call myself a cue maker, but I made a cue with what I had.
The money invested will depend on what you want to produce, and what you're able to learn.
It's tough to make a substantial amount of money from building cues until you gain a good reputation. This will take a while, and require some skill and innovation.
I think a lot of cuemakers started out doing repairs. Some of them go back to that if they don't catch on as builders.