Cuemaker and the Blank

DJKeys

DJKeys

Sound Design
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I recently acquired a 4 point purpleheart into purpleheart cue. Jerry Rauenzahn did the conversion of the John Davis blank. The cue is very forward balanced, especially with the new shaft Jerry made me for it (4.3 ounces). The cue has a 5/16x14 SS half-joint and is just hits great, extremely accurate, very solid.

My question is, when a conversion is done, is there a certain synergy that can take place between the raw material of the cue and its final construction? Can the whole be greater than the sum of its parts?

How much is the cuemaker and how much is the blank?

TIA for any input or feedback on this.
 
Most definitely the end product can be greater than the sum of it's parts. In this situation, it began with Mr. Davis using good wood, good technique & good adhesives to form the blank. Then it goes to JR to do the majority of the work. The shaft, joint, etc. all contributes. I'm pretty sure you could have gotten just as solid & playable cue if the blank was solid purpleheart with no splices. But instead you have a decorated & asthetically pleasing purpleheart butt with added lines for contrasting design, and still it retained it's natural integrity. So it goes both ways, with Davis and JR both doing a fine job to create the cue you have.

Davis can build a great blank & a builder can convert it into a junker of a cue. A builder can take a junker blank & turn it into a fantastic cue. But when you have a great blank plus a great conversion job, it makes for a cue that is a step above.
 
I have a John Davis blank that was finished by Blackcreek. It's a tremendous cue. I agree with everything Eric said. A good cue maker can take a great blank and build something very special. A poor cue maker can take a great blank and build a POS.

Jim
 
qbilder said:
Davis can build a great blank & a builder can convert it into a junker of a cue. A builder can take a junker blank & turn it into a fantastic cue. But when you have a great blank plus a great conversion job, it makes for a cue that is a step above.
Click to expand...

Well said, and I certainly believe this is true. For my first custom, I purchased a full splice blank from cuecomponents.com, and took it to my cuemaker of choice. He was more than happy to take on the project, and I expect to get a well made cue built to my specs, made from a blank that I know to be aesthetically pleasing....

-AJ
 
qbilder said:
Most definitely the end product can be greater than the sum of it's parts. In this situation, it began with Mr. Davis using good wood, good technique & good adhesives to form the blank. Then it goes to JR to do the majority of the work. The shaft, joint, etc. all contributes. I'm pretty sure you could have gotten just as solid & playable cue if the blank was solid purpleheart with no splices. But instead you have a decorated & asthetically pleasing purpleheart butt with added lines for contrasting design, and still it retained it's natural integrity. So it goes both ways, with Davis and JR both doing a fine job to create the cue you have.

Davis can build a great blank & a builder can convert it into a junker of a cue. A builder can take a junker blank & turn it into a fantastic cue. But when you have a great blank plus a great conversion job, it makes for a cue that is a step above.
Click to expand...

I assume the Davis blanks need to be tapered as well?
 
Great Feedback.

qbilder said:
Most definitely the end product can be greater than the sum of it's parts. In this situation, it began with Mr. Davis using good wood, good technique & good adhesives to form the blank. Then it goes to JR to do the majority of the work. The shaft, joint, etc. all contributes. I'm pretty sure you could have gotten just as solid & playable cue if the blank was solid purpleheart with no splices. But instead you have a decorated & asthetically pleasing purpleheart butt with added lines for contrasting design, and still it retained it's natural integrity. So it goes both ways, with Davis and JR both doing a fine job to create the cue you have.

Davis can build a great blank & a builder can convert it into a junker of a cue. A builder can take a junker blank & turn it into a fantastic cue. But when you have a great blank plus a great conversion job, it makes for a cue that is a step above.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Eric. This is exactly the type of information I needed.
 
JoeyInCali said:
And you will probably have to find the right centers too.
Click to expand...

Yes, you gotta find the center to make the points dead even. I put a partial core into the front of the blank & then use it to find the center rather than cutting on the blank itsself.

Jazz, the blank comes way oversize so yes, it needs tapered down to size. It takes on the shape of the builder's standard or whatever he cuts it to. It's no different than any peice of wood, it's raw & oversized so care must be taken to safely bring it down to size without warpage or stress.
 
qbilder said:
Yes, you gotta find the center to make the points dead even. I put a partial core into the front of the blank & then use it to find the center rather than cutting on the blank itsself.

Jazz, the blank comes way oversize so yes, it needs tapered down to size. It takes on the shape of the builder's standard or whatever he cuts it to. It's no different than any peice of wood, it's raw & oversized so care must be taken to safely bring it down to size without warpage or stress.
Click to expand...
Eric, when you use a partial core, how far are you going into the forearm?
 
good blanks

ajohnson13 said:
Well said, and I certainly believe this is true. For my first custom, I purchased a full splice blank from cuecomponents.com, and took it to my cuemaker of choice. He was more than happy to take on the project, and I expect to get a well made cue built to my specs, made from a blank that I know to be aesthetically pleasing....

-AJ
Click to expand...
AJ, Joe's blanks are very high quality and you will be pleased. Here is a photo that has a cue made from one of his ebony/birdseye blanks as well as a Davis Ebony/Ebony cue. All white on both cues is Ivory.

S5030664.jpg
 
hangemhigh said:
Eric, when you use a partial core, how far are you going into the forearm?
Click to expand...

Usually not very deep. Most blanks are longer than needed, so I can go in only to the 29" point & once the blank is to size the partial core is cut totally out before doing joint work.
 
hangemhigh said:
AJ, Joe's blanks are very high quality and you will be pleased. Here is a photo that has a cue made from one of his ebony/birdseye blanks as well as a Davis Ebony/Ebony cue. All white on both cues is Ivory.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your input, those are some nice cues. Here is the stock photo of the blank that I purchased. The tulipwood is very nice in the raw blank, I can't wait to see the finished product.

cuecomponents_1991_652040.jpg
 
Jazz, the blank comes way oversize so yes, it needs tapered down to size. It takes on the shape of the builder's standard or whatever he cuts it to. It's no different than any peice of wood, it's raw & oversized so care must be taken to safely bring it down to size without warpage or stress.
Which in itself is a tough job.
Follow the wood or the points?
Some of them make you cry. Some of them make you wanna go to the source and scold 'em.
Some of 'em make you smile and say to yourself there's a reason why you do this. Usually that happens when play with it before finishing. And you say to yourself, I'll put this against a fancy $2000 cue any day.:)
 
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