Danny Tibbitts began playing pool as a boy in the Atlanta area, at Warren Memorial Boy´s Club. He was also interested in woodworking, and began to do handcarving by age 14. At 17, Danny got a job doing carpentry. He showed a talent for custom cabinetry and eventually specialized in doing high-end, one-of-a-kind custom-made staircases. He continued to play pool, and decided he would prefer to use his skills making cues, instead of doing custom woodwork in homes.
In 1985, Danny made his first cue. Over the next three or four years, Danny made very few cues. These early cues are identifiable by the initials "D.T." in block letters on the cues. Soon, he switched to a stylized "D.T." logo in italic letters, which appeared on almost every cue until 2000. That year Danny started to sign his cues in metallic ink. These signatures are either his full name, or his last name and the year of completion. As Danny is a strong player, playability has always been a very important factor in his cues. Danny has made two "Grecian" cues with gold wire inlaid into ivory columns. All gold work was done freehand.
The most unique features of Tibbitts cues are the points, which are among the longest any cuemakers make. They feature a shorter handle area, so the points start about one inch further back than on most cues, and they go to within two inches of the joint collar. Danny puts the joint screw in the blank before the points are started, so that the points begin on center. This ensures even points, and Danny also makes them razor-sharp. Danny sometimes uses CNC equipment but he also does inlays on a manual pantograph, and achieves the kind of close tolerances that normally require CNC work. This is also true of the rings, collars, and joints, which Danny spends the extra time to perfectly align. Danny makes every component of his cues, except for the tips and the bumpers. He is currently developing his own laminated tip.
Danny Tibbitts Cues is a one-man, 800-square-foot shop behind Danny´s house, and all work is done by him. He makes cues full time and currently only makes one-of-a-kind fancy cues. A few construction techniques have changed over the years to improve the playability and strength of Danny Tibbitts cues. All shafts are cut 14 times over the course of three years to prevent warpage, and feature Danny´s unique taper, which he personally developed. All ivory has been seasoned and aged at least 14 years. For the forearms he prefers straight-grained maple for its playability and durability over highly figured maple. Danny spends many hours perfecting each cue, completing them with a hand-rubbed finish. In 20 years, he has made less than 100 cues.
