Decorative inlay questions

[Tbeaux]

I've been working on designing a couple of cues in my head for awhile and now would like to put them to paper before I forget the ideas.

So the questions:

1) I heard once that the inlays on the butt and inside points need to be kept smaller than some width. What is that max width and is it different for butt and inside points?

2) Would like to know what you recommend for achieving a stone (like granite) effect in the inlays(stone chips-plastics?).

3) How do inlays of metals like silver hold up over time and would you recommend using or avoiding them?

4) If using two different materials to get an overall inlay effect using stone or plastic or even a metal like silver in combination with a small wood inlay is it ok to butt them together or leave a small gap? Sorry this maybe
confusing but think in terms of creating a T ,with the vertical bar made of wood and the horizontal bar made of one of the other materials mentioned.

Terry

 

[RSB-Refugee]

So the questions:

1) I heard once that the inlays on the butt and inside points need to be kept smaller than some width. What is that max width and is it different for butt and inside points?

Terry,
All flat bottom inlays are thicker at the center than they are at the sides. A wider inlay would have to be deeper, or the edges could be cut away when the piece is turned. The inlay can be as wide as you like, but it may have to be cut with a fourth axis. A fourth axis inlay is concave on the bottom rather than flat. You can expect to pay a lot more for a fourth axis inlay. Basically, if you can envision it, there is a cuemaker somewhere that could build it. It could get pretty expensive though.

Tracy

 

[Tbeaux]

Thank you for the information . I found some inlay patterns at Prather that give me a general idea of the width I should keep to. I think the overall design could be done with a combination of a couple of their patterns but I'm still not sure about the materials. Part of what I have in mind would look great with soft metals like silver/brass/bronze/gold or a grayish stone look. I have no idea what the cuemakers can work with for the stone look. May just stick with one of the soft metals.

Terry

 

[billfishhead]

i hand cut some windows for a cue once and it took a while

try talking to a jeweler and ask him about the process and what you will need

btw if you are going to use ebony or black mix black in with the epoxy when you glue things up,,,,,,,,,,that is one reason black and white cue were so popular,,,,,,,,,helps conceil glue line

btw, my cue turned out great with four windows and a billfish in each one