Do you love making cues?

J

John Barton

New member
Ok,

So recently I started a little bit of a firestorm with the question of whether it's a sellout to teach people in foreign lands how to build cues.

On the flight over I thought about why some people are so passionately against teaching the Chinese (or any other "country") how to build cues.

I think it's because cue makers in the USA love to do what they do. You love making cues the way I love making cases, for the pure challenge of it.

The Chinese cue makers don't love cues. The owners of the factories don't even play pool and couldn't tell you WHY a cue hits good or not.

Technically they can make any type of cue and sometimes they even make really great hitting ones. But they don't specialize. They don't hone their style to the type of cue that feels best to them.

The factories that make cases don't care about your cues. The owners don't play pool or love the game like we do.

The biggest cue case manufacturer in the world started out making swimming items, rubber rings and such and still does.

I picked up a book in the airport bookstore called The Art of Conversation. In it I read that one should practice sensitivity in conversation. Now of course this is obvious to most of you and it's obvious to me as well but somehow I have lost sight of it in some of these discussions.

I love cues. I love pool. I love the pool business. And I really love to make cue cases.

I have the highest respect for small cue makers and have marveled at the various ways that cue makers managed to get the same tasks done.

I have seen cue makers making cues in a ten foot store room, I have seen them go from tiny shops to nice sized buildings with a machine for each task. I love cues and love cuemakers.

I also love people and want to see the best in every person I meet.

So I understand why some of you would be so against import cues that have no "soul" in them. I don't honestly think it's so much a financial thing because you all compete against each other and if there were no import cues then there would still be plenty of competition for each player's business.

I think it's the idea that a factory can spring up in a faraway land and that all they need is people, machines and knowledge and the last part can only come from some well experienced western cue maker. And if they didn't help then the cues from far away would not be competitive in quality. I get it.

The factory that makes our production cases could care less whether a case is protective or not, could care less whether it's durable or not. They make what I tell them to make and sometimes don't even do that.

I care though. That's one of the reasons I live and work here. I care about every cue maker's cues and every person's cue. I have as much love for making good cases as you do for making cues.

So I just wanted you to know that I think I get it and I won't be bothering you with these types of questions. The one common bond we share outside of politics and world views is that we love to make good things.

That's enough for me and I hope it's enough for you.
 
If I could fit this quote in a signature line I would, John. It sounds like you get it now.

John Barton said:
Ok,

So recently I started a little bit of a firestorm with the question of whether it's a sellout to teach people in foreign lands how to build cues.

On the flight over I thought about why some people are so passionately against teaching the Chinese (or any other "country") how to build cues.

I think it's because cue makers in the USA love to do what they do. You love making cues the way I love making cases, for the pure challenge of it.

The Chinese cue makers don't love cues. The owners of the factories don't even play pool and couldn't tell you WHY a cue hits good or not.

Technically they can make any type of cue and sometimes they even make really great hitting ones. But they don't specialize. They don't hone their style to the type of cue that feels best to them.

The factories that make cases don't care about your cues. The owners don't play pool or love the game like we do.

The biggest cue case manufacturer in the world started out making swimming items, rubber rings and such and still does.

I picked up a book in the airport bookstore called The Art of Conversation. In it I read that one should practice sensitivity in conversation. Now of course this is obvious to most of you and it's obvious to me as well but somehow I have lost sight of it in some of these discussions.

I love cues. I love pool. I love the pool business. And I really love to make cue cases.

I have the highest respect for small cue makers and have marveled at the various ways that cue makers managed to get the same tasks done.

I have seen cue makers making cues in a ten foot store room, I have seen them go from tiny shops to nice sized buildings with a machine for each task. I love cues and love cuemakers.

I also love people and want to see the best in every person I meet.

So I understand why some of you would be so against import cues that have no "soul" in them. I don't honestly think it's so much a financial thing because you all compete against each other and if there were no import cues then there would still be plenty of competition for each player's business.

I think it's the idea that a factory can spring up in a faraway land and that all they need is people, machines and knowledge and the last part can only come from some well experienced western cue maker. And if they didn't help then the cues from far away would not be competitive in quality. I get it.

The factory that makes our production cases could care less whether a case is protective or not, could care less whether it's durable or not. They make what I tell them to make and sometimes don't even do that.

I care though. That's one of the reasons I live and work here. I care about every cue maker's cues and every person's cue. I have as much love for making good cases as you do for making cues.

So I just wanted you to know that I think I get it and I won't be bothering you with these types of questions. The one common bond we share outside of politics and world views is that we love to make good things.

That's enough for me and I hope it's enough for you.
Click to expand...
 
Not really, I just like spending money.:eek: Yes, it's a losing proposition to most.


Cuemaking is like a marriage. You find a million reasons to end it but at the end of the day, it's the love that keeps it going.
 
i love making cues.. sometimes. it can be overwelming at times.

also i dont buy the "love thing" there are makers out there that do not LOVE pool. some dont play at all and some say they plain out suck. some ppl like to stir the pot. a big issue for doing this is overseas.

as stated before i dont care if its made on the moon. if its top notch quality product its ok with me. truth is (and i might get ripped for this) the world would be greatly changed if say australlia fell off the map. we wouldnt have boomarangs or fosters beer or crocodile dundee 12 coming out next week... ect.

long story short we all need everyone. worldwide not just nationwide
 
Therapy

Hi,

I see cue making as therapy. I am very relaxed when I do it. Some people like gardening or needlepoint, I like building cues. What is also great is that you get paid for it.

Rick Geschrey
 
scdiveteam said:
Hi,

I see cue making as therapy. I am very relaxed when I do it. Some people like gardening or needlepoint, I like building cues. What is also great is that you get paid for it.

Rick Geschrey
Click to expand...

I must do it for the therapy. The few cues I have sold, I made about $3 an hour on. Yes I love making cues!
Larry
 
JoeyInCali said:
Not really, I just like spending money.:eek: Yes, it's a losing proposition to most.


Cuemaking is like a marriage. You find a million reasons to end it but at the end of the day, it's the love that keeps it going.
Click to expand...

couldn't agree more...:grin::thumbup2::banghead::banghead:
 
John Barton said:
Ok,

So recently I started a little bit of a firestorm with the question of whether it's a sellout to teach people in foreign lands how to build cues.

On the flight over I thought about why some people are so passionately against teaching the Chinese (or any other "country") how to build cues.

I think it's because cue makers in the USA love to do what they do. You love making cues the way I love making cases, for the pure challenge of it.

The Chinese cue makers don't love cues. The owners of the factories don't even play pool and couldn't tell you WHY a cue hits good or not.

Technically they can make any type of cue and sometimes they even make really great hitting ones. But they don't specialize. They don't hone their style to the type of cue that feels best to them.

The factories that make cases don't care about your cues. The owners don't play pool or love the game like we do.

The biggest cue case manufacturer in the world started out making swimming items, rubber rings and such and still does.

I picked up a book in the airport bookstore called The Art of Conversation. In it I read that one should practice sensitivity in conversation. Now of course this is obvious to most of you and it's obvious to me as well but somehow I have lost sight of it in some of these discussions.

I love cues. I love pool. I love the pool business. And I really love to make cue cases.

I have the highest respect for small cue makers and have marveled at the various ways that cue makers managed to get the same tasks done.

I have seen cue makers making cues in a ten foot store room, I have seen them go from tiny shops to nice sized buildings with a machine for each task. I love cues and love cuemakers.

I also love people and want to see the best in every person I meet.

So I understand why some of you would be so against import cues that have no "soul" in them. I don't honestly think it's so much a financial thing because you all compete against each other and if there were no import cues then there would still be plenty of competition for each player's business.

I think it's the idea that a factory can spring up in a faraway land and that all they need is people, machines and knowledge and the last part can only come from some well experienced western cue maker. And if they didn't help then the cues from far away would not be competitive in quality. I get it.

The factory that makes our production cases could care less whether a case is protective or not, could care less whether it's durable or not. They make what I tell them to make and sometimes don't even do that.

I care though. That's one of the reasons I live and work here. I care about every cue maker's cues and every person's cue. I have as much love for making good cases as you do for making cues.

So I just wanted you to know that I think I get it and I won't be bothering you with these types of questions. The one common bond we share outside of politics and world views is that we love to make good things.

That's enough for me and I hope it's enough for you.
Click to expand...

did you come to your senses and decide to come home?
 
I like building cues for the following reasons:

1) I like building cue because of all the money it has cost me personally.

2) I like building cues because of all the National fame.

3) I like building cues because I like to turn large pieces of wood into small ones that sometimes can't even be used for there intended purpose.

4) I like building cues because of all the toxic chemicals and woods I get to handle, and who could live without the smell of freshly cut Cocobolo in the morning.

5) I like building cues because of all the stupid mistakes I make that cause burns, brusies, and cuts, not to mention gluing my hand to a piece of handle stock during assemble.

6) I like to make cues because it is such a clean job, and who could live without those buggers that consist of materials you cut throughout the day.

However, I love making cues because of the look on a customers face when they see and try out the finished product. I ltotally get a feeling that it is worth my time to make some one happy, and while this is a private and personal feeling, that look on a customers face is the most valuable part of making cues for me. You see I do what I do for no other reason than the love of the sport, and while I will never be a top player making cues for good players allows me to be part of something I am passionate about and something I love. Because of this I am most likely going to continue building cues until the day I die, because I think that a cue is the extention of the person who made it. I also think that we all search for a way to be imortal, and for me since I am no body important, if I build cues that are loved by those who use them, and they are built to last the test of time, my immortality is in some small insured.

That is why I love to build cues!!!!!!! Please do not laugh to hard guy's, I know some may find my remarks Corny, but hey they are certainly from the heart.
 
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JoeyInCali said:
Cuemaking is like a marriage. You find a million reasons to end it but at the end of the day, it's the love that keeps it going.
Click to expand...
I was always told, when playing a guitar, a man should hold it like he holds a woman. Lovingly, tenderly and with appreciation. With that attitude, I believe the guitar becomes less of a musical instrument and more of a partner in the making of music. Some say the music is always sweeter with that kind of mental attitude toward the guitar. I firmly believe this holds true for whatever is in your hands, whether it be a carver's chisel, baseball bat or pool cue. A true craftsman tries to make the best marriage between an individual and whatever it is that he crafts. SO, a great cuemaker is really a great matchmaker.......hehe
 
What he said.

manwon said:
I like building cues for the following reasons:
.
.
.
.... I love making cues because of the look on a customers face when they see and try out the finished product.
.
.
...if I build cues that are loved by those who use them, and they are built to last the test of time, my immortality is in some small way insured.

.
.
Click to expand...

Tap, Tap, Tap!

I totally agree! That's the one thing I miss when I sell one over the Internet!
I may get a nice e-mail back from the buyer, but I miss seeing the look on their face.
 
John Barton said:
Ok,

So recently I started a little bit of a firestorm with the question of whether it's a sellout to teach people in foreign lands how to build cues.

On the flight over I thought about why some people are so passionately against teaching the Chinese (or any other "country") how to build cues.

I think it's because cue makers in the USA love to do what they do. You love making cues the way I love making cases, for the pure challenge of it.

The Chinese cue makers don't love cues. The owners of the factories don't even play pool and couldn't tell you WHY a cue hits good or not.

Technically they can make any type of cue and sometimes they even make really great hitting ones. But they don't specialize. They don't hone their style to the type of cue that feels best to them.

The factories that make cases don't care about your cues. The owners don't play pool or love the game like we do.

The biggest cue case manufacturer in the world started out making swimming items, rubber rings and such and still does.

I picked up a book in the airport bookstore called The Art of Conversation. In it I read that one should practice sensitivity in conversation. Now of course this is obvious to most of you and it's obvious to me as well but somehow I have lost sight of it in some of these discussions.

I love cues. I love pool. I love the pool business. And I really love to make cue cases.

I have the highest respect for small cue makers and have marveled at the various ways that cue makers managed to get the same tasks done.

I have seen cue makers making cues in a ten foot store room, I have seen them go from tiny shops to nice sized buildings with a machine for each task. I love cues and love cuemakers.

I also love people and want to see the best in every person I meet.

So I understand why some of you would be so against import cues that have no "soul" in them. I don't honestly think it's so much a financial thing because you all compete against each other and if there were no import cues then there would still be plenty of competition for each player's business.

I think it's the idea that a factory can spring up in a faraway land and that all they need is people, machines and knowledge and the last part can only come from some well experienced western cue maker. And if they didn't help then the cues from far away would not be competitive in quality. I get it.

The factory that makes our production cases could care less whether a case is protective or not, could care less whether it's durable or not. They make what I tell them to make and sometimes don't even do that.

I care though. That's one of the reasons I live and work here. I care about every cue maker's cues and every person's cue. I have as much love for making good cases as you do for making cues.

So I just wanted you to know that I think I get it and I won't be bothering you with these types of questions. The one common bond we share outside of politics and world views is that we love to make good things.

That's enough for me and I hope it's enough for you.
Click to expand...

Teaching, whats to teach? What could be easier then cuemaking? It is not exactly like building an engine or even a fishing reel. Have you ever looked at some of the guys who do it and the makeshift equipment they use? Somehow I think the Chinese could figure out how to build a cue. In fact they will most probably innovate and the cuemakers here will be copying them.
 
macguy said:
Teaching, whats to teach? What could be easier then cuemaking? It is not exactly like building an engine or even a fishing reel. Have you ever looked at some of the guys who do it and the makeshift equipment they use? Somehow I think the Chinese could figure out how to build a cue. In fact they will most probably innovate and the cuemakers here will be copying them.
Click to expand...

Amen!!! I've started to post this a number of times since these threads first started but stopped as I got tired of typing. I believe cue building is one of the easiest endevors I've ever attempred in my life. What the Asians and Europeans were taught were not how to build cues but how to set up machinery for efficient production. Anything, when mass produced the cost will come down. The electronics field comes to mind. Just how much would a TV or computer or a car cost if it was a unique, custom built, one of a kind?
If you are worried about the import cues affecting your sales then you are in the wrong market. When I started playing pool I bet there wasn't one in a 1000 players who had their own cues. Now everyone has 2, 3 or more cues. Most good factory cues are built better than most, so called, custom cues in my opinion. Just why were there so few cue makers in the first 65 years of the last century? The answer is they weren't needed. Once people started using personal cues there were a few companies who saw this need and filled the void. These cue makers, Joss, Mcdermott, Viking, Adam to name a few started business and put out a good product. They are mass produced so the price is comparitively kept down. Are they perfect for all? Probably not, but they are close. Now some players play so well and their touch and feel is so accute that they can't find a factory cue that fits these demands, so, they have one built to meet these needs. They contact a cue maker and have one built to these specs. This is a custom cue and since it is a one of a kind and more or less hand made, it costs much more, just like a custom car or TV.
This is what I can't understand about most of the cue makers on this forum. They don't want to build a custom cue. They want to build a limited production cue and have some one pay them for the price of a custom cue but, without the benefits. That's fine if they can get by with charging 2 to 20 times the price of a factory cue because it is hand made but the thing is, it doesn't have the custom options that a good player is looking for in a custom cue. They want to build to their specs refusing to change the length, the width, the shaft taper or the balance point or little else that the customer is looking for in a custom cue. They say they don't want to change their hit. The thing is the one who will be using this tool is not the builder but the buyer. Shouldn't they have the hit they are looking for? I don't build cues for sale. They are all built to customers specs so are sold before building starts. It is for this reason that I stated a couple of weeks ago that I'm not worried about any import cue affecting my sales as any one who orders one of my cues wouldn't have one. They are looking for a specialized tool built to their specs, completely. The only makers who need to worry are the ones in direct competition with these imports. I like them as their low price gets more people's noses open to playing pool with their own cue so makes future sales for one of my cues easier.

Dick
 
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I build cues because I just love it. I know that I am not going to get rich. But I can make a living diving it. Even if I could find a job making decent money, I would still build cues part time. But I can't for what ever reason! So I build cues full time!!! To be perfectly honest this is the only thing that I know how to do, build cues!! Another thing that I really love about building cues is that I get to help the American working people! I buy everything from US companies. Dont get me wrong when I say that I know that there is some products that I buy that is shipped in overseas. I know that the Chinese could figure out how to build a cue without a problem.
 
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