Finally ready to make an attempt at turning my first cue

If you're looking for advice here, you're already in trouble. And I don't at all mean that in a smartass way. As KJ said, it's expensive no matter what route you take, so please don't starve your kids to tinker with cues. Cue making is fun, and for me is a never ending opportunity to learn. Good luck & enjoy yourself.
 
KJ Cues said:
And should come in just a tad under 25 oz.

Should play like a canary singing to a concrete wall.
But then that depends on the taper.
Maybe just a brick wall.
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Nah, 21 oz tops. Even with .850" to 1.050" forearm and 1.245" bottom.
12" desert iron wood handle with 7/8 threaded maple at the bottom for the butt sleeve.
 
ratcues said:
I feed mine wood chips... #twobirdsonestone
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Tastes like chicken ?

Good reading here.
http://www.cuemakers.org/make-a-cue.php

I would urge you to think every step of the process through and plan all the details in such a way that you can refrence them if you get stuck, mess something up etc.
A maple/purpleheart blank can be had for under $50, so the cost of f*****g up isn`t that high.
It`s a very good place to start and if you take it easy and don`t rush anything you can actually make a playable cue on your first attempt.
Make sure you have all the tools and supplies you need from the getgo.
Choose tried and tested materials, like Juma for joint and buttcap, a pin that is easy to install, like Radial. Read up and watch tutorials about finishing as it`s one of the most difficult aspects of cue building.
Buy some shafts in different stages, so you can get a playable cue reasonably fast, but experiment with making your own dowels, cones etc.
If you want to go for a morte advanced build, go for a full length core design.
you can make some very nice, stable cues witch can show of your cue philosophy, or you can build some cues with different cores and materials to hone in on how you like a cue to play.
A full length .750" core is where I`m at now. I have cores in maple, purpleheart, yellowheart and jatoba. The next step is to core the wood I turned round this summer and start gluing sometime in january. I`m looking forward to see if my ideas about balance, hit etc. match up with expectations.
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Why not get a 7/8 drill for the handle ? That way you have more beef for the handle and do not have to take down the core that much.
3/4 for the handle is too small for my liking.
Two big makers use one-piece core and don't even turn down the handle section into a core size. They just use that same wood for handle .
 
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When I first started out I bought some pine 2 X 2's from Lowes or from Home Depot............. hack on them for practice then try some good maple or other common pool cue woods.... It 's a cheap way to start..


Kim
 
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