How many cues do you make a year?
- Thread starter gh8st
- Start date
I still can't understand why there are sooo many cue makers out there.
For the same reason there are so many kids in the DR and Cuba playing BB in the streets.
I have a $200,000.00 inverstment in a house with a big enough shop that I could invest another $15,000.00 in upgrades including electricity for all the machines, heat, air, humidity control and walls with insulation and about 200 hours of work. Into the shop I got to put my aprox. $40,000.00 investment of machines, wood, glue, inserts, etc, etc, etc, etc. I also invested an additional $18,000.00 in making 4 cues that I have yet to sell, besides the $16,000.00 investment a friend made for me so that I will never run out of ivory.
I will send you an email when I make a profit....
I will send you an email when I make a profit....
snip . . . I still can't understand why there are sooo many cue makers out there.
For me, it was explained pretty well right here. Thanks Dick.
I don't think anyone here is trying to beat you up on this. Obviously there is at least SOME money to be made, or we wouldn't do it for very long. I think the point is that there is not nearly the amount of profit involved in building cues as you had initially expressed, and it takes a rather significant investment in time, materials, and machinery to earn it. There is no free lunch here. I was told by a good friend, who was told by another, that it takes about 4 years and $40,000 before you start making cues that you're proud to put your name on. IMO, that estimate is pretty close.
Mr H
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I still can't understand why there are sooo many cue makers out there.
The cuemaker industry can be looked at like the motorcycle industry, a lot of people doing it are people who play and want to get involved in the whole process. It seem's like the motorcycle industry shot up big time right after Motorcycle Mania with Jesse james aired on TV and then followed by American Chopper and all the bike build off shows. I think it would be very cool if they had a cue making series like that. It could feature a few cuemakers that were building cues for an upcoming show or just building a cue to be judged like they did with the bike's. The only draw back to this is the fact that it take's a lot longer to make a cue than a bike.
I still can't understand why there are sooo many cue makers out there.
I'm confused why there are so many pro-players out there.
They can make more money in bartending.
I'm confused why there are so many pro-players out there.
They can make more money in bartending.
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If a person really wants an expensive hobby, just take up Harleys or even better yet, skydiving. You can buy yourself a nice lathe for the cost of a used chute.
I wish there was a bit more interest in my city for just tips and repairs. When I got into it, and in the future will be into it even more, I had no delusions of making money hand over fist. I love the game of pool, highly figured wood and working with it and the challenge of doing repairs. If I never sell one of my cues I will still keep going and have no regrets.
I wish there was a bit more interest in my city for just tips and repairs. When I got into it, and in the future will be into it even more, I had no delusions of making money hand over fist. I love the game of pool, highly figured wood and working with it and the challenge of doing repairs. If I never sell one of my cues I will still keep going and have no regrets.
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i think the way ZX24 is looking at as the machinery is a loss from the start not counting making the money back before the profit, like saying you have to invest a large amount to make a continuous small amount for the duration of the machines life.
i think this becasue thats how my wife looks at it lol and i let her she goes well you made 700 at that tournament you need to find more todo and is all happy instead of well you have another grand togo to make your money back on that lathe
i guess if you dont look at the inital cost of machinery them it does look like you make money, heres my little secret ive been doing cue repair for quite a while and i know alot of players so when i wanted to get started making cues i found a few good friends and made them deals like give me 400 or 500 and ill make you a couple cues and give you free maintance on them for a yr cleaning tips and whatnot (not expensive tips just lepro, elk, triangle) and i did enough of this until i reached about 5000 and i had to make abouit 12 cues some of which are still being built, but i figured that was the best way to stay out of the hole, :thumbup: and with that money i bought a fair amount of wood a deluxe and a cue componets inlay machine, a wood lathe, belt sander and table saw and tons of pieces and parts for cues. worked out really well but it was hard to find people in this economy with income they could let go of like that and im very thankfull they did.
but as a new cue builder you cant expect to get much outta your cues for a long time, basically make your money back on a cue and enough to pay for the materials on the next one.
and i dont care if i dont make much money at it, i plan on doing this forever until i die and im 24 so hopefully it will be a long time, and this wil be my way of leaving something behind for people to remember me or something like that.
well im done running off at the gibs:smile:
i think this becasue thats how my wife looks at it lol and i let her she goes well you made 700 at that tournament you need to find more todo and is all happy instead of well you have another grand togo to make your money back on that lathe
i guess if you dont look at the inital cost of machinery them it does look like you make money, heres my little secret ive been doing cue repair for quite a while and i know alot of players so when i wanted to get started making cues i found a few good friends and made them deals like give me 400 or 500 and ill make you a couple cues and give you free maintance on them for a yr cleaning tips and whatnot (not expensive tips just lepro, elk, triangle) and i did enough of this until i reached about 5000 and i had to make abouit 12 cues some of which are still being built, but i figured that was the best way to stay out of the hole, :thumbup: and with that money i bought a fair amount of wood a deluxe and a cue componets inlay machine, a wood lathe, belt sander and table saw and tons of pieces and parts for cues. worked out really well but it was hard to find people in this economy with income they could let go of like that and im very thankfull they did.
but as a new cue builder you cant expect to get much outta your cues for a long time, basically make your money back on a cue and enough to pay for the materials on the next one.
and i dont care if i dont make much money at it, i plan on doing this forever until i die and im 24 so hopefully it will be a long time, and this wil be my way of leaving something behind for people to remember me or something like that.
well im done running off at the gibs:smile:
i was just quietly reading but i can't help to at least clear out something which i believe would be unfair to us, and probably to some few remaining out there... who also make cues like we do - purely old school.
with all due respects sir, i invite you to visit our shop on an ordinary day. end of day, i am 100% sure you will be opened up to a different perspective... i'm not sure you can still say "just a few hands-on hours on a cue" after you see what we do and how we do things.
have a great day.
i was just quietly reading but i can't help to at least clear out something which i believe would be unfair to us, and probably to some few remaining out there... who also make cues like we do - purely old school.
with all due respects sir, i invite you to visit our shop on an ordinary day. end of day, i am 100% sure you will be opened up to a different perspective... i'm not sure you can still say "just a few hands-on hours on a cue" after you see what we do and how we do things.
have a great day.
With fairness in mind, I think maybe before we begin comparing ourselves we must first consider our placement in this industry & why we are placed in the positions we are placed. For you, hand work is a preference. You could easily & cheaply be as "hands free" as any other shop in the world just by adding taper bars & routers to your metal lathe, which is a cheap & easy mod. You simply choose not to. So to be fair, maybe comparing your shop to a modern shop isn't quite feasible. It's like apples & oranges. Your shop could very easily be utilizing the same evolutions in the craft that the rest of us use. But you don't. That's a choice.
No big secret but if you want to make money it is all about getting as much as you can for doing as little as possible lol When I think of cue building or any other profession which is based on a profit produced by what you can make with your own two hands doesnt fit that formula.
As a cue maker if you are working by yourself your profits will always be limited. One person can only produce so much product. There are a few very well established and respected makers who make a decent living but I would say that they earned that through years of dedication to the trade. Myself personaly I make only a few cues a year but I am content with that. It is what I do to enjoy my time so profit is secondary.
Now the way I see it with all the new cuemakers out there and as much interest in the craft as there is, the people making money are the ones selling the materials and equipment lol.
As a cue maker if you are working by yourself your profits will always be limited. One person can only produce so much product. There are a few very well established and respected makers who make a decent living but I would say that they earned that through years of dedication to the trade. Myself personaly I make only a few cues a year but I am content with that. It is what I do to enjoy my time so profit is secondary.
Now the way I see it with all the new cuemakers out there and as much interest in the craft as there is, the people making money are the ones selling the materials and equipment lol.
It's your Choice to Make Money!!
Hi, If you have a low expectation about your potential financial success in any endeavor you will meet that expectation without any problems. Selling cues for a high price is a function of (1) producing a high quality product with attention to detail in every area thus building your brand name over time. (2) Use only the highest quality woods and materials. (3) Getting that product in face of people that have the means to belly up the big dollars for a high end cue. (4) Have creativity in your designs and methods that have purpose or functionality. A friend of mine with over 50 years in the cue business gave me a piece of advise about selling cues. "The big dollar cue sells the cheaper cue and vise a versa. What he was saying that if your cues have a reputation for having a certain type of hit and your $ 750.00 cue hits the same as your fancy $ 2,500.00 cue then it is up to the customers pocket book as to the one he buys. The guy who is on a budget will never buy the big ticket, while the rich guy with money to burn will go off for the high end because he wants the Lexus not the Toyota. Rick G
Hi, If you have a low expectation about your potential financial success in any endeavor you will meet that expectation without any problems. Selling cues for a high price is a function of (1) producing a high quality product with attention to detail in every area thus building your brand name over time. (2) Use only the highest quality woods and materials. (3) Getting that product in face of people that have the means to belly up the big dollars for a high end cue. (4) Have creativity in your designs and methods that have purpose or functionality. A friend of mine with over 50 years in the cue business gave me a piece of advise about selling cues. "The big dollar cue sells the cheaper cue and vise a versa. What he was saying that if your cues have a reputation for having a certain type of hit and your $ 750.00 cue hits the same as your fancy $ 2,500.00 cue then it is up to the customers pocket book as to the one he buys. The guy who is on a budget will never buy the big ticket, while the rich guy with money to burn will go off for the high end because he wants the Lexus not the Toyota. Rick G