I know nothing about cues - help me understand

[Eric Wynne]

Waste of life guys , stupid question in the first place .... this guy has never set up a lathe , mill , taper bar , or indexed anything in his life ... Obvious .... just likes to stir the pot ... Build your own blanks of anything and post pics, I ain't from Missouri but ya still gotta show me ... Unless you are specificly set up for a run of blanks it's not worth just a few ... If it hits great who cares who made it ... The flippers can't make 2 balls in a row anyway , just parasites ... a cue is just part of the game ...

 

[mycustomcues]

I agree!

Personally, I think this is a damn shame!! Truth is, for the most part, there really is no such thing as a 'sneaky pete' anymore...it is an outdated term that really should be redefined.

The crafting of a full splice blank/cue, whether non-veneered or veneered, is an art form within the greater art form of cue making in general....it's my opinion anyway. I think the perception that it is less of a cue than a plain jane is just way off the mark.

For me, there is something in the simple elegance of a non-veneered full splice. Not to mention, I cannot think of a better way to showcase amazing pieces of wood than in this manner...although a plain jane comes in a close second. Also, I feel that it is this type cue that is the true 'heart and soul' of the game we have all come to love....it is a style that has seen a lot of history...it is a style that most every single one of us first approached a table with in our hands. It just deserves more respect than it often gets.

I just love a full splice cue!! I have owned/own custom crafted blank made ones, pre-made blank ones, and barstick conversion made ones...I love 'em all!! I have owned cues crafted from various construction methods, and just happen to like the way a well crafted full splice cue will 'talk' to you.

Of course, all of this is for naught if the shaft that is made for it is for crap. :yikes:

Lisa <=====thinks the 'simple' non-veneered full splice deserves more respect.

You're right! like me for example, from what I understood SNEAKY PETE are those you see on the rack of a pool hall. One piece four pointer mostly made of gonzalo alves and plain maple, with a melamine ferule and lepro tip and sometimes when you roll on a table it rolls like a bow:grin:

Anyway, I have made a name for newer version of the sneaky's that are now fancier or upgraded to the max. For cue builders future reference it should be called SLEAKY PETES.:grin: :thumbup:

 

[watchez]

Dave, did you or someone else actually send him some cue parts?
I thought that was all a big joke.

Parts are on the way Willee. Just ask Tony Z. The only joke will be on Dave38 and the 'cuemakers' he idolizes blindly that use these full splice blanks when I prove how easy it is for anyone to make a cue.

The people speaking out against me or this thread are the ones nervous that the rest of the world will find out that for $47.00 in parts, these 'cuemakers' are charging 100s of dollars for these pre made kit cues.

The word 'cuemakers' is used lightly in this post - and should not be confused with the clear definition of the term.

Dave38 - sorry you are upset that the thread you got deleted is not deleted anymore. It is in its rightful place in this forum. When you can intelligently defend your position, feel free to reply to my thread. Until then, just watch and learn. Some people are better off seen and not heard.

 

[WilleeCue]

Watchez, I have been saying how easy cue making is for many years. (ever since I started)
Go back and read all the grief I got from your friend Jimbo for saying it on RSB.
He calls it disrespecting cue makers and anyone that does THAT really sets him off ... or so he says.
However, He wont give you any grief for it and I am cool with all that.
I understand.
Your cue assembly project cant hurt anything and it sounds like you will have a lot of fun with it.

BTW ... Jimbo did the same thing years ago just to prove the same thing you are wanting to prove.
From what I understand the resulting cue turned out decent for being assembled in such a very short period of time.
Like so many other cues it also was assembled from parts made by others.

I have come to a realization that It really dont amount to anything.
If you want to call me a cue assembler then that is OK by me.
If you think the cues I assemble are crap that is OK too.
It is what it is and that is all it can be.
God willing the sun will rise in the morning and I will happily assemble another WilleeCue
and somewhere down the line it will bring joy and happiness to a pool player.

Too bad you dont live close to Corpus Christi ... I welcome you (or anyone else) my humble cue shop and am willing to help you learn anything you would wish to know about how to assemble a cue. Or you could just hang out and watch me labor.
Anyone toting some cold Shiner Bock Beer is especially welcome!
I dont make a living making (assembling) and/or repairing cues ... it but I enjoy the challenges the craft offers.
Who knows ... I might get lucky and assemble a really nice cue someday.:thumbup:

Hey ... are there any auto maker forums we could go to and tell them they dont really make the autos ... they just assemble parts bought from others and have no right to that title? I bet that would piss them off!

Here is a photo or two of some of the cue parts I use to assemble WilleeCues ...

.

 

[dave sutton]

nice willie. heres the weeks work for me

 

[WilleeCue]

Dave, I like those window butts.
Do you want to sell some cue parts?

And the plain ones ... ripe for CNC!

Seriously ... nice. :thumbup:

 

[dave sutton]

no cnc sry. i love the classics

 

[watchez]

Watchez, I have been saying how easy cue making is for many years. (ever since I started)
Go back and read all the grief I got from your friend Jimbo for saying it on RSB.
He calls it disrespecting cue makers and anyone that does THAT really sets him off ... or so he says.
However, He wont give you any grief for it and I am cool with all that.
I understand.
Your cue assembly project cant hurt anything and it sounds like you will have a lot of fun with it.

BTW ... Jimbo did the same thing years ago just to prove the same thing you are wanting to prove.
From what I understand the resulting cue turned out decent for being assembled in such a very short period of time.
Like so many other cues it also was assembled from parts made by others.

I have come to a realization that It really dont amount to anything.
If you want to call me a cue assembler then that is OK by me.
If you think the cues I assemble are crap that is OK too.
It is what it is and that is all it can be.
God willing the sun will rise in the morning and I will happily assemble another WilleeCue
and somewhere down the line it will bring joy and happiness to a pool player.

Too bad you dont live close to Corpus Christi ... I welcome you (or anyone else) my humble cue shop and am willing to help you learn anything you would wish to know about how to assemble a cue. Or you could just hang out and watch me labor.
Anyone toting some cold Shiner Bock Beer is especially welcome!
I dont make a living making (assembling) and/or repairing cues ... it but I enjoy the challenges the craft offers.
Who knows ... I might get lucky and assemble a really nice cue someday.:thumbup:

Hey ... are there any auto maker forums we could go to and tell them they dont really make the autos ... they just assemble parts bought from others and have no right to that title? I bet that would piss them off!

Here is a photo or two of some of the cue parts I use to assemble WilleeCues ...

.

Willee, I think I need to clear some points up in your mind -

First, I am not a buddy of Jimbo. I was actually banned from the IP-forum basically for calling him a hypocrite and JR Calvert a pathetic businessman. I have some friends that post over at JimboArmy.com and post there from time to time. Not all that much. I do go there to read about cues as it seems they have some knowledgable folks on the board and some real cuemakers posting there. Please don't try to drag me into your lil squabble with Jimbo. You can keep that for yourself. Jimbo and I, I think, have agreed to disagree and I don't go there to rehash the past or flame in some thread.

Second, I have no aspirations to be a cueassembler - if I was going to put a product out there it would have to be as a cuemaker and I feel I would need more knowledge for that. After hearing what exactly a full splice blank is, I just think that it sounds too easy and the public is being way over charged for 'cue-assemblers' that use these pre-made parts. The public is basically, and no offense public, dumb and usually does not realize what they are paying for. I just think they should know and be made aware before they buy a cue. I wonder if the custom cue I own was made from a full splice blank but I am afraid to ask the question to the maker because I might not like the answer.

Try to compare apples and oranges in your discussion. Dave38 has a serious problem with that, you are not as bad. If you tried to assemble an automobile by yourself the parts would cost way more than it does from Ford. Surely, your car has broken down and thought to yourself - if the water pump is $250, I wonder how much it costs for all these parts. From the receipts of the shipments of cue parts that Tony Z is sending me - I can see that the cue parts are very cheap.

By the way, speaking of assembling something like a car yourself - when I was in the 4th grade I helped my father assemble a big console TV set. This was obviously in the era of picture tubes, transitors, etc. It was a complete kit and the TV worked well for years. Was the first TV we had with remote control.

Thanks for the invite but I will have to pass. When I go on vacation, it is not to make or learn how to make cues. Now if you had a nice fishing boat and wanted to take me out deep sea fishing for 6-8 hours, I might be persuaded to come by and look at your cue assembling setup for about 15 minutes.

 

[WilleeCue]

Sorry, Watchez for making that assumption about you and Jimbo.
I read your post there about this thread and got the wrong impression.

As for draging you into a squabble ... I did not intend to do that.
In fact the squable you refer to is very one sided as I let go of all that some time ago.
I was only making reference.

I dont begrudge any cue maker selling his cues for what the market will bear.
That is the way our economic system is set up and if someone did not think it was worth the money it would not sell.
If it does then the buyer must have thought it was worth every penny.
Learning to make cues will ruin the magic as a cue buyer.
Now when I see a nice cue I think of how I would go about making something like that or I will admire the skill and workmanship that is above my level.
All the magic is gone and I see a cue for what it is ... time and materials, skills and knowledge.

I dont go deep sea fishing as I get sea sick.
I do some back bay wade fishing and also a bit of surf, jetties, and from the piers that go ot into the Gulf.
The fishing here always seems to be good sometime during the day.

If you ever get down this way do stop in and say hi.

 

[RoyL]

Watchez, I have been saying how easy cue making is for many years. (ever since I started)
Go back and read all the grief I got from your friend Jimbo for saying it on RSB.
He calls it disrespecting cue makers and anyone that does THAT really sets him off ... or so he says.
.

Willee, you've always come across to me as a very nice person willing to help aspiring cuemakers by answering, any and all, questions--but I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you here. From what I remember of this RSB slugfest--filled in with what Jimbo recently posted on his site--the thing that most antagonized Jimbo, was the matter concerning exactly when you bought your lathe.

That's how I read into it.

I'm not trying to start a flamewar; I just wanted to state my viewpoint.

 

[watchez]

Willee, you've always come across to me as a very nice person willing to help aspiring cuemakers by answering, any and all, questions--but I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you here. From what I remember of this RSB slugfest--filled in with what Jimbo recently posted on his site--the thing that most antagonized Jimbo, was the matter concerning exactly when you bought your lathe.

That's how I read into it.

I'm not trying to start a flamewar; I just wanted to state my viewpoint.

Please don't hijack my thread with this VERY OLD argument. I suggest to start another thread to attack the timeline of Willee's cuemaking/cueassembling career.

This week I will receive my cue assembly parts and my career will begin with RAGU CUES. I can't wait.

 

[WilleeCue]

Willee, you've always come across to me as a very nice person willing to help aspiring cuemakers by answering, any and all, questions--but I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you here. From what I remember of this RSB slugfest--filled in with what Jimbo recently posted on his site--the thing that most antagonized Jimbo, was the matter concerning exactly when you bought your lathe.

That's how I read into it.

I'm not trying to start a flamewar; I just wanted to state my viewpoint.

No problem RoyL.
There were so many issues I dont really know what the first one was nor do I much care anymore.
If I wanted to know exactly when I bought my first lathe, wouldent I just look at my receipt?
I dont know why that would be something of any value to disagree over but perhaps you are correct.
There was a lot of silly stuff argued about back then and I was no doubt one of the worst offenders.

My memory is the second thing most likely to fail ... I cant remember what the first thing is.

 

[RoyL]

Please don't hijack my thread with this VERY OLD argument. I suggest to start another thread to attack the timeline of Willee's cuemaking/cueassembling career.

This week I will receive my cue assembly parts and my career will begin with RAGU CUES. I can't wait.

Watchez, no problem.

This time next year, I'll be eagerly awaiting your Ragu brand "Instant Cue Assembly Meal" to catch on and hit national grocery store shelves, right next to the tomato sauce and grated Parmesan cheese. Where you just dump the entire box consisting of: screws, pins, bumpers, glue, and wood in a large vat of boiling Nelsonite for 10 minutes or until tender, and presto custom cue ready to serve.:

 

[watchez]

Watchez, no problem.

This time next year, I'll be eagerly awaiting your Ragu brand "Instant Cue Assembly Meal" to catch on and hit national grocery store shelves, right next to the tomato sauce and grated Parmesan cheese. Where you just dump the entire box consisting of: screws, pins, bumpers, glue, and wood in a large vat of boiling Nelsonite for 10 minutes or until tender, and presto custom cue ready to serve.:

Careful RoyL. I will let you know that I already have a patent, copyright and trademark for the Ragu cue line & any future products, ideas, and sales that come about. If you are posting this simply to 'get in' on the action, you can forget it. My attorneys (that is right, I have more than one) are ready to countersue you just for thinking of getting your hands into my idea.

If you are just impressed with my idea, than I apologize, and hope you will be one of many loyal customers I will have in the future. If Willee, Dave38, Varney or any other cue assemblers would like to email me a current customer list they have, I will give 10% of the profit of any cues I subsequently sell for the marketing assistance. Remember, this 10% will be substantial as I will only have $47.00 in materials invested in each cue that I sell. RoyL, if you have any friends that are interested - I am not sure if you are a cue assembler yourself but you are also welcome to this offer.

Hopefully I can work something more out with Tony Z. He has been great to me so far - sending me a full splice blank for free plus enough cue parts for numerous cues. Tony said once I am done with my first assembly, he will send me another blank - this one with built in veneers. :thumbup: Willee has offered his assistance for me to come to Corpus Christi - still waiting for him to send me some unused cue parts but guess he is still using most of them in his cue assemblys himself.

Thanks to everyone for their support. Tony Z is on top of the list.

Watchez - maker of the Ragu cue.

 

[RoyL]

.
- I am not sure if you are a cue assembler yourself but you are also welcome to this offer.

Watchez - maker of the Ragu cue.

I added a slip-on tip to a cue once does that qualify me as a cue assembler?

Now all you need is some catchy slogan for your new line of Ragu cues. These are some rough ideas. How about: "Ragu cues. Tastes as good as they play. So, own one, get beat by one, or eat one."

Or if the corporates at Ragu sue you for trademark infringements, just switch your name to Prego cues instead. Prego cues: "With a Prego cue, the balls are in there."

 

[watchez]

I added a slip-on tip to a cue once does that qualify me as a cue assembler?

Now all you need is some catchy slogan for your new line of Ragu cues. These are some rough ideas. How about: "Ragu cues. Tastes as good as they play. So, own one, get beat by one, or eat one."

Or if the corporates at Ragu sue you for trademark infringements, just switch your name to Prego cues instead. Prego cues: "With a Prego cue, the balls are in there."

Roy - you sure you don't have the password to our corporate site. I am having our IT department look into right now to see if there have been any unauthorized users enter our site.

By the way, the slip-on tip definitely qualifies you to use the term of cue assembler to describe yourself. Hell I haven't ever even put on a tip or built my first cue, but I now call myself a cuemaker. Pretty soon people will forget the history of my cuemaking and I can say that I have been making cues for years (since the mid 80s) in my own shop.

Once the Ragu line is out to the public and been a huge success, the Prego line will be next. Design & marketing are already in the works. 'Liven up your pool game with a Prego Cue'. A lively, delicately-seasoned blend of mixed woods turned to delicious perfection with Prego quality.

Phase III will be the Chef Boyardee cue line. These assembled cues will be geared more towards the younger player, hoping to re-create the boom of pool thru our youth. This line is still in early planning stages but for now, our marketing team has come up with 'Chef Boyardee cues - when you have the hunger for a great cue, only Chef Boyardee cues can tame the beast in you' http://www.chefboyardee.com/bigchefnews/index.jsp

By the way, we will use no preservatives in our wood.

Watchez - maker of the Ragu cue

 

[RoyL]

Roy - you sure you don't have the password to our corporate site. I am having our IT department look into right now to see if there have been any unauthorized users enter our site.

By the way, the slip-on tip definitely qualifies you to use the term of cue assembler to describe yourself. Hell I haven't ever even put on a tip or built my first cue, but I now call myself a cuemaker. Pretty soon people will forget the history of my cuemaking and I can say that I have been making cues for years (since the mid 80s) in my own shop.

Once the Ragu line is out to the public and been a huge success, the Prego line will be next. Design & marketing are already in the works. 'Liven up your pool game with a Prego Cue'. A lively, delicately-seasoned blend of mixed woods turned to delicious perfection with Prego quality.

Phase III will be the Chef Boyardee cue line. These assembled cues will be geared more towards the younger player, hoping to re-create the boom of pool thru our youth. This line is still in early planning stages but for now, our marketing team has come up with 'Chef Boyardee cues - when you have the hunger for a great cue, only Chef Boyardee cues can tame the beast in you' http://www.chefboyardee.com/bigchefnews/index.jsp

By the way, we will use no preservatives in our wood.

Watchez - maker of the Ragu cue

Watchez, I can't wait.

With your vision and enthusiasm the skies the limit.

Looking forward to seeing Emeril Lagasse giving exhibitions at next years Super Billiard's Expo, breaking with the "Essence" model, from your Ragu limited edition 1/20 Masterpiece series, going "Bam!"

And being the smart entrepreneur that I know you to be, you'll corner the cue market on eBAy with your endless supply of 1/1 cues.

Or turning on HSN late at night and hearing your customers offer their teary-eyed testimonials on how just by daily usage of your "All Natural" Ragu cue models, the Sage or Rosemary, their mind function and memory dramatically improved. And as an added bonus, how the hands of time were miraculously turned back, as their fine lines and wrinkles disappeared.

To which I hope you would have hired Don West to promote your exclusive line of "All Natural" Ragu cues--found only at HSN--where upon hearing the caller's heartfelt confession, Don would yell, "Gang, you heard the caller. GET ON THE PHONES NOW!..I see the phones lighting up. Three, four...seven, ten gone. If you're on hold PLEASE be patient. Don't hang up because if you miss out on this DEAL OF A LIFETIME, they're gone FOREVER.

Gang, we were only able to secure a limited number of these "All Natural" Ragu cues. I know some of you are saying $99 is too much; but I've had appetizers that cost more.

I GUARANTEE YOU by this time next year these cues will be listed in "Beckett Cues" at DOUBLE or TRIPLE the price at which we are now giving them away at--$99. For those of you still on the fence, you can purchase by using our Flex Pay option, just $33 a month for three months, and if within thirty days you are not completely satisfied, you can return your Ragu cue for a FULL REFUND."

 

[CamposCues]

Ragu

Careful RoyL. I will let you know that I already have a patent, copyright and trademark for the Ragu cue line & any future products, ideas, and sales that come about. If you are posting this simply to 'get in' on the action, you can forget it. My attorneys (that is right, I have more than one) are ready to countersue you just for thinking of getting your hands into my idea.

If you are just impressed with my idea, than I apologize, and hope you will be one of many loyal customers I will have in the future. If Willee, Dave38, Varney or any other cue assemblers would like to email me a current customer list they have, I will give 10% of the profit of any cues I subsequently sell for the marketing assistance. Remember, this 10% will be substantial as I will only have $47.00 in materials invested in each cue that I sell. RoyL, if you have any friends that are interested - I am not sure if you are a cue assembler yourself but you are also welcome to this offer.

Hopefully I can work something more out with Tony Z. He has been great to me so far - sending me a full splice blank for free plus enough cue parts for numerous cues. Tony said once I am done with my first assembly, he will send me another blank - this one with built in veneers. :thumbup: Willee has offered his assistance for me to come to Corpus Christi - still waiting for him to send me some unused cue parts but guess he is still using most of them in his cue assemblys himself.

Thanks to everyone for their support. Tony Z is on top of the list.

Watchez - maker of the Ragu cue.

No offense, but it'll be funny if you accidentally tear off a finger or two building your Ragu cue. Then you can start making prosthetic limbs on your lathe...Chubbs Petersen.

 

[RoyL]

No offense, but it'll be funny if you accidentally tear off a finger or two building your Ragu cue. Then you can start making prosthetic limbs on your lathe...Chubbs Petersen.

Then he can be like ol' Balabushka and create a fake finger from wood. And being the shrewd businessman that Watchez is, he'll turn his finger's loss into a monetary gain by mass producing finger extensions like the ones Earl Strickland first invented but never patented, all under the ever-expanding Ragu cue brand. But to achieve full marketability, Watchez will have to somehow strike a deal with KFC, and borrow part of their "Finger Lickin' Good" slogan.

 

[MINDSEYE153]

No offense, but it'll be funny if you accidentally tear off a finger or two building your Ragu cue. Then you can start making prosthetic limbs on your lathe...Chubbs Petersen.

Actually that's very offensive, and not funny at all!

Be Careful watchez.

Paul