Looking for a cue maker that will make a plain jane or merry widow cue for 300$

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Your best bet is the used cue market.
If you want a cue custom made to your specifications, you can try some cue makers in Europe, or Asia. Good luck.
 
hello said:
I understand and of course you are free to value your work as you as see fit but that does not mean someone else will value theirs at less, in fact
I was offered a unused bacote plain jane for 375$ yesterday but unfortunately I dont like that wood.
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So, if you went on your assumption that 300 was adequate to build a custom cue. How would you break down the numbers as far as price of materials and labor? What do you think is fair compensation for a cue makers time, and investment in tools, materials and expertise?
 
Might have to look at a low end CF mass produced cue at that price point. Rhino Cues and JFlowers maybe?
 
fish2 said:
Nothing fancy, just a plane jane cue, no rings, just plain wooden cue with Brazilian rosewood forearm and butt sleeve with Amboyna handle :)
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Maybe a EE wrap if you have some just laying around and maybe some Ivory inlays made from scrap pieces of ivory at 100% discount.. ;)
 
Kim Bye said:
Maybe a EE wrap if you have some just laying around and maybe some Ivory inlays made from scrap pieces of ivory at 100% discount.. ;)
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I "stole" my wife's broken ivory bracelet and gave it to my cue maker to make ivory dashes on the rings for a cue I ordered :)
 
In all seriousness you might check out a schmelke. Semi custom (or full custom but it probably costs more). You can get a nice traditional made cue for not a lot of bucks.
 
SSDiver2112 said:
His math and logic suck. He calculated a three hundred dollar cue at $3 an hour with no thought to wear and tear, supplies, inventory investment that’s hanging around. Not to mention skill and knowledge.
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fk39673 said:
Your best bet is the used cue market.
If you want a cue custom made to your specifications, you can try some cue makers in Europe, or Asia. Good luck.
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Thank you.
 
Canadian cue said:
So, if you went on your assumption that 300 was adequate to build a custom cue. How would you break down the numbers as far as price of materials and labor? What do you think is fair compensation for a cue makers time, and investment in tools, materials and expertise?
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Wether its adequate or not is for the cue maker to decide but I was offered an unused bocote plain jane from a cuemaker here for 375$ which I would pay for a ccue, unfortunately, I dont like bocote.Does that answer your question..?
 
SSDiver2112 said:
His math and logic suck. He calculated a three hundred dollar cue at $3 an hour with no thought to wear and tear, supplies, inventory investment that’s hanging around. Not to mention skill and knowledge.
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Neither suck.A plumber will give you an hourly rate, not one for the time and one for his tools.You're welcome.
 
hello said:
Neither suck.A plumber will give you an hourly rate, not one for the time and one for his tools.You're welcome.
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Don't be an idiot. Of course the plumbers are charging for their tools, their insurance, their vehicle, their journeyman upgrade classes, etc.. So when your plumber quotes you $100/hr, he isn't putting $100/hr in the bank. This is exactly what Mr. B was saying, at $300, less the cost of the materials (let's spitball $125), he has $175 with which to pay himself and pay for the wear on the tools, mortgage on the shop, electricity bills, etc.. So, when he figured he'd make $3/hr, that might mean he spends 50hrs on the cue, or it might mean he spends 6hrs on a cue. If you can't understand this, you are not living in the real world.

So, I'll go ahead and say that I will build you a cue for $300. You send me the wood (don't forget the core wood, make sure it is going to be the correct weight). You send me the ferrule material, joint/buttcap material, and tip. You send me two core drills. You send me the router cutters I need. You send me the epoxy, finish, and solvents for clean-up. I have a power usage monitor on my shop, so I'll graph that for the hours I spend on the cue and you will pay that. You do the research and figure out all of the above because if you ask me, I'll charge you for the time.

Do all of that and I'll get right on your $300 cue.
 
Michael Webb said:
WHY,
Are you all playing.
If you have no interest in what this Gentleman is looking for.
Don't Participate!
Lmao
The most important rule is,
Any question can be asked,
But every question does not deserve an answer!!!
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That's one perspective. The other is that future questions of the sort may be avoided by answer and expressing opinions here.
 
DeeDeeCues said:
Don't be an idiot. Of course the plumbers are charging for their tools, their insurance, their vehicle, their journeyman upgrade classes, etc.. So when your plumber quotes you $100/hr, he isn't putting $100/hr in the bank. This is exactly what Mr. B was saying, at $300, less the cost of the materials (let's spitball $125), he has $175 with which to pay himself and pay for the wear on the tools, mortgage on the shop, electricity bills, etc.. So, when he figured he'd make $3/hr, that might mean he spends 50hrs on the cue, or it might mean he spends 6hrs on a cue. If you can't understand this, you are not living in the real world.

So, I'll go ahead and say that I will build you a cue for $300. You send me the wood (don't forget the core wood, make sure it is going to be the correct weight). You send me the ferrule material, joint/buttcap material, and tip. You send me two core drills. You send me the router cutters I need. You send me the epoxy, finish, and solvents for clean-up. I have a power usage monitor on my shop, so I'll graph that for the hours I spend on the cue and you will pay that. You do the research and figure out all of the above because if you ask me, I'll charge you for the time.

Do all of that and I'll get right on your $300 cue.
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I have an even better idea: I was offered an unused plain jane bocote (a wood which I dont care for)here for 375$ which means a cue and a profit for the maker can be made at that price.So send me some photos of your work and I'll decide if I want to trust you with the building of a 375$ cue.Deal?
 
hello said:
I have an even better idea: I was offered an unused plain jane bocote (a wood which I dont care for)here for 375$ which means a cue and a profit for the maker can be made at that price.So send me some photos of your work and I'll decide if I want to trust you with the building of a 375$ cue.Deal?
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Just because someone is selling something does not mean they are making a profit on that item. Pretty simple life lesson that most preteens know. Maybe he has had that cue for a year and generated no interest in a sale at higher prices. Maybe he is a beginning cuemaker willing to sell some cues just to get his name out. Maybe he liked the way your butt looked in those chinos.

If he was making a profit on that cue, he would have offered to make you one out of another wood for nearly the same price...in which case, you should be buying from him...unless you hated something else about the cue.
 
hello said:
I have an even better idea: I was offered an unused plain jane bocote (a wood which I dont care for)here for 375$ which means a cue and a profit for the maker can be made at that price.So send me some photos of your work and I'll decide if I want to trust you with the building of a 375$ cue.Deal?
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That cuemaker is offering you one hell of a deal, you're foolish not to take that offer. You will not have a custom made for 300 unless it's by someone starting out and they sell you one of their test cues.

Cuemaking is not a cheap hobby, but for some reason you believe your entitled to a deal that doesn't really exist 🙃
 
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