machines needed to start building cues?

poolshooter74

poolshooter74

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
i am wondering what machines and tools are needed to start making basic cues?
starting with PJ's moving to sneaky petes and eventually onto more intricate cues.

at the moment all i have is hightower mid-size lathe that i have just been doing shaft repairs with. what should i look for next?

i cannot afford brand new equipment, so what would be a fair price for used machinery you would be recommending?

appreciate it,
louis
 
1. Wife who makes money.
2. Used 11 by 36 with 1 3/8 spindle hole lathe ( or bigger-longer ).
metal lathe.
 
i suppose if your looking to just make simple plain jain cues you can get started on a hightower deluxe or another similar type lathe (there are many out there now) will get you to started making cues.

email me at marleycustomcues@yahoo.com i know where a good machine is for sale.
 
How much truth can you handle???

poolshooter74 said:
i am wondering what machines and tools are needed to start making basic cues?
starting with PJ's moving to sneaky petes and eventually onto more intricate cues.

at the moment all i have is hightower mid-size lathe that i have just been doing shaft repairs with. what should i look for next?

i cannot afford brand new equipment, so what would be a fair price for used machinery you would be recommending?

appreciate it,
louis
Click to expand...

Why?????
Are you looking for monetary gain or do you just need a new hobby?
First of all, there is no money in building cues. The money is in repairs, not building.

How much will you spend to build cues?
You can easily drop $10,000 in one day and still not be there.
If you currently have a 'mid-size', you can probably handle any & all of the repairs that come your way.

Let me put this out there for your consideration.
Are you aware that there are currently over 2,000 that call themselves cuemakers? How many of those are actually making money from building? That's anyone's guess because if they have to lie to their wife about it, they'll lie to you also.
Do you have something unique to offer that isn't already out there?

How's the economy in your area?
Take a walk over to the W/FS section and see how well cues are selling.
These people are desperate. Sellers are taking a big hit on the value of the cue they're selling just to put a buck in their pocket.
If this sounds right for you then have at it.

OK, maybe you're hobby motivated. I'd say you've already got one.
Quality repair can be very challenging.
A CM has to know the ins & outs of just one brand of cue; his own.
A C-Tech has to know them all. I know of what I speak.
I'm a cue builder, to a degree and I build a few cues a year.
I can honestly tell you though, that I make 100 times the amount of money repairing cues as I do building cues. Building costs money and with very little return. It's also very time consuming.

I'll probably catch some flack from those that seem to live to argue.
Welcome to AZB. So be it, I fully expect it. I want to see their 1099s.
 
KJ Cues said:
Why?????
Are you looking for monetary gain or do you just need a new hobby?
First of all, there is no money in building cues. The money is in repairs, not building.

How much will you spend to build cues?
You can easily drop $10,000 in one day and still not be there.
If you currently have a 'mid-size', you can probably handle any & all of the repairs that come your way.

Let me put this out there for your consideration.
Are you aware that there are currently over 2,000 that call themselves cuemakers? How many of those are actually making money from building? That's anyone's guess because if they have to lie to their wife about it, they'll lie to you also.
Do you have something unique to offer that isn't already out there?

How's the economy in your area?
Take a walk over to the W/FS section and see how well cues are selling.
These people are desperate. Sellers are taking a big hit on the value of the cue they're selling just to put a buck in their pocket.
If this sounds right for you then have at it.

OK, maybe you're hobby motivated. I'd say you've already got one.
Quality repair can be very challenging.
A CM has to know the ins & outs of just one brand of cue; his own.
A C-Tech has to know them all. I know of what I speak.
I'm a cue builder, to a degree and I build a few cues a year.
I can honestly tell you though, that I make 100 times the amount of money repairing cues as I do building cues. Building costs money and with very little return. It's also very time consuming.

I'll probably catch some flack from those that seem to live to argue.
Welcome to AZB. So be it, I fully expect it. I want to see their 1099s.
Click to expand...
NO flack from me as I totally agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!you have a machine to do Plain Janes
 
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if you havent already ran like hell after KJ's post, then heres some advice.

The first tool you will need is $$$$$...atleast enough to fill up the back of your pick up truck. Then you acquire some stuff that you might generate some income with, then you spend that income on more stuff.

Atleast this has been my experience, minus the income, as i dont sell anything.

Expensive hobby, but fun
 
As usuall KJ is right on, with this one. I might add, that before you decide to start making cues, figure out where you are going to spray the finish on them. The fumes from these clear finishes is as poison as they come. Your garage or basement is definitly out of the question...JER
 
poolshooter74 said:
i am wondering what machines and tools are needed to start making basic cues?
starting with PJ's moving to sneaky petes and eventually onto more intricate cues.

at the moment all i have is hightower mid-size lathe that i have just been doing shaft repairs with. what should i look for next?

i cannot afford brand new equipment, so what would be a fair price for used machinery you would be recommending?

appreciate it,
louis
Click to expand...
If you are on a tight budget, I would suggest just adding some modifications to your Mid Size. You can be tapering butts from scratch with router, centers, bit and power feed for $385. Adding shaft tapering bars is a little tricky, but can be done. If you are willing to buy your shafts at Final tapering size you can be building cues on that lathe very economically. That will let you know if you really want to build cues and then you can add more equipment if the desire to expand is there.
 
Hi,

KJ is right about repair making more money when you factor your time spent unit volume vs. dollars earned. If you do both however and build a quality cue, someday you may build your brand and get the big bucks. That is not a easy thing to do but if you don't try you will never find out your market potential. To make more money for your time spent building cues, I have found that if you have a dedicated machine for each sub function, then you won't spend a lot of time changing set ups.

I have spent over $ 60,000.00 for 27 machines in 7 years and just got all of my equipment modified for specific functions with 100% repeatability last year. If you are not mechanically inclined, forget it!

Remember that the walk of a 1000 miles begins with one step.

Good Luck,

Rick G
 
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You need a lathe with a taper bar . You can get the taper shaper from Unique . A Hightower Deluxe will do the job . You'll need a spray booth for finishing . Or you can do CA finishes , very hazardous !!! Good idea to get a band saw for processing wood . A dust collection system is a must for health and to maintain the tolerances on your equipment . Dirty machines wear fast !!! Alot of your tooling you'll make yourself or adapt others . Good luck as far as price because nobody gives cue building material away , very expensive .It's like racing , the more you spend , the faster you go. I do it because I love it !!! You better like it too ... Damn sure ain't for the money because most pool players aren't worth the crap that comes out their butts !They mostly want to flip for profit !!!:angry:
 
Machine knowledge..

Hi Louis,
I'm not against you..
But, If you don't know what machines/tooling to buy,
I asume you do not know much about the Machining profession.
It will be hard to make or do things that are "Machine-wise" correctly,
without a "Machinist Mind"...(Common sense will help only so much)

What's more important (or Dangerous) is not having the "Machinist Safety" mind..
So, in other words, it's not only Money..

Disreguard if I'm full of s-it.. :D

You can look at all the post that the cuemakers show their shop photos and look at what they got/use.

It is fun, and, rewarding when you build your cues..
I gotta admit that..

Alton
Disclaimer: I'm not a CueMaker.. Maybe a Cue Customizer???.
 
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I will say this, If you decide to start building cues, start simple as Chris suggested and see if this is what you want to do. You Will spend a load of money on equipment and supplies, wood, tooling, finish etc etc.
You can make money making cues BUT to make a living at it takes alot of time and wont happen for most. I started doing cue repairs and I can say that changing tips, ferrules, wraps and cutting a new shaft with matching ring work will bring money in faster.

I can say that once you refine your building techniques and build a good solid quality cue, it is rewarding to hear a customer say they like your cue. I still do repairs and it still brings in good money.
 
I am new to cue building myself and I have found you can do some amazing things on very little money if your willing to practice and have a good touch....I build a house cue conversion on a wood lathe once using sharp chisels...lol....I got within the tolerances I wanted too....1/16 aluminum rings and all...lol.....but the best thing is to upgrade your machine imho....

ps.this is a couple of pics of the cue I am talking about....I used 3/4 maple dowel and cored from the forarm all the way to the but....all this was done on an old delta wood lathe....very solid..lol check out the segmented handle..I just wanted to see if it could be done....lol.....I am going to retaper this cue on my other lathe though....food for thought...
DSC02061.jpg

DSC02063.jpg

DSC02062.jpg
 
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