Making your own cue

[robertno1pool]

Build Cue

What about a "Build or Bust" for cues where a well known cue maker furnishes the materials and shop to build a cue in a month. Only thing is, the cuemaker can not show them how to build the cue. If they can finish the cue to the cuemaker's minimum standards and run a rack of 9- ball before the deadline, they get to keep the cue.

 

[rhncue]

What about a "Build or Bust" for cues where a well known cue maker furnishes the materials and shop to build a cue in a month. Only thing is, the cuemaker can not show them how to build the cue. If they can finish the cue to the cuemaker's minimum standards and run a rack of 9- ball before the deadline, they get to keep the cue.

That sounds great for the recipient of the supplies, shop time and finished cue, if he survives. I've been building cues for 15 years and working on them for over twice that long and I won't let anyone even pick up a screw-driver in my shop and I never will. Lathes, mills, saw machines and everything else in a shop is very dangerous to use. If an accident occurs the person is extremely lucky if he only loses an arm.

So that is something I just can't wait to do, to set some inexpeirenced individual loose in my shop, use my equipment, my materials to build a cue for themselves and then turn around and have to try to explain to a judge why the man shouldn't be allowed to take my shop, equipment, house and all savings both present and future for me allowing him to cut his finger on my equipment.
Dick

 

[JoeyInCali]

That sounds great for the recipient of the supplies, shop time and finished cue, if he survives. I've been building cues for 15 years and working on them for over twice that long and I won't let anyone even pick up a screw-driver in my shop and I never will. Lathes, mills, saw machines and everything else in a shop is very dangerous to use. If an accident occurs the person is extremely lucky if he only loses an arm.

So that is something I just can't wait to do, to set some inexpeirenced individual loose in my shop, use my equipment, my materials to build a cue for themselves and then turn around and have to try to explain to a judge why the man shouldn't be allowed to take my shop, equipment, house and all savings both present and future for me allowing him to cut his finger on my equipment.
Dick

Tap, tap, tap.
Joey~Has fractured right middle-finger ( lathe cover went down on his fingernail ) and 5 stitches on his left index finger ( stupidity, don't ask ) and can't count the little nicks and scratches, the last 4 months ~
You wanna build your cues? Go see Bill Stroud and shake his hand. You might quit right there.

 

[olsonsview]

I agree that the risks outweigh the fun

Too many people have no common sense around tools. And large equipment like a lathe or mill are so much more dangerous than even a circular saw. They run so smoothly one thinks they are quite benign until that little accident shows us the power that can be unleashed. I have worked around equipment all my life and I still have some close calls!

 

[billiardshot]

Got insurance

That sounds great for the recipient of the supplies, shop time and finished cue, if he survives. I've been building cues for 15 years and working on them for over twice that long and I won't let anyone even pick up a screw-driver in my shop and I never will. Lathes, mills, saw machines and everything else in a shop is very dangerous to use. If an accident occurs the person is extremely lucky if he only loses an arm.

So that is something I just can't wait to do, to set some inexpeirenced individual loose in my shop, use my equipment, my materials to build a cue for themselves and then turn around and have to try to explain to a judge why the man shouldn't be allowed to take my shop, equipment, house and all savings both present and future for me allowing him to cut his finger on my equipment.
Dick

I don't know if this been discuss before or should be under a new thread. But what affect on homeowner insurance coverage or type of insurance would one need for cuemaking whether at home or in another building?

 

[rhncue]

I don't know if this been discuss before or should be under a new thread. But what affect on homeowner insurance coverage or type of insurance would one need for cuemaking whether at home or in another building?

I've mentioned this before but I don't know if it was on this forum. Many people are doing there cue building and repair in their basement or garage. If there is ever a fire then they are in for a big surprise as home owners insuarance will not cover any damages if the insuarance carriers find out there was a business there. It is very hard and expensive to get fire insuarance for a wood working shop, let alone a residence. At one shop I had I had to agree to have No Smoking signs, install a vacum system to collect all the dust at it's source, use a water born finish, which I lied about and used a Urethane finish, and the insuarance rep made surprize visits every now and then and they still didn't want to insure the place.

There also are fire codes and building codes limiting just what you are allowed to do on residential property.

Dick

 

[Solartje]

to come back to an old topic....


ive loved to build my architecture plans from scrap pieces of wood and use my hands to make into a greath looking scale model. im still young, and dont got time to even think about starting to make cue's, but its something i was planning for in a year or 25.

now i got an extra problem. i Live in Europe, belgium. there are exactly 0 poolcuemakers here... and i dont think there are any others in surrounding countries. (exept maybe in germany, but my german is SO bad, i wouldnt even understand the man).

So my question : (in fact more a reality slap i need, before i go out on spending money on video's books)

- i was thinking of reading and checking out video's and reading this forum for the next couple of years to get some basic understanding.
- after i got the basics covered, i would be probably ask this forum if there is a cuemaker that would be interested in teaching me the skills. (i could take a 2 week -cuebuilding vacation to the states) he wouldnt have to be scared of losing business because... will i live 20k miles away
- now problems.
A/ the gear to make the cue. i know u can get good cuebuilding lathe's etc from websites like chrisses... but shipping it to europe??? dont think its even possible.
B/ so i thought.. might get the gear from a cuebuilder who stops, visit him, let him teach me the skills, buy his gear, put it all in one BIG container, have it shipped by boath, and then unload it here. but is that even payable? (ok this comes by once in a lifetime, but hey... guess what.. ive got 1 lifetime to spend and wait for this chance...)
c/ i dont got the skills to build or convert lathe's i find here..d/ the reason why i want to be one of the first cuebuilders in my country of the new era (2k+), is that im looking for a hobby for in my later days. (when ill be 50 or older...) i still have 20 years to go, so it gives me more then enough time to start doing the research work.. (by then i should have a very very nice income, and lets say $ wouldnt be a problem... im ready to spend some k's $ by then to start a business. ive got 20y to save for it.. so even if i safe lets say 50$ bucks /month, by then i should have MORE then enough... i could even start collecting woods.. and season them for 10 or more years...

so my question: could you tell me wich points in my post will be impossible? i know its VERY though for people who live in the states, but how hard is it for a european guy... is my dream possible? or should i find annother hobbie?

 

[bandido]

to come back to an old topic....


ive loved to build my architecture plans from scrap pieces of wood and use my hands to make into a greath looking scale model. im still young, and dont got time to even think about starting to make cue's, but its something i was planning for in a year or 25.

now i got an extra problem. i Live in Europe, belgium. there are exactly 0 poolcuemakers here... and i dont think there are any others in surrounding countries. (exept maybe in germany, but my german is SO bad, i wouldnt even understand the man).

So my question : (in fact more a reality slap i need, before i go out on spending money on video's books)

- i was thinking of reading and checking out video's and reading this forum for the next couple of years to get some basic understanding.
- after i got the basics covered, i would be probably ask this forum if there is a cuemaker that would be interested in teaching me the skills. (i could take a 2 week -cuebuilding vacation to the states) he wouldnt have to be scared of losing business because... will i live 20k miles away
- now problems.
A/ the gear to make the cue. i know u can get good cuebuilding lathe's etc from websites like chrisses... but shipping it to europe??? dont think its even possible.
B/ so i thought.. might get the gear from a cuebuilder who stops, visit him, let him teach me the skills, buy his gear, put it all in one BIG container, have it shipped by boath, and then unload it here. but is that even payable? (ok this comes by once in a lifetime, but hey... guess what.. ive got 1 lifetime to spend and wait for this chance...)
c/ i dont got the skills to build or convert lathe's i find here..d/ the reason why i want to be one of the first cuebuilders in my country of the new era (2k+), is that im looking for a hobby for in my later days. (when ill be 50 or older...) i still have 20 years to go, so it gives me more then enough time to start doing the research work.. (by then i should have a very very nice income, and lets say $ wouldnt be a problem... im ready to spend some k's $ by then to start a business. ive got 20y to save for it.. so even if i safe lets say 50$ bucks /month, by then i should have MORE then enough... i could even start collecting woods.. and season them for 10 or more years...

so my question: could you tell me wich points in my post will be impossible? i know its VERY though for people who live in the states, but how hard is it for a european guy... is my dream possible? or should i find annother hobbie?

You just being here and participating in this discussion shows your interest in the craft but how interested is the hard part to answer. If your interest in the craft as a craft is of a higher level then you should be starting right now. At least reading up on it and checking out construction systems, including info from related industries, and dismantling broken cues. Learn about the materials used and start collecting them.

Your mention of "0 cuemakers there" and speculation on how you'll capitalize your interest" shows your other reason which is its financial return. Do a feasibility study! Take into consideration too that being a pioneer has its benefits. If you decide later when somebody already "did" and have nothing to offer other than lower pricing then you'll soon realize that your reputation, brought about by lower pricing, won't last long. You'll soon need to add equipment and materials that you'll need to figure in on your pricing structure. What happens to you, who has nothing uniquely you to offer" when some new guy with lower prices tosses his hat into the arena?

--more but think about the above first--

 

[bob_bushka]

Prather blanks

They do make nice forearm blanks.....I wonder if George Balabushka used Spains or Zamboti's forearms.....mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Wasn't George more of a cue assembler? Anyway I just played with a Rat cue a friend of mine got it fairly cheap,,,I'm not quite sure of the build but I can assure you the hit was fantastic. I have hit Bender to Southwest to Josswest but this Rat, with the exception of the $4000 Bender is the best cue I've boinked in a long time. Maybe the cue was a one time anamoly but it was sweet.

 

[DaveK]

c/ i dont got the skills to build or convert lathe's i find here..

I would think that this is exactly why you should get a metal lathe locally. You need to develop machining skills and jig-making skills, and converting a lathe slowly might be just the ticket to learning. Another way to look at this is for maintainability. If you purchase a purpose-built cue lathe from the States and it breaks or needs modification, without the ability to do the work yourself you'll have to rely on the US manufacturer (with all the delay and expense associated with that). If you learn to do your own machine work these maintenance issues pretty much go away.

jmo

Dave

PS Congratulations on the new job !

 

[Solartje]

thx davec!

mm never thought about upgrades or problems if i would ship them from the states. i guess best would be to watch cuebuilding video's and read books so i know what my machines have to be able to do, and then try to find out how i could use local machinery.

bandido: maybe i expressed myself wrong. $ is not one of the reasons i would start it. i know VERY well this is not the business u want to do if u want to earn money. like i said, with the new job, ill be having a nice income, and this would be purely a hobby. an expensive one for sure, but as long as i can afford it, why not.i can still sell my cue's here on the forum, and other places, but i just want to make nice cue's. i love designing them, and id love to build them. if people want to buy them, COOL if not , ill just put them on display in my 'yet to build' house. being one of the first custom makers would only be an extra reason to start it. cuebuilding is just a small part of my huge passion for the game. id even love to build a table one day, after reading a post here on how to build one. id love to do EVERYTHING. some dreams ill never be able to do, some i will. only time will tell. i know the road will be even harder over here to travel then in the states seeing the lack of experienced people that could teach me.

ill have to learn alot by trial and error, and probably more errors then trials. but hey, rome wasnt build in a day. one thing i already know is how to use autocad designs for CNC's from my architecture background.

i still got one thing that could help, and thats a local woodartist that has lathe's i can use for free. i could start like most did with some basic housecue's and learn to work with the machines. seeing how hard it is to find good wood for shafts etc, i could already start seasoning them now, so i would have enough for when the real works starts.

with the increased use of videocamera's etc, i know it will be easyer to learn from distance compared to 40 y ago. and id love to visit the states and meet and learn some cuemakers. (ps those who offer clases still are expensive... and for some reason id prefere to learn it from somewhone who does it purely to share his knowledge and out of passion. more a master-student relationship then a $-experience relationship) i remember one cuebuilder once posting here on azb he would teach one person how to build cue's for free (well not totally free, im using woods etc, but u get the idea)this is the spirit i like, and i hope when ill visit the states, some people will still have the same spirit and takeme under there wing.

AND i love this forum!! all the posts here are AMAZING. sometims its hard to understand what people are saying, seeing that im not native english and some technical terms sound like chinese to me, but thats a matter of time, and being 30y next summer, ive got PLENTY of time



ps!!! mmm got an idea, i could take a local course woodbuilding or something. im sure somewhere i can find that. it would be a greath place to start.!!

 

[bandido]

ps!!! mmm got an idea, i could take a local course woodbuilding or something. im sure somewhere i can find that. it would be a greath place to start.!!

This is a brilliant idea! One that falls under the "related industries" that I mentioned. This can also familiarize you with details of your native woodcraft designs. It's something that you can incorporate into your cuemaking and definitely something that can set you apart. I did just that by using a lot of the local hardwoods instead of imported ones or the usual cuemaking woods. I also used different locally available shells and shied away from the faux shell slabs. I also developed my own design style/system which are "shadows" and the color scrim on carving. Hoping that this gives you some ideas.

 

[Vahmurka]

Solartje, there is a cuemaker much closer than you think. It is Tom Penrose, registered here as 'Penrose Cues'. Probably you could try to contact him first on your matter, as it would save you money for a trip over the ocean for the first time. At least you could learn woodworking basics in regard with cuemaking rom him.

 

[WilleeCue]

How easy is it to make your own cue from scratch and what type of materials and machines do you need as I have seen some of the cues on here and I would really love to design and make my own.

If you want to make your own cue the best way to go is get with a cuemaker that will let you into his shop and help you make it.
Arnot Wadsworth is one such cuemaker.

http://www.arnotq.com/

He makes his living as a cuemaker and time spent teaching or helping is time taken away from working on someone's custom cue so do not expect his time to be free.
However, you will come away with a nice custom cue that you had a large hand in making, get to learn the entire process from start to finish, and have a good idea of what kind of equipment you will need to start your own shop.

I have done this twice in the past and both people were very happy with what they learned and the cue they made.
It is possiable that this summer May - June - July - Aug I will be available to do this again if someone is interested.
It takes about 7 days to make a modest custom cue but there are also some nice attractions here in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Fishing,
the beaches, texas Aquarium, the Lexington, some good pool halls, and Robin Adair's pool pro shop.

 

[WilleeCue]

Btw, I do not know of ONE cuemaker who commands high respect and uses Prather blanks. Not ONE.

I have told you before, Joey.
Dont Mr. Prather count as a respected cuemaker?
He makes all his cues using Prather blanks.

I think the whole argument of cuemaker / assembler is silly to start with.
The real measure of a cuemakers skill is right there in the finished product.
It is either up to par or it is not.
I would think that a cuemaker who used inferior parts and finished with a superior cue would be considered a master of the craft.

I know ... you are asking how can a superior cue be made from inferior parts?
The answer is ... with the knowledge and skill to identify and correct the flaws.
That is what separates the master cuemakers from the assemblers.

Am i a master cuemaker ?
I think not ... but ... that is not for me to judge.
I feel I am just a humble cuemaker doing the best he can with what he has.

 

[skins]

i know i'm chiming in late but has anyone seen this

Cue Polishing Incident

making a cue only seems easy enough. this is just one disaster among a myriad that can happen if you don't have good training on the methods and equipment.

 

[cueman]

i know i'm chiming in late but has anyone seen this

Cue Polishing Incident

making a cue only seems easy enough. this is just one disaster among a myriad that can happen if you don't have good training on the methods and equipment.

Yes I saw it and that image was going through my head all the time I was doing a couple of polishing methods that are a little risky on a $12,000 cue I completed yesterday. I guess I am a little to set in my ways to change, but I do some things to the end of the cue with it only secured it the mandrel and nothing against the butt of the cue. This allows me to get inside the rubber bumper cavity without having to reset things up with a collet. It is risky but I have done it who knows how many times. But his picture was still a sobering thought as I was doing it yesterday.
Chris
www.hightowercues.com
www.internationalcuemakers.com

 

[ratcues]

Wow, this thread got way off point. Here's my advice. Buy a small machine and learn the basics by doing cue repair. When you feel comfortable with that, move up to making SPs. Build up your machinery as you go by reinvesting your profits back into your business.

Its hard to jump headfirst into cuemaking. Crawl before you walk, walk before you run.....

 

[cueman]

Wow, this thread got way off point. Here's my advice. Buy a small machine and learn the basics by doing cue repair. When you feel comfortable with that, move up to making SPs. Build up your machinery as you go by reinvesting your profits back into your business.

Its hard to jump headfirst into cuemaking. Crawl before you walk, walk before you run.....

This is great advice. If you are going to make the mistake seen in the above link it is better to do it on a SP than that cue. If you do some basic repairs first you will probably know your lathe well enough to not ever make that mistake. Also by doing repairs you will learn more construction methods, than someone who was taught just one single way of doing things, like many cuemakers are.
Chris
www.hightowercues.com
www.internationalcuemakers.com

 

[Sev]

to come back to an old topic....


ive loved to build my architecture plans from scrap pieces of wood and use my hands to make into a greath looking scale model. im still young, and dont got time to even think about starting to make cue's, but its something i was planning for in a year or 25.

now i got an extra problem. i Live in Europe, belgium. there are exactly 0 poolcuemakers here... and i dont think there are any others in surrounding countries. (exept maybe in germany, but my german is SO bad, i wouldnt even understand the man).

So my question : (in fact more a reality slap i need, before i go out on spending money on video's books)

- i was thinking of reading and checking out video's and reading this forum for the next couple of years to get some basic understanding.
- after i got the basics covered, i would be probably ask this forum if there is a cuemaker that would be interested in teaching me the skills. (i could take a 2 week -cuebuilding vacation to the states) he wouldnt have to be scared of losing business because... will i live 20k miles away
- now problems.
A/ the gear to make the cue. i know u can get good cuebuilding lathe's etc from websites like chrisses... but shipping it to europe??? dont think its even possible.
B/ so i thought.. might get the gear from a cuebuilder who stops, visit him, let him teach me the skills, buy his gear, put it all in one BIG container, have it shipped by boath, and then unload it here. but is that even payable? (ok this comes by once in a lifetime, but hey... guess what.. ive got 1 lifetime to spend and wait for this chance...)
c/ i dont got the skills to build or convert lathe's i find here..d/ the reason why i want to be one of the first cuebuilders in my country of the new era (2k+), is that im looking for a hobby for in my later days. (when ill be 50 or older...) i still have 20 years to go, so it gives me more then enough time to start doing the research work.. (by then i should have a very very nice income, and lets say $ wouldnt be a problem... im ready to spend some k's $ by then to start a business. ive got 20y to save for it.. so even if i safe lets say 50$ bucks /month, by then i should have MORE then enough... i could even start collecting woods.. and season them for 10 or more years...

so my question: could you tell me wich points in my post will be impossible? i know its VERY though for people who live in the states, but how hard is it for a european guy... is my dream possible? or should i find annother hobbie?

If I might suggest. Apply for a Visa and come to America for a while.
There are more cue builders here at the moment than you can rattle a stick at. If you speak fluent english perhaps you could get an apprenticeship.

Otherwise find some well respected wood and steel shops at home and work out of them for a while to get an understanding of how the machinery and stock works together. I'm a contractor and was a farm boy as a kid. I have used all sorts of equipment my entire life. I will tell you this, if you are coming into this quest of building a cue with no knowledge of equipment and the dangers it may present, you are looking to get seriously injured. Something as simple as a loose shirt can have dire consequences. I know guys that cut their own fingers off, shaved parts of their hands of in jointer planers and others that have lost body parts in combines. First and foremost you need experience with equipment so that you will understand and have the proper respect for the tools you will be using.