So I decided to start a new hobby and learn how to make pool cues. I know its not easy but I enjoy a good challenge. I am approaching this very slowly and have no desire to rush into it. I bought Mr. Hightowners book & videos and I also have a couple of Mr. Barringers DVD's as well. I plan on studying these items for a long time as well as equipping a shop from scratch. The latter of which should not be too hard for me since I am a vintage tool dealer on ebay. I frequent estate sales and auctions on a weekly basis. However I am aware of the costs of the specialty tools such as a cue lathe etc.. Oh, and the costs of materials. But like I said I am in no rush and buying tools is always a good investment in my book.
A super quick bio on me is that my father was a vintage tool dealer and I helped him since I was about 18 (I am 37 now). He retired and I took over right when ebay started (we were mail order before ebay). So I have been in the business a long time but have always been so busy that I never actually had a shop of my own and never really did any wood/metal work. Which is quite ironic if you think about it. A tool dealer that has never used a tool. LOL. However I am very tool knowledgeable, especially on the old stuff and I have restored and parted out 100's of machines over the years. So I at least know what I am talking about but it is still funny I guess. The only experience I have is that I helped my father build an electric acoustic guitar 2 years ago. He builds guitars as a hobby and really enjoys it. He tried to get me into it but it just doesnt do anything for me. I dont play an instrument and have no true appreciation for it. I do enjoy pool though and have collected cues over the years. So I thought this would be a great hobby for me.
Anyway, back to the original topic, sorry to rant but I have some free time right now. Here is a pic of the first pool related tool I purchased which was about 2 months ago.
The press is solid cast iron (except the tubes) but very unusual since its small. Book presses I have found in the past are usually very bulky and real heavy. It weighs in at just short of 17 pounds and has a work surface of 10 1/2" x 6 1/2".
I bought it in a bulk lot at a school woodworking auction. It ended up costing me less then 20 bucks when dividing up the number of items by the total bid price. I have purchased a few more tools since then and put together a nice little shop in my 1 car garage. If there is an interest I could post more pics of some of the other tools I bought. I have tried to just buy things I thought would be helpful to cue building.
Well, thanks for taking the time to read my post. Any comments or advise are always welcome
A super quick bio on me is that my father was a vintage tool dealer and I helped him since I was about 18 (I am 37 now). He retired and I took over right when ebay started (we were mail order before ebay). So I have been in the business a long time but have always been so busy that I never actually had a shop of my own and never really did any wood/metal work. Which is quite ironic if you think about it. A tool dealer that has never used a tool. LOL. However I am very tool knowledgeable, especially on the old stuff and I have restored and parted out 100's of machines over the years. So I at least know what I am talking about but it is still funny I guess. The only experience I have is that I helped my father build an electric acoustic guitar 2 years ago. He builds guitars as a hobby and really enjoys it. He tried to get me into it but it just doesnt do anything for me. I dont play an instrument and have no true appreciation for it. I do enjoy pool though and have collected cues over the years. So I thought this would be a great hobby for me.
Anyway, back to the original topic, sorry to rant but I have some free time right now. Here is a pic of the first pool related tool I purchased which was about 2 months ago.
The press is solid cast iron (except the tubes) but very unusual since its small. Book presses I have found in the past are usually very bulky and real heavy. It weighs in at just short of 17 pounds and has a work surface of 10 1/2" x 6 1/2".
I bought it in a bulk lot at a school woodworking auction. It ended up costing me less then 20 bucks when dividing up the number of items by the total bid price. I have purchased a few more tools since then and put together a nice little shop in my 1 car garage. If there is an interest I could post more pics of some of the other tools I bought. I have tried to just buy things I thought would be helpful to cue building.
Well, thanks for taking the time to read my post. Any comments or advise are always welcome
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