Part-Time/Day Job Cuemakers

Macguy,
I make all my own laminated shafts and butts. For a few years I sold laminated shaft blanks, handles and coring dowels to many of the cuemakers. I sold the first full laminated butt blank to Joe Sanko before Predator came out with their first break cue. Now I sell a few laminated butt blanks and handles but mostly just make them for myself. I still sell a few laminated shaft blanks but I am running low and need to put together some more now that I am trying to make more cues myself.
The scrim work is done by Howard Thomas of Sailors Dream. He does some poker chips with nudes on them that are spectacular.
 
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JoeyInCali said:
Don't forget the Wife-Subsidized cuemakers. PLENTY of those around.
The cuemaker makes just enough to pay for the cuemaking "business".
The wife pays for the mortgage and utilities.:thumbup:.
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This is probably the category that fits me best.
Thank God for understanding wives :)
 
I.ve probably held more than one job at a time for almost ever. I guess you would have to considder anyone who does this is "part time" at everything. I tattoo 35 hours a week and have done that for 28 years. Some weeks i put in more hours in the cue shop than that. So I guess for those weeks I'm a part time tattooer and a full time cue maker LOL. I was also a machinist for many years along with tattooing and cue building. Seems there was always a side job. One day soon when I hang up the tattoo machines, I will think of my cue business as my "Social Security Suplemental Income". It will probably still be considered "part time". So, yes, I am a part time cue maker.
 
JoeyInCali said:
Don't forget the Wife-Subsidized cuemakers. PLENTY of those around.
The cuemaker makes just enough to pay for the cuemaking "business".
The wife pays for the mortgage and utilities.:thumbup:

Part-time cuemakers are really full-time job subsidized cuemakers .
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put me on that list , full time
but i did pay my dues for 30 years ;)
 
s'portplayer said:
I dug around past threads, but didn't find much about cuemakers who have a day-job/primary job and build cues part-time.
I understand that calling it part-time may be an insult to many cuemakers, but for lack of a better term, that's all I could come up with.
Of all the cuemakers out there, who has a day job and builds cues on the side?
How many hours of your week go towards your respective cue business?
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I guess I am part time although since I retired 12 years ago this is my main interest.
In the summer I golf 2 or 3 times a week and in between build a few cues. I build both snooker and pool cues and put together maybe 15 to 20 a year.
I have a strong business in cue repairs and also have about 450 people playing in the pool leagues I run.
I too am thankful for understanding wives.
 
bdcues said:
Macguy,
I make all my own laminated shafts and butts. For a few years I sold laminated shaft blanks, handles and coring dowels to many of the cuemakers. I sold the first full laminated butt blank to Joe Sanko before Predator came out with their first break cue. Now I sell a few laminated butt blanks and handles but mostly just make them for myself. I still sell a few laminated shaft blanks but I am running low and need to put together some more now that I am trying to make more cues myself.
The scrim work is done by Howard Thomas of Sailors Dream. He does some poker chips with nudes on them that are spectacular.
Click to expand...

I was really referring to the scrimshaw. That stuff is remarkable. That is about as good as I have seen. Here is one by Bob Hergert
http://www.scrimshander.com/WillieMosconi.html
 
s'portplayer said:
I dug around past threads, but didn't find much about cuemakers who have a day-job/primary job and build cues part-time.

I understand that calling it part-time may be an insult to many cuemakers, but for lack of a better term, that's all I could come up with.

Of all the cuemakers out there, who has a day job and builds cues on the side?

How many hours of your week go towards your respective cue business?

Feel free to offer more information that will add to the general theme of my question.

Thank you for participating.
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I am also a Cue Maker by day, and then I build Pimp Sticks at Night, if you need a Referance for my Pimip Sticks Kevin Varney bought one!!!!!!!:D
 
I make part time. I don't think I will every quit my real job. Actually cuemaking is my day job. I deal poker in prob the best poker room in the world. My job isn't like a job. I hang out and talk about sports all night 2am til 10am. I don't think cuemqking could ever pay me 300$-700$ a day 4 or 5 days a week.
 
Here are 4 examples of his work. Sunday morning I will have pics of my underground art cue that took him 80 hours to copy from the original art.
Bob
www.bdcuesandcomix.com
 

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manwon said:
I am also a Cue Maker by day, and then I build Pimp Sticks at Night, if you need a Referance for my Pimip Sticks Kevin Varney bought one!!!!!!!:D
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Maybe you should adopt Kevin's slogan. May I suggest "Strut with a Manwon Pimp Stick or beat yo bjtch ass ho with one."
 
When I first got into this I was a part time builder. I would go to work come home on lunch and work and go back to work and come home and work some more. Then I went to full time cue builder about 2 years later. Then back to part time. Then about 3-4 years ago I started back building cues full time. Some weeks I work 10 hours and some weeks I work 80. It really just depends on what needs to be done. Either way this is my only source of income.
 
patrickcues said:
When I first got into this I was a part time builder. I would go to work come home on lunch and work and go back to work and come home and work some more. Then I went to full time cue builder about 2 years later. Then back to part time. Then about 3-4 years ago I started back building cues full time. Some weeks I work 10 hours and some weeks I work 80. It really just depends on what needs to be done. Either way this is my only source of income.
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Hi Patrick. Almost my history :). Only I already 10 years full time building cues. My God, 10 years.:eek: Time quickly flies. But all the same there is an impression that I know about this business a little :grin:. As correctly speak in Russia " live a century, study a century, but will die like the fool":grin:. To have all life to study :thumbup:.
 
I guess I'd be considered part-time, since I don't rely on cuemaking for an income. I do it because I love it! I often spend WAY over 40 hours a week in the shop, but it's not a "full-time job".

I bought my first cue lathe back in 2005. A Hightower Mid-Size. Did repairs for a couple of years and converted some house cues.

I really wanted to make something unique for myself, so I made some mods to my Mid-Sized to make it a "Cue Building" lathe. Since then, I'd rather be building somthing new than doing repairs.
 
Building cues is a passion that i do full time. If you do some thing that you love you will never work a day in your life.
 
I'm one of the fortunate few who actually make a living from cues.
I started building cues in 1988 and haven't punched a time-card since. Prior to that, I worked in Industrial Maintenance for almost 20 yrs.
I've been a machinist since even before graduating High School and have owned several machine shops. At one time, I manufactured springer front-ends for custom motorcycles and my work has appeared in several national magazines. But I digress.

I had been building cues (& doing repairs) for 13 yrs. before Seybert's commissioned me to do all of their custom work. They had 2 CMs prior to me and each lasted less than 6 mos.
I've been with Sey about 9 yrs. I've been blessed in many areas.
I should take this opportunity to state that I have also been blessed with some very understanding clients from here on AZB who understand that, with Seybert's being my largest client, Sey's work will come first. It has to. Otherwise, Sey would be looking for yet another CM. To my understanding clients, I say THANK YOU!!!!
I hope that the work that I've performed for you reflects my appreciation.

Building cues is a passion and a love of the craft. It's also a real good way to go broke rather quickly. Anyone thinking that building cues for a living would be a wise decision, needs to realize that the counter-person at McDonalds makes more money than they ever will for the hours involved. Half of the self-proclaimed CMs on this forum can't afford to build cues; they just haven't realized it yet. They are the part-time hobby builders and I'm sure that many of them would freely admit that their hobby ain't cheap. The return is in pride, not cash. Cue repair is where the money is.
I'd say that the odds of becoming a successful CM are roughly the same as a garage band landing a contract, about 1 in 400.

Again, I was blessed with a one-in-a-million opportunity, to hook my wagon to the Seybert's star. Those opportunities are very rare and very few and far btwn.

So in response to the OP's question/poll, count me in the camp that is full-time. I really don't have time for anything else and at my age now (61) I really don't want to do anything else either.
 
I work a full tome job as a Correctional Officer. Putting in another 40 hours a week in is a good stress reliever. I build 30 - 40 cues a year,and do cue repair at tournaments.
In les than 7 years I can retire and put in about 40 - 60 hours a week just working on cues. Can't Wait
Chris Whitaker
Chris' Cues
 
Jim Buss works a 40 hour a week job at Boeing here in St. Louis. Then he probably puts in at least 40 hours if not more a week in his shop at night.
 
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