Do you think in todays market, cue makers can earn a living,especially newer CMs?From looking at the for sale ads,it looks pretty bleak.I would hope that they can because i know the intense labor that goes into every custom cue.
Price of cues
- Thread starter bobroberts
- Start date
I speak from experience when I say probably not. At least not those starting from scratch. They would more than likely need a part-time job or a wife who works, or in this economy, both.
The problem, among other things, is getting your cues out there. It's one thing to sell a few cues to nearby customers, that's easy enough, but expanding your market beyond the local environment is the hard part. A new cuemaker must produce a product that is a rock-solid player of modern design, flawless in construction, and any screw-ups can ruin what little reputation you have, in a heart beat.
It would be a tough row to hoe.
The problem, among other things, is getting your cues out there. It's one thing to sell a few cues to nearby customers, that's easy enough, but expanding your market beyond the local environment is the hard part. A new cuemaker must produce a product that is a rock-solid player of modern design, flawless in construction, and any screw-ups can ruin what little reputation you have, in a heart beat.
It would be a tough row to hoe.
yes of course there is room, but you have to build a reputation.
but unless you have the money to open a factory pumping out productions your not going to just jump in with all the equipment and start selling a butt load of cues. not to mention the issues with your products that were stated above.
get your technique/finishing process together
build a bunch of cues
sell as many as you can through local networking/internet
when you think your ready your next step up is a trade show
but its not worth the hard work for most to be anything more than just a hobby, as its a job all unto itself building cues.
But IMOP especially if someone is younger its could be a great thing to get into prior to retirment....20yrs is along time to build a rep, build up your wood, perfect your cues.
i reckon it to shooting pool, anyone can become a pro but rarely do you see someone put in the time and effort to do so....cue making much less building a functional business out of it is just the same.
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this post reminds me of a joke that my local cue maker told me:
A Cue Maker wins the Lottery. A gal from the media asks him; "What are you going to do now?" The Cue Maker replies; "Keep makin cues til all the money is gone!"
That pretty much ... Says it all !!!
A Cue Maker wins the Lottery. A gal from the media asks him; "What are you going to do now?" The Cue Maker replies; "Keep makin cues til all the money is gone!"
That pretty much ... Says it all !!!
what a horrible joke lol.....goes to show you tho the types of people that stick with it just enjoy creating with their hands and money wasn't the object from the very beginning, IMOP for many its about pride, perfection, patience and the constant search for fullfillment of all three.
and if i may add...a little legacy...:wink:
I agree with most everything stated.CMs who only build cues do it because they are artists who love what they are doing.only a few reach the star status and even those usually reinvest what they make in better equipment and more woods,so their not getting rich.I would say most people don't understand what it takes to make a cue from beginning to end.Then have it look great and play great.
as someone who has been researching gettin into cue building over the past month i can tell you right off from everything ive read that gettin into cue building isnt for the people looking for a get rich quick scheme or even making it their profession right away. it will take time to perfect the processes involved. 5 years, 10 years, maybe 20 years it could take. it depends on the dedication of the individual. can someone make money off cue building? definitely. but not without tons of either time/money or even both invested. and even then im not sure exactly how much they might make
If by CM you mean Cuemaker, there are a relative few who would be considered artists. Most are simply journeyman cue builders who not only make a living selling their cues but do repair work as well.
As a matter-of-fact there is more money to be made, on a per-hour basis, repairing cues than there is in building and selling cues. As an example, a competent repair person can install a ten dollar LePro tip in less than ten minutes. The tip, glue, sandpaper, and the electricity to run the lathe costs less a buck an hour, and the rest is profit. If you do the math, that's over fifty dollars an hour.
If you don't mind some cheap advice jfais, don't quit your day job. However, if you continue to have an overwhelming desire to build cues, do it as a hobby. Start out with 'Sneaky Petes', wrapless cues, and non-metal joints, and work yourself up from there. Keep machinery costs as low as possible. Learn to repair cues first. Repair work will give you more insight into the workings of a cue than anything else.
Specialize. If no one around your area does leather wraps, learn to do that.
In short, do it the right way, and try talking your wife into getting a second job.
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I think it was best said by RAT cues in this thread
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=187017
"Here's what I tell people when they ask me; Give me $20,000 and let me either punch you in the stomach, kick you in the groin, or a boot to your butt once every day for two years. Then, I'll give you $10,000 back.
Yes, its meant to be funny but do not make the same mistake as other before you. Start small and learn how to repair cues. Find out why they are assembled, as opposed to how they are assembled. What significance does each componant play? Experiment. Learn. Repeat. Never stop learning, no matter how much you think you know. "
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=187017
"Here's what I tell people when they ask me; Give me $20,000 and let me either punch you in the stomach, kick you in the groin, or a boot to your butt once every day for two years. Then, I'll give you $10,000 back.
Yes, its meant to be funny but do not make the same mistake as other before you. Start small and learn how to repair cues. Find out why they are assembled, as opposed to how they are assembled. What significance does each componant play? Experiment. Learn. Repeat. Never stop learning, no matter how much you think you know. "
It's tough to look at on an hourly basis, unless a repairman has a line of cues a mile long and a barrel full of LePros to put on them at $10 a pop.
It's like this ... When I was a kid, my mom would give me $5 to take out the garbage. It took me 3 minutes, but that doesn't mean I was making $100 an hour by taking out the garbage. It meant that once in a while, I earned $5 to do a 3 minute task. Luckily for me, I wasn't running full bags of garbage out to the dumpster nonstop for an hour. Catch my drift?
Bob I do not think that an unestablished cue maker can make a living building cues alone. Using myself as an example, I built my shop behind the counter in a Pool Room that I opened up. I had been planning for more than 10 years to try my hand at building cues, so when I retired from the Army in 2003 I turned my dream into reality. I am a self taught cue maker so I made many many mistakes in the beginning that were expensive. I suspect that the learning process, and start up cost of equipment and materials alone would be very hard to over come without some source of income to support this endeavor.
One interesting fact that I have learned is that there is much more money in repair work than there is in cue building at least for a new cue maker who is unknown. I average between $2000 and $4000 month in repairs during an average month, combined with the retail equipment I sell, beer, soft drinks and food, along with table rental I do pretty well. However, without the other things I am doing, I would starve building cues alone.
JIMO
You win the prize 9Ball. I was wondering who would be the first to point out the fact that a cue repair person doesn't retip cues one after another, eight hours a day. Do you think I was that stupid or was the anlogy to much for you?
Haha I wasn't trying to be an a-hole, Tramp. I knew what you were driving at, just playing devil's advocate, that's all. No disrespect meant, of course.
If you don't mind some cheap advice jfais, don't quit your day job. However, if you continue to have an overwhelming desire to build cues, do it as a hobby. Start out with 'Sneaky Petes', wrapless cues, and non-metal joints, and work yourself up from there. Keep machinery costs as low as possible. Learn to repair cues first. Repair work will give you more insight into the workings of a cue than anything else.
Specialize. If no one around your area does leather wraps, learn to do that.
In short, do it the right way, and try talking your wife into getting a second job.
i appreciate the advice, but the fact that this advice is what was already in my head reassures me. i will start small doin repairs and other various "learning" tasks and build from there. everything takes practice
Atta boy, jfais. Go for it.
Here's a story that was told to me by one of the best cuemakers in the country. He said there was only one feeling better than going into a poolroom and playing pool with a cue you had built, yourself, and that was going into a poolroom and seeing someone else playing with a cue you built. Keep that thought in mind. :thumbup:
Sorry if I seem a bit snappy. I've got a helluva cold and I feel like hammered s**t today.
I think I'll go and fix myself a cold remedy given to me by my sainted Grandmother. One ounce of Quervo and nothing else. :wink:
In my opinion I don't think you could make a steady living building cues in today's economy. Some of the true top level CM's like Ernie (Gina) and Tony (BB) just to name a couple will do fine, but a new CM who has to start from scratch will have trouble. South West cues is an exception to the rule of cue making (a 10 year waiting list equals a pretty secure income with prices that reflect today's market for their cues). What a business to run! People are willing to wait 10 years to spend a pretty fair amount of money for one of your cues!
James
i would be willing to bet that even with their 10 year waiting list,no one there
is getting rich.The few you mentioned are making a good living but it took them years and years to get to that level.That is why in todays market i think a new cue maker should have regular employment to substitute his earnings.