Just saw this. Ain't cheap but damn they are nice. https://www.bellforestproducts.com/...DZx9dEpCfiRDy8P9p2LDNO7eOaMnuy8onYUUs7C6o60Sa
These have been available on there for a few years now and they regularly add more. I've purchased a few and while they're not cheap, they sure are pretty!Just saw this. Ain't cheap but damn they are nice. https://www.bellforestproducts.com/...DZx9dEpCfiRDy8P9p2LDNO7eOaMnuy8onYUUs7C6o60Sa
you would be surprisedAre cue makers really that open to you showing up with your own blanks for them to finish out? There's quite a few turns still left to do on those blanks before they're even ready to be jointed or a shaft fitted to them and finished. I would think you makers would rather work with their own materials.
A lot don't mind, but a lot of them will also turn away blanks they feel aren't good enough to build out.Are cue makers really that open to you showing up with your own blanks for them to finish out? There's quite a few turns still left to do on those blanks before they're even ready to be jointed or a shaft fitted to them and finished. I would think you makers would rather work with their own materials.
Part of my point was, the blank has more turning to do. So essential, other then building the blank, there is all the same steps required to build a completed cue.A lot don't mind, but a lot of them will also turn away blanks they feel aren't good enough to build out.
I send back a percentage of the wood and blanks I buy due to warpage, checking, poor moisture content, etc. If someone showed up with a blank for me to build, I'd look it over, let it sit in my shop for a month and keep an eye on it if it passes the smell test. If I suspect any defects or faults, I'd just turn it away. I don't do full splicing, or any splicing, so if I produce a spliced cue, it's someone else's blank anyways, why would I mind if someone else paid for it vs me? All I care about is if the piece is quality enough to warrant working with.
On that note, Rounceville is quallllityyyy..
I get what your saying, but different strokes for different folks.Part of my point was, the blank has more turning to do. So essential, other then building the blank, there is all the same steps required to build a completed cue.
When I was building cues years ago, (I'm almost 80) I bought a few pieces from Prather. Once I could do my own splicing I never bought anything from anyone else.
One problem is the cost of a blank. If someone brings you a blank they have paid like $400. For I don't want the responsibility. Things can go wrong no matter how good you are.
I was always running into guys who would say well I don't want to build cues I just want to do repairs. Repairs can be more stressful than building a cue from scratch. You got somebodys $1,000 cue sitting on your bench you better know what you are doing.
It's not the price of the blank but I liked building my own stuff. That is the fun of building cues. I owned pool rooms if I just wanted to make a few bucks I would sell someone else's cues.I get what your saying, but different strokes for different folks.
Some people see a prong / full splice blank and just have to have that as a cue. The money the blank costs is negligible compared to the time cue makers put into these things. If $400 makes you squirm for responsibility, cue making or machining in general is not for you.
The bottom line is there is no difference if I buy the blank vs the customer. I make cues from bare scratch, and I make cues with other makers full splices and blanks. It's all just cue building.
Imagine a speed-shop refusing to build your racecar because you're asking them to install a crate motor vs one they built in their shop. Doesn't make a difference to them.