Saying Hi! I finally pulled the trigger :)

sileighty_guru said:
As I am well aware of all of the hazards working with anything nowadays (12 years and counting in Environmental Health & Safety for my 9-5) The workshop is actually 2 stories! My metal fabrication shop is on the upper floor :) All of my wood is either cut from lumber or squares in the shop, I have a dust box enclosure for the cue-smith hooked to the 4" collection from the metal shop above, and the smaller equipment is hooked to the HEPA vac/dust deputy (I swear by the DD!). As you can see the shop is always clean :) I am rather OCD about life. I do however have one (Dirty/Sloppy Table) on each floor to maintain my sanity! I think you can see it in one of the photos above ;)

As for finishing I am not yet setup for that, there will be an enclosed booth someday in the future! However I have a long ways to go before I need to worry about finishing a cue.
Click to expand...

It looks like you live rural, that makes it nice. You usually have a lot less to worry about. I know guys building cues in spare bedrooms in apartments. You don't want neighbors in your business, the farther away the better. Good Luck.
 
Being out in the sticks has it advantages! At least until you want something :( I don't have a neighbor for about 5 miles! plus all the woods you can travel in a lifetime to hunt for some good finds. At least once the snow stops :( Without the damn internet none of this would be possible around here (I have to travel 4 hours to the closest "exotic" wood supplier) which is the only one in Maine that processes wood in a way which is usable.
 
Welcome to the wacky world of cuemaking. You seem to be way too organized to make it in this line of work. I looked for dust and wood chips on your work area and it bothers me that you are able to perform this type miracle! No sign of dust or dirt.

Anyway, consider building a sneaky pete, then a no prong cue, then a 4 point cue and finally try some traditional inlays for the next 4 point. At this point in time, you will have made a few mistakes, hopefully figured out how to correct them or gotten some advice from your fellow AZBers. Most importantly, build what you like because building cues can be one of the greatest hobbies or business that you will ever enter.

When you show folks your cues, be prepared for good and not so kind comments. People, after all, are still critics even if they are unable to tell a cue from a toothpck!
 
sileighty_guru said:
Dirt and dust are not allowed, I tempt fate with a white visitor sofa and carpet ;) disheveled table is there if you look closely!
Click to expand...

You sir, are a completely sick and perverted individual. Cue building will cure you of that!

Welcome to the addiction!

Larry
 
Best of luck and a bit of advice that was given to me- Don't turn your best wood too early on. Save it for when you're getting decent money. Plus, why ruin good wood when you're starting out?
If you just bought a lot of that wood that you're turning keep a close eye on it. Most exotics aren't kiln dried and can crack on you very quickly if you don't give them time to reach equilibrium moisture content with your shop before cutting them & leaving them raw.
Great looking shop and I wish you well.
 
ELBeau said:
Best of luck and a bit of advice that was given to me- Don't turn your best wood too early on. Save it for when you're getting decent money. Plus, why ruin good wood when you're starting out?
If you just bought a lot of that wood that you're turning keep a close eye on it. Most exotics aren't kiln dried and can crack on you very quickly if you don't give them time to reach equilibrium moisture content with your shop before cutting them & leaving them raw.
Great looking shop and I wish you well.
Click to expand...

Great advice.
Don't center hole till you know where to.
 
Man you have organized everything really well. Marking all your wood was a great idea. It is kind of embarrassing to have customers come to my shop as it is a complete mess from one end to the other.

No one was around on Christmas and I went down and cleaned almost the whole shop and now it is already back in a total mess. Stay on top of things and you will be glad when you don't have to spend half your time searching for things that are buried somewhere on top of one of your benches. That is the story of my life in the shop.
 
cueman said:
Man you have organized everything really well. Marking all your wood was a great idea. It is kind of embarrassing to have customers come to my shop as it is a complete mess from one end to the other.

No one was around on Christmas and I went down and cleaned almost the whole shop and now it is already back in a total mess. Stay on top of things and you will be glad when you don't have to spend half your time searching for things that are buried somewhere on top of one of your benches. That is the story of my life in the shop.
Click to expand...
When I was a kid I used to work in a boat yard. The guy who owned the place had a rule. The end of every day was spent cleaning up. You never came in the next day tripping over yesterdays trash.

I am not talking just about the gofors, even the most skilled craftsman he had there were expected to clean up after themselves. It really was nice to walk in every day and all the tools and so on were where they were supposed to be.
 
Those wire racks are a pain if you don't have high ceilings. Dickie Neighbors posted one time about building a wood hanging cabinet for really dense storage. He pulls a slat full of hanging shafts out, tapers them, and puts them back. The sliding slats allow easy access to all the wood if you're just looking for a specific piece.
 
I was lucky that a lifetime buddy invited me into his shop (Esoteric Cues) last year. i have over 25 years of woodworking experience so I thought...'No problem'.

Was I wrong! What I have learned, first and foremost is... this is not a race. the cue will have no more value or be any more beautiful if it takes 3 months or 4 months to complete.

Learn alot about the adhesives and finishing products you decide on. curing and the time required can not be rushed. When creating sawdust whether of the exotic woods or domestic maple use a dust collection system that is adequate. wear a mask.

Start small. No sense in creating a high end cue that you spent hours and hours to build and it doen't roll or six months later and the rings pop. Let pool playing friends, alot of them, test drive your cue.

After 14 months I am finally working on a cue. I will do about 85% of the mechanics, but my CNC skills are next on my agenda.

If you would ever want to talk... 'yanagin to yanigan'*, you can contact me by text/phone at 847.624.7611

I love this new adventure. Since I am retired I have the time, but I still need to remember the mantra...'This is not a race!'

Good luck,

Ray Grish
'Cue Monger Ray'

*A yanigan is an 1800's base ball term for a rookie' also base ball was two words then, too.
 
Cue Monger Ray said:
I was lucky that a lifetime buddy invited me into his shop (Esoteric Cues) last year. i have over 25 years of woodworking experience so I thought...'No problem'.

Was I wrong! What I have learned, first and foremost is... this is not a race. the cue will have no more value or be any more beautiful if it takes 3 months or 4 months to complete.

Learn alot about the adhesives and finishing products you decide on. curing and the time required can not be rushed. When creating sawdust whether of the exotic woods or domestic maple use a dust collection system that is adequate. wear a mask.

Start small. No sense in creating a high end cue that you spent hours and hours to build and it doen't roll or six months later and the rings pop. Let pool playing friends, alot of them, test drive your cue.

After 14 months I am finally working on a cue. I will do about 85% of the mechanics, but my CNC skills are next on my agenda.

If you would ever want to talk... 'yanagin to yanigan'*, you can contact me by text/phone at 847.624.7611

I love this new adventure. Since I am retired I have the time, but I still need to remember the mantra...'This is not a race!'

Good luck,

Ray Grish
'Cue Monger Ray'

*A yanigan is an 1800's base ball term for a rookie' also base ball was two words then, too.
Click to expand...
Although off subject, did you ever look up the actual definition of "Monger"?
It is usually no a complementary term.
 
cueman said:
Man you have organized everything really well. Marking all your wood was a great idea. It is kind of embarrassing to have customers come to my shop as it is a complete mess from one end to the other.

No one was around on Christmas and I went down and cleaned almost the whole shop and now it is already back in a total mess. Stay on top of things and you will be glad when you don't have to spend half your time searching for things that are buried somewhere on top of one of your benches.

That is the story of my life in the shop.
Click to expand...

And, most successful business people.
 
Barry Szamboti told me a story once of when his dad gave some advice to Cantando when he was first starting out. Build one cue at a time until you have a handle of the whole process and learn from the mistakes you make from one cue to the next.

I see pics on your Facebook where you are batch producing each step.

I am not a cue builder, but have a lot of production experience. I would recommend getting the process down one cue at a time until all of the kinks and bad habits are out of the way. Messing up one cue is not as bad as messing up 10 when you realize a step is not done right.

I may be wrong here, if anyone else wants to give their input on the subject.
 
Careyp74 said:
Barry Szamboti told me a story once of when his dad gave some advice to Cantando when he was first starting out. Build one cue at a time until you have a handle of the whole process and learn from the mistakes you make from one cue to the next.

I see pics on your Facebook where you are batch producing each step.

I am not a cue builder, but have a lot of production experience. I would recommend getting the process down one cue at a time until all of the kinks and bad habits are out of the way. Messing up one cue is not as bad as messing up 10 when you realize a step is not done right.

I may be wrong here, if anyone else wants to give their input on the subject.
Click to expand...


Sound advice that I am glad to have gotten way before I started this crusade! I have built 6 so far from scratch (however the only eyes and hands to touch them before they made it to the wood stove was me)! I built them out of ugly maple stock just to design the internal structures that I liked (feel of hit/assembly ease/weight) once I beat them off the table a few times I came to a setup I liked for now which you are seeing some of the "batches" of now. I won't be disclosing everything but yes I have had plenty I have failed on! First time slamming a core into a forearm with Gorilla Glue was a *&#^%(* 6 inches in and DONE! No pun intended for the dirty minded on here :D

Plus having only one lathe makes it hard not to do work in phases. The way I see it you can never perfect anything without screwing it up at least once! Everyone can tell you its the "wrong way" but what if the wrong way had a way to be the best way down the road if someone takes a minute to figure why it didn't work. Don't get me wrong I love all the don't do this and do that, however if I did everything like everyone else then it's not really unique. I have a lot to learn, but I have a mind that is always thinking and hasn't let me down when it comes to finding a solution! If only I had the money to back up the thoughts in my head!

You guys are great! Thanks for all the comments, suggestions and encouragement!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top