The addiction! Is there any recovery?

GrimmCustomCues

GrimmCustomCues

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello everyone. Just wanted to introduce myself before I started posting in this forum. Ive been reading posts from this forum for months now, almost has become a daily ritual! I play APA leagues as a 6 in 8 ball and 7 in 9 ball.... I'm good but far from great. People have always told me equipment doesnt matter, you just adapt and play on. I believed that up till last year. I started experimenting with different cues, different weights, different balanced cues, different shafts, different tips and holy crap! Equipment does matter! All these different changes were costing me a small fortune! With only a few local cue repair guys in the area, Id have to drive 60 miles round trip to get a decent price on cue work. I decided back in Sept to buy my own repair lathe and take the 1st step working on my own cues. I spent a month just cutting tenons, installing ferrules and tips on blank pieces of dowel rod just to get some experience. Next thing I know it has become a part-time job! The addiction has started and now Im upgrading my lathe to a cue building lathe to feed the addiction, along with a small workshop. Im an Army helicopter mechanic by trade so I am mechanically inclined and understand what close tolerances are, everything I do revolves around it. I would like to build cues one day the same way. Honestly if I could afford to pay for one of these cue building schools Id be there in a heart beat! I know in my mind, learning from my own mistakes will definitely cost me more than spending a few weeks with a great cue builder, but I have to do what the pocket book can afford. I think Ive wrote a book here so Ill stop now. I have a pretty good idea about which equipment to get, but some tips on how to do it right would be nice. Ive purchased one set of the cue building DVDs, thinking about purchasing another one so I have a few perspectives.

Richard Grimm
 
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Welcome to the fun Richard and the only relief for the addiction is better equipment and better wood and more and more of each. It seems like a vicious circle sometimes, first you sell a couple of cues and then you watch the paypal acct and checking acct look like a revolving door that never slows down. But it's a damn great feeling to smoke an APA 9 with a cue that you made even when your 9ball break ain't working or your getting the country boy rack. Not many things feel better than the look of a piece of great cue wood when the sealer brings out the grain and the customers smile when he starts hitting balls with that great looking great hitting cue. Good luck with the therapy sessions.--Leonard
 
I guess no one told you what this forum is really about. It is a Cuemakers Annonymous meeting where we all get together and talk about our addiction. So far there has only been one cure found. That is to sell all your equipment and stop playing pool. Very few of us have overcome our addiction to cuemaking and therefore we come to our daily sessions on AZ. So I will introduce myself also. I am Chris a non-recovering cuemaker-aholic. I have had this addiction for well over 20 years and I have been unable to make any steps toward overcoming this addiction, but keep coming to our meetings anyway. As a matter of fact last night I ordered a Gecko 540 controller for one of our CNC machines. It is all because all the other addicts on here kept saying it was better than my other controller. All this talk about controllers made me lose self control and spend hundreds of dollars more on my addiction.
 
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cueman said:
I guess no one told you what this forum is really about. It is a Cuemakers Annonymous meeting where we all get together and talk about our addiction. So far there has only been one cure found. That is to sell all your equipment and stop playing pool. Very few of us have overcome our addiction to cuemaking and therefore we come to our daily sessions on AZ. So I will introduce myself also. I am Chris a non-recovering cuemaker-aholic. I have had this addiction for well over 20 years and I have been unable to make any steps toward overcoming this addiction, but keep coming to our meetings anyway. As a matter of fact last night I ordered a Gecko 540 controller for one of our CNC machines. It is all because all the other addicts on here kept saying it was better than my other controller. All this talk about controllers made me lose self control and spend hundreds of dollars more on my addiction.
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Chris Hightower is a freind you want to have. I would suggest purchasing his book and read it front to back. I beleive the best way to learn will be from your mistakes, although I am sure the cue building schools would be very nice.
 
Leonard, Chris, I appreciate the replies.

For some reason Chris youre making me Im think this hobby is going to be really expensive. I havent even bought my 1st piece of wood yet let alone more equipment and Im already living paycheck to paycheck to buy tips, ferrules and supplies!

Leonard, your right, it will be an awesome day when I beat an APA 9 with a cue I built. Ive never actually beat a 9, sad as it is. I lost to one last year by a few balls, and another I needed 6 balls and he needed 35 and he came back and run 3 racks on me! So close but so far away. HAHA!

Richard
 
josie said:
Chris Hightower is a freind you want to have. I would suggest purchasing his book and read it front to back. I beleive the best way to learn will be from your mistakes, although I am sure the cue building schools would be very nice.
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Thanks, I was actually planning on purchasing Chris's book and DVD's sometime in the near future. My problem with the learning from my mistakes method is I will probably take much more time than most to make sure whatever Im working as close to perfect as I can get it and BAM! Screw it up and have to start over again. Now thats just going to hurt. LOL

Richard
 
You are right that this addiction is expensive. The main advantage to this addiction is that you can earn the money to support the addiction, by doing repairs and selling cues. As all addictions they make you want stronger and better stuff. I am now up to about 10 lathes, a couple of manual tapering machines, 3 CNC machines, a manual inlay machine, a milling machine, a drill press and turret drill, plus hundreds and hundreds of pieces of wood and a full blown leather splitting machine that is now torn up. I forgot two band saws, a table saw and a radial arm saw plus lots more. The good part is this addiction paid for it all. I do not owe on any of it.
If you want a cue building course I suggest getting my Book and 4 DVDs which total about 11 hours of hands on teaching. I don't talk a lot in them. I show it being done and just explain what I am doing.
 
cueman said:
You are right that this addiction is expensive. The main advantage to this addiction is that you can earn the money to support the addiction, by doing repairs and selling cues. As all addictions they make you want stronger and better stuff. I am now up to about 10 lathes, a couple of manual tapering machines, 3 CNC machines, a manual inlay machine, a milling machine, a drill press and turret drill, plus hundreds and hundreds of pieces of wood and a full blown leather splitting machine that is now torn up. I forgot two band saws, a table saw and a radial arm saw plus lots more. The good part is this addiction paid for it all. I do not owe on any of it.
If you want a cue building course I suggest getting my Book and 4 DVDs which total about 11 hours of hands on teaching. I don't talk a lot in them. I show it being done and just explain what I am doing.
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I have a deluxe lathe from Chris and IMO it is the best out of the crate ready to get busy lathes out there. His dvd' s are packed full of usefull info you will need.

BTW I am Tony of Russell Custom Cues and I am a full blown cue making, playing addict and to date there is no cure !! Welcome to the madness. :D
 
cueman said:
You are right that this addiction is expensive. The main advantage to this addiction is that you can earn the money to support the addiction, by doing repairs and selling cues. As all addictions they make you want stronger and better stuff. I am now up to about 10 lathes, a couple of manual tapering machines, 3 CNC machines, a manual inlay machine, a milling machine, a drill press and turret drill, plus hundreds and hundreds of pieces of wood and a full blown leather splitting machine that is now torn up. I forgot two band saws, a table saw and a radial arm saw plus lots more. The good part is this addiction paid for it all. I do not owe on any of it.
If you want a cue building course I suggest getting my Book and 4 DVDs which total about 11 hours of hands on teaching. I don't talk a lot in them. I show it being done and just explain what I am doing.
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You are so right though! In just a few months Ive covered about 1/3 the cost of my lathe. I still have much learning to do, wraps, dent removal and tapering a shaft to a smaller diameter are three things I have no experience with and I dont dare experiment with a customers cue so that is my focus at the moment.

Im currently in the middle of building a small climate controlled workshop in my garage to store wood and house my future equipment. Ive been watching craigslist everyday to find the equipment I need. For right now my thoughts are Im going to start with a 2nd lathe (Cheap finishing lathe), Band Saw, Table Saw, Miter Saw, Belt Sander, and planer or planer/joiner combo. And ofcourse start buying the river of wood!

Any thoughts? Is this enough to get started? Chris, Ill probably call you in the next few weeks to order your book and DVD's. I have a set of someone elses cue building DVD's already but Im assuming its a good idea to see it done with a few different perspectives.

Richard
 
Russell Cues said:
I have a deluxe lathe from Chris and IMO it is the best out of the crate ready to get busy lathes out there. His dvd' s are packed full of usefull info you will need.

BTW I am Tony of Russell Custom Cues and I am a full blown cue making, playing addict and to date there is no cure !! Welcome to the madness. :D
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Thanks Tony!
 
there is no cure SIR.

dive and and have fun, dont over extend yourself tho its easy to do.

might want to start looking at craigslist for tools and metal lathes.

you can outfit a metal lathe pretty cheap ill ahve around 1000 in my south bend 13 when its done and ready.
 
GrimmCustomCues said:
You are so right though! In just a few months Ive covered about 1/3 the cost of my lathe. I still have much learning to do, wraps, dent removal and tapering a shaft to a smaller diameter are three things I have no experience with and I dont dare experiment with a customers cue so that is my focus at the moment.

Im currently in the middle of building a small climate controlled workshop in my garage to store wood and house my future equipment. Ive been watching craigslist everyday to find the equipment I need. For right now my thoughts are Im going to start with a 2nd lathe (Cheap finishing lathe), Band Saw, Table Saw, Miter Saw, Belt Sander, and planer or planer/joiner combo. And ofcourse start buying the river of wood!

Any thoughts? Is this enough to get started? Chris, Ill probably call you in the next few weeks to order your book and DVD's. I have a set of someone elses cue building DVD's already but Im assuming its a good idea to see it done with a few different perspectives.

Richard
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I think that is an excellent start.
 
GrimmCustomCues said:
. . . . . . For right now my thoughts are Im going to start with a 2nd lathe (Cheap finishing lathe), Band Saw, Table Saw, Miter Saw, Belt Sander, and planer or planer/joiner combo. And ofcourse start buying the river of wood!

Any thoughts? . . . . Richard
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Richard,

I've not ever heard of anyone on here using a Miter Saw - Table Saw? Yes Band Saw? Yes

I am often wrong, so maybe someone else will chime in with how the use a miter saw.

Otherwise, if you don't already have it, this might save you a couple of $$.

Gary
 
GEBrown said:
Richard,

I've not ever heard of anyone on here using a Miter Saw - Table Saw? Yes Band Saw? Yes

I am often wrong, so maybe someone else will chime in with how the use a miter saw.

Otherwise, if you don't already have it, this might save you a couple of $$.

Gary
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Thanks for the input.... Thinking about it, you are right. I was going to use it as a cut-off saw but I can do that on the band saw or table saw and have a little extra space it my itty-bitty workshop. I do already have a compound Miter saw which I use quite frequently around the house. Would be extremely hard to use in my tiny shop for any other than cue cutting needs anyways.

Richard
 
GEBrown said:
Richard,

I've not ever heard of anyone on here using a Miter Saw - Table Saw? Yes Band Saw? Yes

I am often wrong, so maybe someone else will chime in with how the use a miter saw.

Otherwise, if you don't already have it, this might save you a couple of $$.

Gary
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Now you made me remember more to add to the list of tools in my shop. Yes I have a Miter Saw and a metal cutting chop saw, drill press, air compressor and even a little mini table saw for cutting up shell.
 
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