Thoughts on cue making

JB Cases said:
The thing that sets Ernie and other innovative cue makers apart is their ability to create the machines and jigs to solve problems and satisfy needs. Other cue makers have benefited from this by having something of a blueprint to follow. What makes Ernie a pioneer and an original is that he didn't have a Porper Lathe, pre-made collets, a cue-parts business to buy from, videos and books to guide (or hinder) him, nor anyone teaching cue-making. All that came out of the pioneering efforts of people like himself and Burton Spain.

This isn't really so much a debate over CNC vs. non-CNC shops as it is over self-reliance and assisted living.
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TAP TAP TAP

Great thoughts. I love my case, how's the baby?

Kevin
 
After reading all the posts, it is definitely not a CNC vs. non CNC issue that makes a cuemaker, in fact I believe it takes even more effort to make a CNC cue.If only because not only do you have to have knowledge of how a cue hits, what makes it hit that way, and how to construct it so that all the cues you make have the same hit, you have to have the computer knowledge as well. I have been repairing, rewrapping and tipping cues for 13+ years, and along the way picking up the knowledge on how to make a cue, made my first one several years ago and it is the only cue I shoot with to this day.
 
Arthritis

Travis Niklich said:
The whole cnc vs non cnc will not make any difference in 5-10 years as it will become the standard by then. It will be like comparing a BETA MAX to a VHS 15 years ago now look both are made obsolete by the DVD and in another 1-2 years DVD will be obsolete too. There are a lot of cue makers who use cnc but hide it and even more who would love to use one but don't want to learn how to use it. Look at all the cue makers that are pushing the envelope of cue design are using cnc( Black Boar, Black, Gina, JW, Searing)
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One of my customs, not the Tucker in my avatar, was made partially with cnc. The maker just could not deal with the arthritis in his hands anymore. I believe he cuts the pockets and inlays by cnc and then sharpens them by hand from what I understand. I am in the sharp point fraternity and will never have a cue with rounded points. Just me. He made no effort to hide his use of cnc. Fine with the old school, hand done thing. Awesome! Tip of the hat too all of them. I think there is also an added expense to cnc machinery and this may keep some off that bandwagon. So there you go! cnc does not always mean rounded points.IMO I suppose!? LOL.
 
Mr. Wiggles said:
One of my customs, not the Tucker in my avatar, was made partially with cnc. The maker just could not deal with the arthritis in his hands anymore. I believe he cuts the pockets and inlays by cnc and then sharpens them by hand from what I understand. I am in the sharp point fraternity and will never have a cue with rounded points. Just me. He made no effort to hide his use of cnc. Fine with the old school, hand done thing. Awesome! Tip of the hat too all of them. I think there is also an added expense to cnc machinery and this may keep some off that bandwagon. So there you go! cnc does not always mean rounded points.IMO I suppose!? LOL.
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Whether the cuemaker leaves the points rounded or removes the round radius by hand to create an actual point, it is still a flat bottomed inlay and not a splice. Except for the points that were traditionally spliced, there is no difference between a cue where the inlays have been done with CNC, or one that was created with a manual pantograph or even cut by hand.
 
Points

macguy said:
Whether the cuemaker leaves the points rounded or removes the round radius by hand to create an actual point, it is still a flat bottomed inlay and not a splice. Except for the points that were traditionally spliced, there is no difference between a cue where the inlays have been done with CNC, or one that was created with a manual pantograph or even cut by hand.
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Thanks. Wasn't talking about forearm points but inlays only. Like on a box cue in the butt. Understand the V cut for forearm points but are some forearm points actually inlays? Are all inlays flat bottomed? Appreciate the input.
 
Mr. Wiggles said:
Thanks. Wasn't talking about forearm points but inlays only. Like on a box cue in the butt. Understand the V cut for forearm points but are some forearm points actually inlays? Are all inlays flat bottomed? Appreciate the input.
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I think when someone refers to a cue as being CNC they are usually referring to the points not being an actual splice. The inlays are pretty much all the same regardless how they were cut. CNC lets you do things that manually would be very difficult. I don't own any CNC, not because I have anything against it I just at this time don't.

I use a manual pantograph. I can do most kinds of inlay and have no problem making templates. But to do the really intricate stuff like you see on many cues today, often wrapping around the cue, you need CNC or it becomes so labor intensive as to make it a waste of time. CNC though is for more then just the inlay work. The machines can be run CNC for pretty much everything if you want.
 
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The thing that sets Ernie and other innovative cue makers apart is their ability to create the machines and jigs to solve problems and satisfy needs.
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Yes. When I saw and down loaded that interview, and listened to Ernie tell of some of the inventions that he created, the only thing I could think of is, What an amazing man he is.

I would give just about anything for a personal tour of his shop. That would be my holiday and worth the travel expense.

It looked like you could eat off the floor of his shop.

I guess that I will just have to be satisfied in making the odd TerryCue.
 
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If you have two cues with identical inlays and one is by pantograph and the other is by CNC then what difference does it make? It took a person to do either one. The advantage of CNC is that it enables the cue maker to go about his business doing something else he might want to do. If a cue maker can afford CNC then I think he should invest in it. There are certain inlays that are too complicated for a pantograph. You have to understand what it takes to build a pattern to produce exactly what you want as an end result. I agree with Richard Black when he say's CNC is just another tool that can be used. I have built cues for twenty years using a pantograph. I would love to have CNC but the few cues I build anymore does not justify the price of CNC.
 
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