What is a cuemaker's thoughts on Ray Schuler?

S

Snake Plisken

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I don't hear much talk about Ray Schuler and his cues here on AZB.
I know Ray has passed, but I was wondering what thoughts cue makers here have on Ray Schuler and his cues.

Did Ray have any original contributions to cue making and design?

What do you think of the quality of his cues from both an aesthetic as well as functional aspect?

Why do you think that there is little if any talk about him and his cues on AZB, and rarely see his cues offered for sale here?

Thanks in advance for you replies.

-Snake
 
all i know about ray was that he had the largest collection of shaft tapers in the world......
 
Ray had some different thoughts about cuemaking. He told me that a shaft should not have a ferrule longer than 1/4". We now know the the lighter the tip end is the less deflection. Looks like he was right. I'm not sold on that joint though. I've seen 2 people twisting on a cue, just trying to get it apart...JER
 
Ray learned cue making, at least in part, from Herman Rambow. IMO, his joints are exceptional, though not necessarily original. Lastly I would say that the quality of Schuler cues, at least the pre-Jacoby SLCs, would (or should) have Ray turning in his grave. I haven't seen any Jacoby made Schuler cues, but the quality has nowhere to go but up. RIP.
 
Schulers main claim to fame was his joint and his shaft tapers. His shafts would fit almost any cue he made. I once had a customer send me a Schuler carom shaft and tell me to make him a high end cue butt to match it.
 
I have a cue Ray made probably 30-35 years ago, i'm guessing. its a 3C or carom cue and it.s great, absolutley great
 
I treasure an hour or so I spent with Ray at his shop in either 1978 or 1981. My frame of reference at the time was a 13" pro taper shaft and I was kind of close minded about it. I was playing with early Tim Scruggs cues then. Ray spent some time demonstrating and discussing the virtues of the various tapers he used. I just couldn't absorb what he was trying to teach me at the time. I greatly respect him taking the time with me though. I remeber him a man with class. I now understand in a way I could not then. At that time, cuemakers were far and few between.

Martin
 
jazznpool said:
I treasure an hour or so I spent with Ray at his shop in either 1978 or 1981. My frame of reference at the time was a 13" pro taper shaft and I was kind of close minded about it. I was playing with early Tim Scruggs cues then. Ray spent some time demonstrating and discussing the virtues of the various tapers he used. I just couldn't absorb what he was trying to teach me at the time. I greatly respect him taking the time with me though. I remeber him a man with class. I now understand in a way I could not then. At that time, cuemakers were far and few between.

Martin
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those are good words about ray.......I'm sure he's all smiles up above......talking and sharing knowledge tells alot about a man regardless if the student understands at the time or not......I've never met the man but by your description i would have enjoyed the conversation if it had happened to me...
 
I had the luck to pay him a several visits and spend quite a bit of time on the phone with him. He gave me professional, pool, and personal advice. He also taught me more about the physics of the game than I've learned from anyone else. I'm hoping that my cues will live up to his standards. His joint is lighter than almost any other on the market, but is very strong due to the dispersion of stresses inherent in the joint. The exterior of the joint could appear to be SS, ivory, plastic, or wood. He was the first to make shafts that were completely interchangeable. He was the first cuemaker to offer multiple shaft tapers ready to ship. He didn't use a weight bolt. His bumper assembly weighed between 20 and 40 grams. He balanced his cues primarily through prudent use of woods. Europe was a large part of his customer base. He didn't like to make super fancy cues because he liked the look of wood more. He also felt guilty about trying to sell super expensive cues. He said it was silly to decorate something that was essentially a toy, but he'd make them if someone really wanted them.
 
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Fatboy said:
I have a cue Ray made probably 30-35 years ago, i'm guessing. its a 3C or carom cue and it.s great, absolutley great
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A lot of billiard players liked Ray's original cues. AS chris mentioned what came after left a lot to be desired

Mario
 
Snake Plisken said:
I don't hear much talk about Ray Schuler and his cues here on AZB.
I know Ray has passed, but I was wondering what thoughts cue makers here have on Ray Schuler and his cues.

Did Ray have any original contributions to cue making and design?

What do you think of the quality of his cues from both an aesthetic as well as functional aspect?

Why do you think that there is little if any talk about him and his cues on AZB, and rarely see his cues offered for sale here?

Thanks in advance for you replies.

-Snake
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I believe Ray was the first to use carbide mandrels to build his cues and thus was the first to have interchangeable shafts.
 
cuesmith said:
I believe Ray was the first to use carbide mandrels to build his cues and thus was the first to have interchangeable shafts.
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I knew he was one of the first to make interchangable shafts, but I did not know he used carbide mandrels. I figured since he had stainless joints that he was just turning them all to size. We learn something all the time.
 
Snake Plisken said:
I don't hear much talk about Ray Schuler and his cues here on AZB.
I know Ray has passed, but I was wondering what thoughts cue makers here have on Ray Schuler and his cues.

Did Ray have any original contributions to cue making and design?

What do you think of the quality of his cues from both an aesthetic as well as functional aspect?

Why do you think that there is little if any talk about him and his cues on AZB, and rarely see his cues offered for sale here?

Thanks in advance for you replies.

-Snake
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Ray was another innovator who not only loved playing pool but also making a cue that was well built. Ray patterned his cues construction wise after cues he had used when he was young that were made by Herman Rambow. Rambow and Ray became good friends and when Herman died Ray started doing repairs in the Chicago area, later he developed his patented joint which he became famous for.

While Ray built pool cues his true passion was 3-Cushion Billiards cues, and Ray was an avid Billiards player.

Take Care
 
Ray's basic joint did not use stainless. He did occasionally use SS for the joint collar, but it's less than 0.1" thick. It's more decoration. He also used brass, phenolics, and wood for the exterior. The screw is a hollowed brass pin and the shaft uses an aluminum insert that pilots into the butt with an interference fit.
 
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