Where to start?

S

sneakynito

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello All,
I've always dreamed of building pool cues. I now have some space for it so i've been playing around with the idea more and wanted to ask the experts what it would take to get going?

What would you consider to be 'essentials' for making a quality cue end to end, within the confines of my garage?
And how much should I expect to spend on this equipment?

This has likely been asked before but my searches yielded nothing.
If there's any literature or videos you can recommend, that would be welcome as well.

Cheers
 
1. A wife with a good paying job.
2. Shaft source. Wood source.
3. $5,000 for a good metal lathe with DRO and tooling . $2K for a taper machine . $1,000 for a dust collection system.
4. I don't recommend videos . You'll end up making cues like the ones on the video. But, if you must have a guide and nobody can teach you, Hightower's videos are good.
 
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Chris Hightower at Cue Man Billiards and Joe Barringer at Cue Components have some good info on videos and Chris has a book, also. Invest some time in reading about cue making, buy some videos and look on you tube for cue building videos. I think each of the two folks mentioned above will offer some help if you have a problem along the way but make sure your answer is not in their video or book-makes you look lazy.

If you are interested in using CNC, p.m. some of the cuemakers and ask their advice about costs. Some will help, some will not.

If you are wanting to start using a lathe and taper bars, you can buy a 36 inch or 40 inch lathe for under $5000.00 That doesn't include tooling, wood, butt, joint, ferrule material or any way to do inlays. A realistic, plain simple setup of equipment to get started would run you at least $9-10,000. Some cuemakers will offer help on this style of cuemaking, others will not.

The other way to get going would be to buy a machine from Cue Man or one of the other suppliers. They can speak to you about cost.

Start simple-build a sneaky pete, then a no prong and finally a 4 prong simple cue with a wrap. Ask folks to look and tell you what they think. Have thick skin because you want people to be honest with you. Remember, also, that their opinion is not the final word on anything.

You can also keep an eye out on AZB. Cuemakers quit, retire, get sick, or die and their equipment comes up for sale. Most of the time, the shops are well north of $10,000.

Do it for the love of the work and the beauty of the finished product. If you think you can start making money and lots of it, I have a nice bridge to sell you.Wishing you all the best.
 
Aloha

I got a bridge I'll sell you to, it's the only one I could afford after I started building cues.

Aloha
 
To start, you will have to decide what type of cues you want to build. It will be much cheaper if you have a target to shoot for.

For anyone to help you. It would be nice to know what experience you may have. Spend some time reading the ask the cuemaker section and watching U Tube. Decide if it something you really want to do before buying anything.

I did my first conversion cue for less than $100. I already had a lathe and a few tools. It wasen't what I would call a " quality cue". Figure you will spend at least $10,000 if you take cue building on as a hobby.

Welcome to the addiction!

Larry
 
This question has been asked a thousand times and once by me.....

You need to study and learn some idea on how to build a cue. You need some lathe and basic hand tool experience.

You will need a lathe because cues are round. You can buy a big metal lathe and then add all the things that are needed to build cues with it. They are stable and usually very accurate and most can do live threading........... but it's like killing mosquitoes with a sledge hammer..... it simply is not necessary to have such a machine.

Your first purchase should be a lathe. After the lathe, you will see the other tools you need to buy as you begin to build cues.

https://www.cuesmith.com/deluxe-cue-smithtm-cue-lathe.html

Buy a Cue Smith Deluxe package 2.... about $3200.

Some nay sayers will tell you it's a toy lathe.....don't listen to them..... it will do everything......... I have build over 100 cues on mine. I did not need to modify it or add major accessories.... You can turn it on and build cues.....................

Kim
 
Here are questions for you
What skills do you bring to the hobby?
Do you have a metal or woodworking background?
What is your end goal, do you just want to build a few cues for yourself or are you wanting to build lots of cues ?
IMO the road you take has a lot to do with how you answer the above questions. If you are completely green to industrial tools and have no experience fabricating or building stuff I wood stay away from big lathes and such. Start with gaining knowledge and then get yourself a small hobby lathe like a Hightower. Find yourself a bunch of old house cues and try and build a two piece. At that point you will have a better idea of where you are at and how deep you want to go. If you lose interest you don't have a bundle invested and you can easily sell the lathe. If you feel the urge to take the plunge, then the small investment you already made will still serve you well.
One other factor which I underestimated when starting out was wood handling and storage. You need to investigate your local climate and build proper wood storage. There is no sense in investing a ton into nice hardwoods and then have them ruined by improper storage. Wood drying and stress relieving is an art and a factor which should not be taken lightly. The end result of your product, not just how it goes out the door but months later is directly related to how well you understand this aspect.
 
Aloha

In all honesty it is very similar to the older MasterCard commercials....

Something to build cues on.......$$$$.$$

Components to build cues with.....$$$$$.$$

Trial and error working toward perfection....$$$$.$$

The feeling you get when you accomplish your first cue.....Priceless

As others have stated do it for the love of the craft. It will keep you hungry for more.

The one thing that will help in the long run is to keep a detailed journal on the cues you build, and the ideas or theories you have. Keep an open mind about your processes, and don't be afraid to change it up. You never know where the next great idea will come from.

Buy a quality set of Micrometers and Calipers. Get some books or reasearch Machine Shop practices. Both will help in the long run. Safety, nomenclature, and the processes involved, will be a benefit for you if you don't already posses these aspects.

But above all else. Be Safe......

Aloha
 
JoeyInCali said:
1. A wife with a good paying job.
2. Shaft source. Wood source.
3. $5,000 for a good metal lathe with DRO and tooling . $2K for a taper machine . $1,000 for a dust collection system.
4. I don't recommend videos . You'll end up making cues like the ones on the video. But, if you must have a guide and nobody can teach you, Hightower's videos are good.
Click to expand...
You right with what is needed and costs and that is just to start, but in the grand scheme of things, it is not a lot of money and not at all an expensive hobby.

I have a ton of equipment I have acquired over time, like 40 + years. and it may be the only hobby I have ever had that I actually made money at. Don't even ask me about when I was interested in boats. You could hear the sucking sound.

It cost me something like $20,000 a year to maintain my boats, docking fees and a couple hundred when I went out trolling for an afternoon. Golf can cost you a pretty penny as does a lot of interests. Nothing is really free.

I love messing with cues. I can be in my shop like 12 hours and don't even know where the time went. It is a great hobby for the person who may have a stressed job. Go in your shop close the door, you have your cup of coffee and just relax with your machines.
 
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Thanks all for the advice, encouragement, and cautions.

63Kcode said:
To start, you will have to decide what type of cues you want to build. It will be much cheaper if you have a target to shoot for.
Click to expand...

Canadian cue said:
Here are questions for you
What skills do you bring to the hobby?
Do you have a metal or woodworking background?
What is your end goal, do you just want to build a few cues for yourself or are you wanting to build lots of cues ?
Click to expand...

More information about me seems helpful so i'll try to answer a few of these questions.

-Skills/background: I've done woodwork but not much experience with lathes, other than turning a few pens. I'm a general diy'er, and mildly artistic. painting, drawing, wood carving.
-no metal experience. does soldering count? i'm going to say no.
-End goal? my end goal is to be able to build 4 prong cues with wraps, end to end.


rhinobywilhite said:
Chris Hightower at Cue Man Billiards and Joe Barringer at Cue Components have some good info on videos and Chris has a book,
Click to expand...

JoeyInCali said:
1.But, if you must have a guide and nobody can teach you, Hightower's videos are good.
Click to expand...

Appreciate the reference suggestions. I will look into them.


whammo57 said:
Buy a Cue Smith Deluxe package 2.... about $3200.
Click to expand...
Canadian cue said:
Start with gaining knowledge and then get yourself a small hobby lathe like a Hightower
Click to expand...

This certainly seems like an appealing idea, but conflicts with what some of others have said of getting an engine lathe.

What, if any, are the limitations of going with this type of hobby lathe?
I guess my concern would be 'outgrowing' the tool when i could have spent a little more initially.

JoeyInCali said:
3. $5,000 for a good metal lathe with DRO and tooling . $2K for a taper machine . $1,000 for a dust collection system.
Click to expand...

Is craigslist a good option when shopping for lathes?

I looked in my area [Houston] and most of them were monsters.
Do see some in Dallas that look more reasonable, though.
Not saying i'll go and buy one of these, but what am i looking for when searching?

Examples:

http://dallas.craigslist.org/mdf/tld/5021635891.html
http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/for/5018669316.html
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/tls/5027512194.html

Thanks again for all the responses.
Good to know there's such an active community if I decide to follow through.
 
macguy said:
I love messing with cues. I can be in my shop like 12 hours and don't even know where the time went. It is a great hobby for the person who may have a stressed job. Go in your shop close the door, you have your cup of coffee and just relax with your machines.
Click to expand...

Scratch my previous end goal, this is what i'm shooting for.
I'd like to be able to escape for a while, and make something i'm proud of.
 
Concerning Chris's or Todd's lathes being 'hobby' lathes, IMO they are not hobby lathes. I also don't think that you will out grow them per say. An used engine lathe is going to have issues and the fact you have no real knowledge about them can hurt your chances of getting a good one. Most will need rebuilding more than likely. An engine lathe in general, even new (after spending $3K-$5K) will then cost $$$$ to convert it for building and turning cues, tapering, building the parts, etc. Chris and Todd's lathes will be ready to turn cues once it's out of the box and installed properly on a solid work bench. If you find out it's not for you, resale on Chris and Todd's machines are really good and easy to sell. Try selling a 2000lb engine lathe 2 years old and actually getting most of your money back, not always so easy.
I have an 18yr old Deluxe cuesmith, a 1950s Atlas benchtop 54" metal lathe, and a microlux 7"x14" benchtop metal lathe and a wood lathe setup for sanding. I use them all, even for non cue related projects. I have spent more than the purchase prices on top of the original cost just to setup the 2 metal lathes for cuework, All I've spent on the Deluxe was to upgrade the motor controller and tailstock.
Hope this helps.
Dave
 
Where to start?

Try mastering the art of tip and ferrule installs first. That will surly take some time to master.

Not as easy as it looks and you will have learned a lot if you can master those things first.

Rick
 
scdiveteam said:
where to start?

Try mastering the art of tip and ferrule installs first. That will surly take some time to master.

Not as easy as it looks and you will have learned a lot if you can master those things first.

Rick
Click to expand...

bingo!! You bet!!! I agree 100%
 
scdiveteam said:
Where to start?

Try mastering the art of tip and ferrule installs first. That will surly take some time to master.

Not as easy as it looks and you will have learned a lot if you can master those things first.

Rick
Click to expand...

I agree.
It all dependes on your previous skill level though. If you have worked as a machinist or furniture maker, cue making might come easier.
But if you have no machining or wood working experience (like me) it`s best to go slow.
 
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