Dennis Searing, The Lazy Man?
An unauthorised Bio
Dennis Searing was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. I first met Dennis when he lived on West Taft Street in Hollywood Florida. Dennis had been in a car accident that I believe almost took his life. When I first met Dennis he was a little on the frail size Vs today where taking some time to excercise and play golf he has a build similar to Tiger Woods.
Dennis was a maker of cue parts long before making his first custom. I am not talking parts for sale I am talking of learning as he spent endless hours on the phone with a famous Cuemaker that has long now passed away.
I found Dennis to be unusual as rather than hide what he did he would explain it in detail so you would understand. I did not know much about Cue making at the time and probably less now but I watched the man take hundreds of pieces of shaft wood, mark each one by pencil in 1/2 or 1" increments put them on the lathe and dial in the same exact taper by hand dialing in the router as the auto feed slowly moved the cutting tool post to the end. He would then date each shaft, put a hook on it and let it hang. A note on this is Dennis called each cue his eggshell and my guess is he has cut up more shaft wood to use for something else that used in the making of his cues, if the shaft was not right it did not play on a Searing.
A little time passed and I was going to his garage where his shop was as I was involved in roofing so had the day off. When I was pulling up I saw his landlord had tore a roof off in the rain. Not sure if the Landlord had sold the place or what but Dennis had a bunch of water in his shop and I think on moving to East Taft Hollywood he spent about 6 months with dehumidifiers before another piece of Searing Cue wood was cut. Dennis and his girlfriend shared a car then as to buy a second was like burning money in bad times. If memory serves me right he did a lot of Pool Room Tip replacement for maybe $5.00 a tip to keep him going, Dennis Searing was no man for hand outs or giving up his dream to make cues.
On East Taft the new Landlord told him he could live there forever (long as he paid his rent). If I remember right Wendsday night was quality time with his girlfriend where they would watch TV and Dennis would glue up veneers in a little jig he had. I would bet to this day he still has many of those in his new shop as well as ring work. Why? If push comes to shove Dennis will still be able to bring a Searing back, with original pieces.
I think maybe two years went by at most and the new landlord had a son or daughter moving to Florida and the landlord told Dennis, sorry but you have to move.
Now to see Dennis move is a sight to behold. It does not take days or weeks, it takes a month or two as besides everything being perfect, he makes it better than before. Dennis elected to get his own shop in Davie Florida rather than use his house. Yes, Dennis was still marking the shafts, dialing them in without taper bars and marking a cut. This might not seem like that much but I don't think I have ever seen Dennis cut more than 5 - 10 thousands off at a time. Things were looking up, Dennis was doing repairs and creating a real name in custom cues. One night however a guy broke into Searings shop and stole select cues. Not production, I am talking some of the cues from the best cue makers who ever lived. I asked Dennis if he knew who but though he might have known 90% he would not say as he does not bad mouth anyone and no proof, they didn't do it. Dennis had to wheel and deal with every owner of those cues and made everyone right and happy. A couple of months later they arrested the guy who stole the cues on unrelated charges. Dennis asked if they could pop the trunk of the car, he had reported the theft to Police but due to an evidence law they wouldn't. Dennis shrugged it off with, probably warped in trunk in hot Florida sun.
Time went by and Searing Cues was getting to be known world wide as many would fly in to put an order in and fly back out. Dennis has been one to do everything himself and that and time came back to bite him in the butt. I forget exactly if it was a Florida Pro Tour or what but Dennis went a weekend with no sleep. Playing catch up at night cutting venners he got groggy and cut a finger off. This was a time before cell phones. Dennis tried to make it to the phone and collapsed from losing blood, he did get the phone off the hook. He had a very good friend by the name of George who he was supposed to meet near the shop to eat. Biggest break of Dennis life for a cue maker always being late, George called got no answer and decided to go to the shop and drag his butt out of there. He found Dennis on the floor bleeding and if I recall right the Dr's said had it not happened that fast, he would have died.
Dennis was at that shop for many years. I forget now if it was at the end of that shop or the start of the new shop he still has in Lake Worth Dennis built his own taper set up on the lathe. Though I like the Hightower taper system etc, this was notta like it. Dennis had started to do just a little with a CNC at that time. Not on cues but like he started, he just did pieces into pieces to perfect how each wood cut and fit. At todays writing Dennis has built his own CNC, a world apart from the first and another I can't talk about but if he could grow the trees and go to the foundry and pour the steel, he is one cuemaker who would.
Lazy? I don't think so. Dennis has however cut down to 6 day weeks, sometimes.
I don't have the time right now, we old guys gotta take our Geritol or I would tell how Steve "The Miz" finaly cornered Dennis and made him make his favorite playing cue.
Just about everything else, should be done in the traditional fashion, especially points, and veneers. Cnc point and veneer inlays make me want to hurl:thumbup: They might as well just use stickers
Very few builders are adding to their cues with a cnc, most are taking away from them, and making them look cheap.
