Why use a blank ?

[Fish]

Aside from making a cue much faster compared to making it from scratch
1. Why use a blank ?
2. is there an added performance value in using blanks made by spain, titlist etc ?

 

[BLACKHEARTCUES]

Aside from making a cue much faster compared to making it from scratch
1. Why use a blank ?
2. is there an added performance value in using blanks made by spain, titlist etc ?

What do you mean by BLANK. There are forearm blanks, which is a 12-13 inch PREMADE FOREARM with points or inlays in it. There are full spliced blanks that are 30 inches, or so, that resembles a bar Q with the shaft cut off. If it's the full spliced type, all you have to do is throw it in a lathe, even up the points, turn it down to finished size, add a screw & shaft & you're done. You have just made a butt heavy sneaky pete. On the other hand, if you have a forearm blank, you join it to a handle, with a screw(adding weight near the center), continue with the Qmaking process & end up with a much better balanced Q. Either way, you can make a Q without knowing how to do the tricky part. IT'S A SHORT CUT...JER

 

[Fish]

To add more question what does it mean when a cue maker says its made from a Titlist blank or a blank from Spain ?

 

[BLACKHEARTCUES]

To add more question what does it mean when a cue maker says its made from a Titlist blank or a blank from Spain ?

Titlist was a one piece 4 point Q, made by the Brunswick company. The early ones were very well made, with muliple colored vaneers around the points. A Qmaker could cut the shaft off & cut it at the bottom of the points & join it with a handle or cut the shaft off & use it as is or add a wrap(like a Hustler). Either way the result was a good looking Q, that had the advantage of being a shorter 2 piece Q. Burtain Spain made both short forearm blanks & longer ones, that could be used in the same manor as the Titlist...JER

 

[jhendri2]

If it's the full spliced type, all you have to do is throw it in a lathe, even up the points, turn it down to finished size, add a screw & shaft & you're done.

For the non-cuemaker layman like me, how is this done? I didn't know you could even up points after the cue was finished. Can this be done on any cue?

Not trying to doubt you, just very curious.

Jim

 

[BLACKHEARTCUES]

For the non-cuemaker layman like me, how is this done? I didn't know you could even up points after the cue was finished. Can this be done on any cue?

Not trying to doubt you, just very curious.

Jim

The blanks are a little bit over sized. This leaves you some material to work with. You put it in the lathe & find the long points. Say there are 2 long & 2 short. You shim the wood, so that you are cutting more off of the long points. You keep shimming until all 4 are even. If only one is long & 3 short you can sand that one, more that the others & bring them all back to even( this is done when the Q is cut to final size & ready for sanding)...JER