Has anyone made a pool cue?

[woody350ep]

First of all, if this is in the wrong forum, please move.

Have any of you ever made a pool cue? I have a friend at work that I have been in discussion with about making a pool cue for him. We have spoken about woods and what the process might be like and a little about the parts of the cue. I am pretty confident in my abilities to make it, but I am having a hard time finding much more than about 2 sites on making pool cues. Even those aren't that great. If any of you have ever made a pool cue and can give me some pointers or direct me to somewhere you might know of for more reference, I sure would appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[areaman]

Jason, I havent made any pool cues but thought I would pass this idea onto you anyway. A while back I made my father a walking cane (2 piece ) I got the kit from either Rockler or CSUSA. i would imagin that depending where on the stick you wanted to seperate was the same size as a cane, that should be easy enough to make a pool cue with.

 

[ed4copies]

You'll get good answers, Jason.

But, the Gisi's make a pool cue pen - really cool

I wouldn't want to hit a regulation cue ball with it, though.

 

[ed4copies]

http://www.cuestik.com/

This might help.

 

[marcruby]

Looks like there's a whole industry almost as specialized as penturning. Google 'making pool cues' for an eye opener. Pool Cue lathes come in a whole new price range. Whew!

Marc

 

[penmaker56]

Pool cues, although they look rather simple to make are actually rather complex, and I know no pool cue maker that makes their cues on a wood lathe. From the butt cap to the joint pin, the internal design acts like one big shock absorber. Weights and balance points are also a large part of it. Pool cue makers are more secretive about their craft than any other craftsman that I know. One tip that I do know, to cut the shaft, most makers will dry the wood from months to years, then cut it slowly, one pass, then wait a day or two, then cut another pass, etc., to prevent warping the shaft (nobady wants to play with a curved shaft).
Richard

 

[ehickey]

Pool cues, although they look rather simple to make are actually rather complex, and I know no pool cue maker that makes their cues on a wood lathe. From the butt cap to the joint pin, the internal design acts like one big shock absorber. Weights and balance points are also a large part of it. Pool cue makers are more secretive about their craft than any other craftsman that I know. One tip that I do know, to cut the shaft, most makers will dry the wood from months to years, then cut it slowly, one pass, then wait a day or two, then cut another pass, etc., to prevent warping the shaft (nobady wants to play with a curved shaft).
Richard

penmaker56 is right, there quite a bit of complexity to it. I play a lot of pool, and have entertained the notion of making a cue, and like you, haven't found much help online. I do know that they typically use metal lathes with large spindle bores. That way, they can pass the entire butt or shaft through the headstock and work very close to the chuck when they need to (like when trimming rings or boring holes, etc). The closer you are to the chuck, the more accurate it is. http://www.cuecomponents.com/cuebuon.html has a sort of light walk through online. You can pick up quite a bit of information if you can infer some of the steps. I think they sell a dvd on cue making. They even have a 7 day private class if you can swing the $5500 price tag.

 

[Mack C.]

Pool cues, although they look rather simple to make are actually rather complex, and I know no pool cue maker that makes their cues on a wood lathe. From the butt cap to the joint pin, the internal design acts like one big shock absorber. Weights and balance points are also a large part of it. Pool cue makers are more secretive about their craft than any other craftsman that I know. One tip that I do know, to cut the shaft, most makers will dry the wood from months to years, then cut it slowly, one pass, then wait a day or two, then cut another pass, etc., to prevent warping the shaft

(nobady wants to play with a curved shaft).

My Unc. owned a pool hall many years ago and that's all we played with back then. You mean there is such a thing as a straight cue?

 

[woody350ep]

thanks for the info guys. I figured it was more difficult than it looked. I will discuss this with him to see what he wants to do about it. Especially thanks for the site Ed. That is precisely what I was looking for.

 

[melogic]

That was the same site I looked at a couple of years ago. I have a couple guys I work with that wants me to make them a cue so bad they can taste it. I too found out the complexity of it and thought about taking the 7 day class and going whole hog with it. But that has not happened yet. Good Luck in your endeavors!

 

[GaryMadore]

Not what you're lookin' for, but I've made stuff out of (broken) pool cues....

Cheers!

Gary

 

[almer]

First of all, if this is in the wrong forum, please move.

Have any of you ever made a pool cue? I have a friend at work that I have been in discussion with about making a pool cue for him. We have spoken about woods and what the process might be like and a little about the parts of the cue. I am pretty confident in my abilities to make it, but I am having a hard time finding much more than about 2 sites on making pool cues. Even those aren't that great. If any of you have ever made a pool cue and can give me some pointers or direct me to somewhere you might know of for more reference, I sure would appreciate it. Thanks.

I have made quite a few pool cues,i also make pens,the eq for cues is a lot more complex,metal lathe or some companies sell smaller cue builders lathes,tolerances have to be at a high level,look at AZBILLIARDS.COM and look a cuemakers forum,there is about 2 days reading on the subject,if you need any info i can help with send me a email

 

[WoodWizard]

You'll get good answers, Jason.

But, the Gisi's make a pool cue pen - really cool

I wouldn't want to hit a regulation cue ball with it, though.

what is this pool cue pen you speak of? I was thinking of making one for my son..who loves to play pool. They do sell a kit to make a pen?
If you could send me the link...that would be GREAT!:biggrin:

 

[altaciii]

We have a cue maker here in town. Its much more advanced than just putting wood on a jet full sized and turning it. I've seen his lathes and his technique. Lots of practice but very cool cues. his site is

www.willeecue.com