Anyone out there turn Pool Cuesticks?

[Scott Holmes]

Just wondering if anyone on this forum turns pool cues?

I know the lathe is not a typical wood lathe. Wanted to chat with someone that does cues.

[Jason Hallowell]

I used to work in a cue building shop, and have built several cues. Someday when I have more space, and more money I plan on getting set up to build cues myself. It combines my two favorite things..... woodworking, and pool. The downside is that it costs a lot of money to get set up, and doesn't really make any money in the end. To really do it right, it takes over a year from the time you start buying wood until your first cue is complete.

There are two camps when it comes to cue lathes, you can use a lighter weight lathe built specifically for making cues (Hightower, porper, etc.), or by a heay duty metal lathe and convert it for use building cues. The main advantages to the cuebuilding lathes are much lower cost, and it's ready to go right out of the box. The advantages to a metal lathe are better accuracy, more capabilities, and setting it up for cues forces you to learn to become a machinist, which you will need to be in order to produce quality cues. Many of the best cuemakers I know came from a backround in machining, and if you're serious, I'd suggest some classes at a local college or trade school.

I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have, and discuss the pros and cons of all of the various ways to cut points. If you don't know a whole lot about cuebuilding, I strongly suggest reading Dieckman's rants about building cues on his website. http://www.cuemaker.com/book_on_cue_building.htm
It's a little rambling, but there is wealth of information in there. Chris Hightower's book is also a classic starting point, and I hear that his new videos are a great compliment to the book. The cuemaking forums on azbilliards.com are also a great resource for information, as there are several very knowledgeable cuemakers that post there.