pool cue

[Karl Card]

I have the desire to make a pool cue. However I need to buy a longer lathe or a bed extension before I do.

I am wondering if anyone in the turners forum here has turned a cue and what kind of wood did you use and all the things that a person needs to know. I did read a couple articles and I understand that hard maple is used or can be used. I also wonder how you get it balanced nicely and also get it to become a certain weight. I personally like a very heavy stick but know alot of folks dont.

Anyway the more info the better and thanks,

[alex carey]

you'll need a steady rest or 2. Were you thinking 2 pieces?

[Jeff Nicol]

Karl, I watched a show once on making cues and the weight is added to the butt end of the cue in one way or another. You can buy the center coupler kits from suppliers so you would not have to turn the whole cue in full length. In my youth when I was shooting a lot of pool, it had crossed my mind to make one but I was not into the lathe then and now my shoulders don't like the game much!

I just thought of this, you could make a tapering jig that is on a theaded rod with a following steady that keeps the blank stable as the cutter moves along the tappering jig. Good idea but might be more work than you want to do.

Have fun and good luck,

Jeff

[Michelle Rich]

Karl..I have never turned a cue, but I have turned many canes..a steady rest or two will absolutely be necessary. Have you seen the Vega attachment that holds a router? It has a gizmo that follows the shaft and holds it , as the router passes by. Not what you were asking, really, but a very viable option if you go into the pool cue business.

[Tim Rinehart]

I've wanted to make one also...but won't be one piece, even with my extension on my PM3520, I suspect.

Here's a link to Lee Valley's couplers that can be used to join sections together. http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=32835&cat=1,330,43243

Seems like I've seen others somewhere also, perhaps Packard or CS...

Hope you get to make one, will be interesting to see how it goes.

[Matt Hutchinson]

There is a cue maker who frequents the store I work in. He uses a pattern maker's lathe with a carbide insert for the tooling. It makes short work of making a perfect taper. Also, for the shaft I know hard maple is the most commonly used wood, but for the butt/handle anything goes. I am not sure what he does to balance and weight each cue.

Hutch

[Greg Just]

Karl:

Minnesota Woodturners Association had a couple of local pool cue makers come in and give a demo. Attached is a link to a video of their presentation. It is a long and complicated process. The video is long, but it might help shed some light on how these professionals do it. Hope this helps.

http://vimeo.com/11061023

[Paul Douglass]

As for the question of wood, I know they use rosewood, because I purchased a bunch of beautiful rosewood pieces from a guy that makes pool cues. These pieces were too short for cues. I think maple is used a lot also. The two woods go beautiful together.

[Matt Ranum]

Yeah I would stick to straight grained Maple and you will definitely need a steady. Jeff's idea is a good one, wish he would have come up with that when I was making a few canes. :p

[Steve Schlumpf]

Just to give you some ideas of types of wood used - Bell Forest Products offers wood and custom blanks for cues. http://www.bellforestproducts.com/

[Damon Stathatos]

...my pool playing days that is.

If I remember correctly, the maple halves were the least of the 'cue equation,' it was the 'grip' half that commanded the $$$'s. I can't think of any good reason to want a one-piece cue as it's normally the thinner (maple) half that will begin to warp in time (I think). Also, the maple halves can be bought relatively inexpensively.

If I were you, I'd concentrate on the 'grip' half, buy the maple halves from a billiards/pool store, and have some fun turning. Heck, even though I'm not you, I think I'll give it a try...thanks for the idea.

[Karl Card]

Thanks for the input and I will go back and watch some of the demos. If I do get to do this project it will be a 2 piece. I still have to get an extension for the 2 piece however. I do see the perfect angle from end to end being the hardest part but once I get my bed extensions then I will dive into it..

[Ron Cole]

There was a "How It's Made" episode on the Science channel recently that showed how the professionals make them, lots of computerized tools. A metal rod is inserted to give to give it weight and strength. The bulk of the labor is put into the fancy inlay designs.

[Harlan Coverdale]

I've wanted to make one also...but won't be one piece, even with my extension on my PM3520, I suspect.

Here's a link to Lee Valley's couplers that can be used to join sections together. http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=32835&cat=1,330,43243

Seems like I've seen others somewhere also, perhaps Packard or CS...

Hope you get to make one, will be interesting to see how it goes.

While that is indeed a threaded insert that will join two pieces of wood together, I wouldn't want it in my pool cue. The joints in commercial and custom cues use specialized hardware that's designed to transfer the kinetic energy energy from the butt of the cue to the shaft efficiently, and provide subtle feedback to the use via the butt.

You can buy the joint hardware from various pool cue part suppliers. Here's one place found in a quick Google search:

http://www.cuestik.com/

[Karl Card]

Just to give you some ideas of types of wood used - Bell Forest Products offers wood and custom blanks for cues. http://www.bellforestproducts.com/


Steve,

Yes bellforest has some wonderful wood. I have actually bought quite a few pieces from them.