Cuesmithing

[dhammis]

How does one become a cuesmith? Are there schools that teach this art or is it really just a matter of finding a cuesmith and befriending him/her?

--Damon

[Kokopuffs]

Machine shop, woodshop, natural talent. First start by fixing an old, broken down bar cue. See what you can do before making a huge investment. That's how I learned gunsmithing, by restoring a beat up old firearm instead of a brand new one.

And please learn abrasives thoroughly.

Machine shop, woodshop, natural talent. First start by fixing an old, broken down bar cue. See what you can do before making a huge investment. That's how I learned gunsmithing, by restoring a beat up old firearm instead of a brand new one.

And please learn abrasives thoroughly.

To give you an idea what it takes I grabbed the following piece of narrative from the website of the custom cue maker who made my cue, his name is Mike Webb, his site is www.webbcues.com.

"... that's when I met Mr. Paul Drexler of (PFD Cues). It was fascinating to watch him at work. Through that fascination, it caused what was going to be my obsession that still exists today. As more I watched, the more curious I became. I listened to every word he spoke and watched every thing he did. I was hooked. Something inside of me said, this is what I should be doing. I bought a Willard tip machine and started doing tips. House cues, custom cues, every tip counted saving the money for something better, (a lathe). It took a year to save up, as I didn't want to take the money out of my family budget. I wanted to earn it. Then it happened. I bought a lathe. Now, I was more curious than ever. I started buying cues (cheap ones to start). I would take them apart piece by piece. Ferrules, joints, forearms, points, handles, and the butt cap sections. I just had to find out what held the cues together. I would even take the broken cues out of the trash and try repairing them.

I started offering cue repairs at the tournaments. I was amazed at how many different kinds of cues there were. As every cue I was asked to repair, I looked at it as a challenge with an open mind. Till this day, I still do. Always saying to the customer, "How can I help" and would never charge them for something they don't need. After a couple of years, I met Jim and Dave of (SAMSARA Cues). These cues were remarkable looking. I was lucky enough to spend some time with them. Being friends with them along with Paul Drexler is truly the best of both worlds. In 1994, I started building my own cues. Wanting my own style and my own unique hit, what kind of shaft taper, I wanted to offer. Thick butts, thin butts what does the customer want. Long cues, short cues. Shafts, thick and thin. Tips, ferrules and joints. It all makes a difference. "

Hope that helps.

Apprenticeship with a custom cue maker. Dennis Dieckman, Bert Schrager? Small custom shops will sometimes take on apprentice.
6 months? A year. If you are serious learn from someone who is good.

[sellis]

Machine shop, woodshop, natural talent. First start by fixing an old, broken down bar cue. See what you can do before making a huge investment. That's how I learned gunsmithing, by restoring a beat up old firearm instead of a brand new one.

And please learn abrasives thoroughly.

I agree the one consistent theme I hear when talking to cue makers and repairers (cuesmiths if you will) is "former machinist". The precision work required for cues is much more akin to machinist work than woodwork. Also consistently I hear cue people say they started out doing it part time doing repairs taking every cue they could get their hands on apart, much the way a backyard mechanic used to evolve before mordern electronics and computers. There are also several books and video tapes out there. Try doing some searching on Google in their groups tab, there have been some interesting threads there about this very subject.
Good luck.