j6 cue stories

[Snooker man Stevie]

Well said imagine parris getting on the table for a review on his cues

[mikeyd100]

Anyone who has been following and reading this thread will surely be impressed by j6uk as he shows all his works from start to finish. All hand made which really is rare nowadays. Even videotapes his cues to show the playability of those cues to let people have a better understanding before they decide to purchase it. This is even rarer and you won't see much, if any, of the other cuemakers doing this. He is proud of his works and doesn't hide from the cue's playability which affects its sale too. This is definitely honesty at its best and we should salute him for it. Plus, the added fact that he sure wields a mean cue and isn't selfish to share his tips on playing well.
this makes his thread a great read, and for knowledge with regards to making cues and playing the game. It sure will ensure longevity and we should keep him going too.
well done Jason and keep up the good work of sharing whatever expertise and knowledge you have. Do keep your feet on the ground and carry on your very honest works, without giving in to too much to profitability. Very well appreciated. Cheers

Indeed and agreed.

[winphenom]

Its the years of work that goes into them as you say that stood out. I'd never have thought it.

Yeah, as you can see by the longevity of this thread J6 has caught a lot of attention.
It's all good stuff, progression has been amazing.

Anyone who has been following and reading this thread will surely be impressed by j6uk as he shows all his works from start to finish. All hand made which really is rare nowadays. Even videotapes his cues to show the playability of those cues to let people have a better understanding before they decide to purchase it. This is even rarer and you won't see much, if any, of the other cuemakers doing this. He is proud of his works and doesn't hide from the cue's playability which affects its sale too. This is definitely honesty at its best and we should salute him for it. Plus, the added fact that he sure wields a mean cue and isn't selfish to share his tips on playing well.
this makes his thread a great read, and for knowledge with regards to making cues and playing the game. It sure will ensure longevity and we should keep him going too.
well done Jason and keep up the good work of sharing whatever expertise and knowledge you have. Do keep your feet on the ground and carry on your very honest works, without giving in to too much to profitability. Very well appreciated. Cheers

[mikeyd100]

There is a lot of knowledge to be learned by anyone who choose too. The top end manufacturers like Predator and McDermott both have different shaft tapers. The McDermott really encourages the user to use the loop bridge more so than the predator imo but many would say otherwise. The more independent makers have different tapers again and become trade secrets, so the only way one can really learn is through experimental research. Mezz cues have recently launched their version of a snooker cue so it will be interesting to know what kind of taper they have used. However their pricing is all wrong and at £500-700 am sure most snooker players will remain loyal to the tried and tested snooker names...

The J6 shaft may or may not change over time as he has got 'the eye' and talent for it.
Talent has a big part to play and it is interesting that J6 explains that he allows the wood to dictate the shaft! Which for me is bordering on high end sculpture. An art unto its own!
It's great watching the development of someone as open as J6... :snooker:

Its the years of work that goes into them as you say that stood out. I'd never have thought it.

Yeah, as you can see by the longevity of this thread J6 has caught a lot of attention.
It's all good stuff, progression has been amazing.

[the lone wolf]

I'm with j6 on this, you plane down to a rough taper that you use on your cues and then treat each shaft differently depending on what you think will aid the playability. Some of the independents in the US may not use CNC but they use taper bars on a lathe to achieve the same taper each time. I would bet most pool cues have never seen a plane. The skill there is in using a machine rather than hand tools.

Again this is an accurate assessment.
If the outcome is a product that meets the requirements of its intended purpose and the user, then it's all good!

[the lone wolf]

I wouldn't describe predator and McDermott as top end!

Re mezz snooker cues...they have a weight bolt system for their shafts, something no one else does, i think. This is either an interesting feature or a complete gimmick, I'm not sure which.

These are quite interesting videos on how mid range production cues are made. Full customs are made much more by hand, and makers with decades of experience and good reps are highly sought after, with cues changing hands for tens of thousands. They have decades of experience and are rightly seen as craftsmen.

One more thing. Your point about ordering a new custom and then selling it because it doesn't hit a ton, don't forget there are loads of flippers out there, who order cues years in advance and sell for a higher price to people not wanting to wait. They aren't necessarily bad cues if they are sold on quickly. And some people just have more money than sense and just plain like the thrill of a new cue. We all know the next one is the one, right?

https://youtu.be/6MO4eAoKzZM

https://youtu.be/tVlMQKx0_oM

Agreed Big Shot

[Hello, Mr Big Shot]

There is a lot of knowledge to be learned by anyone who choose too. The top end manufacturers like Predator and McDermott both have different shaft tapers. The McDermott really encourages the user to use the loop bridge more so than the predator imo but many would say otherwise. The more independent makers have different tapers again and become trade secrets, so the only way one can really learn is through experimental research. Mezz cues have recently launched their version of a snooker cue so it will be interesting to know what kind of taper they have used. However their pricing is all wrong and at £500-700 am sure most snooker players will remain loyal to the tried and tested snooker names...

The J6 shaft may or may not change over time as he has got 'the eye' and talent for it.
Talent has a big part to play and it is interesting that J6 explains that he allows the wood to dictate the shaft! Which for me is bordering on high end sculpture. An art unto its own!
It's great watching the development of someone as open as J6... :snooker:

I wouldn't describe predator and McDermott as top end!

Re mezz snooker cues...they have a weight bolt system for their shafts, something no one else does, i think. This is either an interesting feature or a complete gimmick, I'm not sure which.

These are quite interesting videos on how mid range production cues are made. Full customs are made much more by hand, and makers with decades of experience and good reps are highly sought after, with cues changing hands for tens of thousands. They have decades of experience and are rightly seen as craftsmen.

One more thing. Your point about ordering a new custom and then selling it because it doesn't hit a ton, don't forget there are loads of flippers out there, who order cues years in advance and sell for a higher price to people not wanting to wait. They aren't necessarily bad cues if they are sold on quickly. And some people just have more money than sense and just plain like the thrill of a new cue. We all know the next one is the one, right?

https://youtu.be/6MO4eAoKzZM

https://youtu.be/tVlMQKx0_oM

[RogiBear]

Yes; the majority / production cues are made using CNC lathes which is an obvious game changer. But again, some independents do not, and boast the whole 'handmade' claim.

I'm with j6 on this, you plane down to a rough taper that you use on your cues and then treat each shaft differently depending on what you think will aid the playability. Some of the independents in the US may not use CNC but they use taper bars on a lathe to achieve the same taper each time. I would bet most pool cues have never seen a plane. The skill there is in using a machine rather than hand tools.

[the lone wolf]

LoneWolf ,you say it takes years of experimenting to discover a certain makers taper to a shaft as it's a closely guarded secret, why can't you just measure down their shafts at intervals and you can then replicate that taper exactly, if you know how to use a plane.
I thought most pool shafts were made on a machine? So while the taper will turn out exactly the same the hit will be different as every piece of wood is( so everyone keeps saying) I take your point about laminated shafts , these could easily play much more like each other.

I agree. As I wrote before tho, some makers have a natural eye or gift to achieve certain outcomes. Laminated shafts is an interesting concept because snooker cue traditionally are not made this way.

I guess what I'm trying to say, is that there is room for innovation within making a snooker cue. But which maker has got what it takes to step up with a new winning formula? Or not...
Perhaps tradition hand splicing is the way it will always be?

J6 is a very open cue maker who is not frightened to reveal how he works to an appreciating audience. This should prove invaluable in the years to come. Open dialogue = endless possibilities :snooker:

[the lone wolf]

wolf - how many of these "top" US makers use CNC-lathes to create these identical shafts?

Yes; the majority / production cues are made using CNC lathes which is an obvious game changer. But again, some independents do not, and boast the whole 'handmade' claim.

[itsnoteasy]

LoneWolf ,you say it takes years of experimenting to discover a certain makers taper to a shaft as it's a closely guarded secret, why can't you just measure down their shafts at intervals and you can then replicate that taper exactly, if you know how to use a plane.
I thought most pool shafts were made on a machine? So while the taper will turn out exactly the same the hit will be different as every piece of wood is( so everyone keeps saying) I take your point about laminated shafts , these could easily play much more like each other.

[DeanH]

wolf - how many of these "top" US makers use CNC-lathes to create these identical shafts?

[the lone wolf]

why, and in what way you think that is wolf?

The reason being J6 are the number of bought custom cues that see themselves back on the 'for sale' heap quicker than what it took to build them. I know as players we can be a fickle bunch when we want to be; however how many times have we heard "that cue plays a ton so am going to order one." Then several months and in many cases years, they receive their cue only to find out that it does not hit a ton like their friends cue...

The argument has always been, no cue hits the same. But in American pool this is not the case. A top pro playing with a predator cue for example will be quite happy to sell their cue on knowing that their sponsor cue maker will replace the cue with a shaft that is a true replica of the previous. Perhaps this is because these cue are batched produce and so many of these shaft are laminated? But then, the independent cue makers pride themselves on making shafts from whole pieces of maple... We've all heard the stories of maple buried deep in the lakes of somewhere; which are true and real.

The shaft will also determine the balance and abviously the weight of the cue. The differences must be in the fact that a custom snooker cue is made as a one piece whereas the American pool cue is made as a two piece. So the one maker concentrates on the cue as a whole whilst the other concentrates on the two halves of a cue to make the whole.

WOW! The mind boggles :snooker:

[DeanH]

The only cuemaker I have seen with a "taper-jig" is Coutts and I think he uses it to measure and to match an old cue's dimensions to replicate to a new cue. I don't know if he uses it for his original creations

[j6uk]

nice little read wolf, especially the part about me. but i think the only thing thats different here is im cutting my shafts down to the play by hand, and taper wise there are guide dims that you dont really wanna stray from with a standard length cue