2nd attempt

[Catch 22]

Great looking cue big guy..this on and tbh the pics dont do it justice. I had a few shots with it lastnight and plays well and the finish on this cue is very good. Considering this is only your second cue then i like many others look forward too seeing the others that are too follow.

Cheers for the support mate . It's an enjoyable hobby .
Glad someone will get use from it .

I cant use the cues , so better giving them to someone else haha

[j6uk]

No , I have a number 4 smoothing plane and sandpaper . I don't own a lathe or have room for one big enough . Also it would cost too much for what is just a hobby . I don't have plans to sell any cues or stuff like that so cost must be kept to a minimum .

I think I should invest in a smaller block plane though for sure

im amazed, you managed to cut what looks like a turned cue with just using a no4, not something i could do. and only your second attempt. did you not suffer any dig out?
and did you also do your sd joint in the third cue by hand too?

[Catch 22]

im amazed, you managed to cut what looks like a turned cue with just using a no4, not something i could do. and only your second attempt. did you not suffer any dig out?
and did you also do your sd joint in the third cue by hand too?

It's technically my fifth attempt but only the second that became a finished cue that wasn't for the bin .

I previously got a ton of broken hall cues and practiced planing down and made a few small cues for kids . Which was ok and got me used to using a plane .

I struggled a bit with tear out on the rosewood and ebony ...I took a while playing with the settings and learning about planing to stop that .

The cue above is an ebony substitute which is easier to work with .

The shaft above took a while and was with a no4 . It's not perfect but decent . It's tapered down to 8mm and I made a mess of more than I succeeded with .

That is why I decided to buy some pre turned shafts for my next attempts ( which arnt great TBH ) but I can't be picky for what is just a hobby .

[Shockerz]

Sounds like you're having fun mate so it must be enjoyable.

Wasn't sure what you meant by ebony substitute, what did you use?

[Catch 22]

Sounds like you're having fun mate so it must be enjoyable.

Wasn't sure what you meant by ebony substitute, what did you use?

Yeah it's frustrating when you're struggling with a certain aspect of it etc but really rewarding . The best bit is when someone plays with it and loves it . The guy it's for is really pleased and that's the best bit .



The cue is Ebano. It's gorgeous stuff TBH

[itsnoteasy]

Yeah side grain is spaced out like the arrows. Nice shaft . I got lucky with it .

I finished a cue a month ago that had a wonderful shaft and I messed up the cue lol . Gutted . The shaft was lovely .

Could be a perfect shaft that, will have a bit of life about it I bet.

[Catch 22]

Could be a perfect shaft that, will have a bit of life about it I bet.

It's 8mm and he wants it for snooker lol ....deffo got life in it . I'm scared to hit the balls with it

[j6uk]

It's technically my fifth attempt but only the second that became a finished cue that wasn't for the bin .

I previously got a ton of broken hall cues and practiced planing down and made a few small cues for kids . Which was ok and got me used to using a plane .

I struggled a bit with tear out on the rosewood and ebony ...I took a while playing with the settings and learning about planing to stop that .

The cue above is an ebony substitute which is easier to work with .

The shaft above took a while and was with a no4 . It's not perfect but decent . It's tapered down to 8mm and I made a mess of more than I succeeded with .

That is why I decided to buy some pre turned shafts for my next attempts ( which arnt great TBH ) but I can't be picky for what is just a hobby .

yeah tear outs a beach, how dd you sharpen your irons to get such successes from the no4?
and you also did the sd by hand?

could you not have the people who turn your ash shaft dowels for you, have them cut the butt down for you as well? something to think about, unless you enjoy dong it by hand.
anyway youve taken to it like a duck to water.

[Catch 22]

yeah tear outs a beach, how dd you sharpen your irons to get such successes from the no4?
and you also did the sd by hand?

could you not have the people who turn your ash shaft dowels for you, have them cut the butt down for you as well? something to think about, unless you enjoy dong it by hand.
anyway youve taken to it like a duck to water.

I have two no 4s ..... One I use to take off more material and the other is an old Bailey Stanley that I bought that has a bit more adjustment

On the Stanley I closed the mouth a lot and also added a slight back bevel rather than a flat back like on the irwin .

Also the low angle block planes good too ,although small as you know . I like the block plane for smoothing of the exotics prior to gluing .

I spoke a company about having the dowels turned . They said they could turn any wood I wanted if I sent it to them or they could turn some dowels for me . I'd have no say over grain patter etc or if they contained knots or imperfections , which is why I decided to take the oppertunity to by 3 pre turned shafts when the chance arose .

I might take a trip to the company and see if I can take a cue and show them what I'm after and see if they can keep some good ones aside for me in the future

I could by some gorgeous pre turned shafts but at the higher cost of them plus ebony , ferrules , sd joint etc etc but then the cost would be too high to sell em to make my money back to keep the hobby going

as for the SD joints . I'm not sure what you would class as by hand . I don't just hold the drill and try and drill it by eye . I've tried a few different things and have more ideas to try . I have made jigs to guide the drill which worked ok but not 100% .

I got offered a huge lathe from a customer I was working for . Her husband built motorbikes and he passed away .
It must way more than a small car but is an impressive bit of machinery .
She wanted £1500 for it which I feel is a bargain . However I can justify it for what I'm doing .

[Catch 22]

Can't edit the post above for some reason but I meant to say CANT justify the cost .

And it must WEIGH more than a small car

[j6uk]

good on you, but still very impressed with your no4 handy work. and how you managed to get it round by hand with the lathe horse hole obstetrical in the butt. very tricky.
as for the sd, so you drilled it in by hand or you used a lathe?

[warren132]

think he has said in previous thread/post that he does not own or have room for a lathe.

[Catch 22]

good on you, but still very impressed with your no4 handy work. and how you managed to get it round by hand with the lathe horse hole obstetrical in the butt. very tricky.
as for the sd, so you drilled it in by hand or you used a lathe?

Sorry J but I'm not sure what you mean by this.


As for the SD I made a jig to hold the cue centred .


I'm not sure if I'm getting the wrong end of the stick here but it's coming across like you're trying to "Catch me out " so to speak .

if I had a lathe I would say so as I'm not trying to hide anything ....hell I'd be selling pre turned shafts on eBay lol

when you say about getting the butt round ....just the same way as in your videos .


Maybe I've picked you up wrong ,and if I have then I apologise .

[j6uk]

it may look like it with me going on about the no4 but no not trying anything, i just never use no4. not n my interest to play games. besides weve chatted many times via pm about cues. and we know how hard it is.. anyway, wont get to technical about it cus im sure youd like to keep some things to your self.
a few of the keys on this key board aint working right so my posts are a little glib.
looking forwards to the next..

[Catch 22]

it may look like it with me going on about the no4 but no not trying anything, i just never use no4. not n my interest to play games. besides weve chatted many times via pm about cues. and we know how hard it is.. anyway, wont get to technical about it cus im sure youd like to keep some things to your self.
a few of the keys on this key board aint working right so my posts are a little glib.
looking forwards to the next..

Cool . I only use a no 4 because it's all I gave at the moment but I want to invest in other things first . Especially since I gave 3 pre turned shafts to play with