My workshop

[j6uk]

good to see you producing steve. though not easy to see whats going on in your pics, the last cue seemed out of focus and now these are too dark. be good to see your work out side in natural light..
could also load your pics somewhere like photo bucket. that way you can just cut and paste the links and you can see you pics on the thread

[vmax4steve]

Just finished this one

58 1/2 inch one piece ash with tiger wood butt, maple veneer and an ipe tabaca splice
10mm tip, 30mm butt, 17 1/2 inch balance point 16.2 oz's

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[vmax4steve]

Thanks Catch.

[Catch 22]

Nice looking cue Vmax .

[vmax4steve]

It's not a long bed, it's the mid size Cuesmith and is only 48 inches long. You can get a small bed extension for it but the import duty and postage will be more than it costs so I shan't bother.
I only use the lathe for making mini butts and fitting joints and ferrules.

[The Doctor]

Hi Steve. I have similar lathe but where did you get the long bed from?

[vmax4steve]

Finished it.

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60 inch long one piece with amargo amargo butt with maple and bog oak veneers with a palmira splice
10mm tip with aluminium ferrule 29.5mm diameter butt balanced at 21 inches 18 oz's finished in clear danish oil on the shaft and boiled linseed on the butt.

I had a bash with it at the weekend and to be honest I like it a lot. Although it's an inch and a half shorter than my playing cue I got used to it in ten minutes and made a two miss line up practise twice, which is damn good for me. Nice responsive shaft and those cheap chinese tips are awfully good, didn't need playing in at all.

Forgive the pictures but I have terrible trouble uploading pics on this site, always have to resize them or they won't upload so I have to halve the pixels and lose clarity, believe me it looks a lot better in the flesh.
If anyone can tell me how to upload decent pictures I would be grateful.

Oh and beech plays very well indeed as well, like maple but stronger.

[vmax4steve]

Is it naturally heavier than ash and maple?

Don't think so, shafts were about 14 oz's before splicing and weighting, same as ash/maple. The wood does seem to be naturally stiffer though, don't know if that's inherent with beech or just the board I used. I have one more shaft and think that will be a 9 ball cue, might 3/4 split it might not.
Next cue is ash with a full amargo amargo butt, second pair of splices going on today.

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[itsnoteasy]

Is it naturally heavier than ash and maple?

[Stevie1]

more cue makers than the post office on double giro day in Glasgow

I like that one byron even though am from Glasgow

[Byrom]

more cue makers than the post office on double giro day in Glasgow

[vmax4steve]

Don't know yet, maybe tonight.

[jrc750]

How does beech play then Steve ?

[vmax4steve]

the mini butts

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[vmax4steve]

Well after the flood last november I've replaced the hardwood veneers and exotic woods that floated away and have managed to finish a couple of cues from shafts stored in my flat above the garage/workshop.

both are one piece with beech shafts and two long Iroko - two regular wenge and two small amargo amargo splices with wenge veneers and six inch ipe tabaca mini butts.

one is 57 1/4 inches long (57 1/2 with tip) - 17.3 oz's - 30mm butt diameter - 9mm brass ferrule - 17 inch BP
one is 58 1/2 inches (58 3/4 with tip) long - 18 oz's - 30mm butt diameter - 9.4mm brass ferrule - 18 inch BP

The beech finishes a lot like maple with a similar side grain but is stiffer, even the 9mm one doesn't flex much.