cue making, repairs and help

[keith auld]

Hi - my name's Keith Auld -I've been a cue maker for more than 30 years and am now in semi-retirement. Over the years I've taught many cuemakers the art of cuemaking (Robert Osborne was one of my many apprentices), I also appeared on BBC television's South Today programme last year showing how to hand make a snooker cue and this was followed by a workshop for all budding cuemakers at the Royal Victoria country park the same year, which was very well attended, You can also find reference to me as a cuemaker in the Matchroom Snooker book first published in 1988.
So if you need help with a cue problem, from straightening your cue, stripping and re-polishing to learning how to build or repair your own, you're welcome to contact me by e-mail or through my web page at www.sotonsnooker.com
Rgards - Keith

[Wity]

Welcome to the TSF Keith. This place is fast becoming a regular haunt of cue builders and would be's if only as you'll no doubt see under the cues section.

May as well ask you now as no doubt many will.. Any chance of a recording of that South today programme perhaps uploaded to 'you tube' or simlar so we could see it ?

[Rooster#1]

Welcome to the forum Alan, Im sure your inbox will soon fill up ! LOL

Personally - in need of a strip/repolish crash course .... please ! :-)

[cocked hat]

Hello Keith,
I'm in the process of making my very first,so you're very welcome.Do you remember your first?

[keith auld]

Hi yes you always remember the first - it was a disaster! - the points were all over the place, so don't expect miracles the first time round. I would suggest you use cheap materials first, so that you get an idea of what you're up against. If you get stuck or have any problems email me and I'll try to talk you through. I'll probably be doing another masterclass cue making weekend next summer in Hampshire so if you're interested in attending keep in touch
Regards - Keith

[keith auld]

Hi Wity -
Re the BBC South Today cuemaking masterclass, they filmed for about 21/2 hours, but when broadcast it was edited down to about 21/2 minutes, so it wouldn't be of much use to budding cuemakers. The masterclass teaching workshop I did last year at the Royal Victoria Country Park was over 2 days and proved very useful for many. I have been approached to do another in the summer of 2008, which I'm seriously considering. If put to the forum and there is enough response then I'll try to get a company to video it and put it on the forum as a link for overseas contributors.
Handcrafted cuemaking is a dying art commercially, as nobody can compete with the products coming out of China (many cuemakers are buying from China and then putting their own names on the cues, what tends to give them away is the cue joint used which will suddenly appear in other cues bearing different names, or identical splice patterns on the bottom of the butt). What's more the Chinese are buying up all the good ebony and really exotic hardwoods, thereby pushing up the price, and making it difficult for the smaller producer. Over the years I've experimented with many alternatives to ebony as a butt material (ebony was only used originally because it was cheap and used to be used for railway sleepers), but became standard for cues, even though there are far better hardwoods that give you better finishes and better natural cue balances and responses.
It's nice to be able to pass on the experience to the next generation of cuemakers
Regards - Keith

[keith auld]

Before advising on the strip and repolish, please email me with the make of your cue and whether it is hand or machine spliced as some (ie old Powerglides) have heavy lacquer deposits and in some cases they hold in filler at the bottome of the machine splices. Sanding isn't necessarily the best method of stripping your cue as, without the experience, it's very easy to ruin your favourite cue, because to apply even pressure to avoid humps and dips appearing after sanding is difficult for the un-initiated.
Email me at cuemaker1@aol.com with details of the above and I'll try to give you a easy step by step strip and repolish method
Regards - Keith

[trevs1]

Hi Keith,

Just out of curiosity, what timbers would 'you' place above ebony for any advantage on 'natural' balance and response?

[cocked hat]

Hi yes you always remember the first - it was a disaster! - the points were all over the place, so don't expect miracles the first time round. I would suggest you use cheap materials first, so that you get an idea of what you're up against. If you get stuck or have any problems email me and I'll try to talk you through. I'll probably be doing another masterclass cue making weekend next summer in Hampshire so if you're interested in attending keep in touch
Regards - Keith

Yeah that seems to be the way mine is going,thanks for the advice,I'll keep in touch.
Regards Tony.

[keith auld]

Hi Trevs
There are some great individual woods, if you go to my web page at www.sotonsnooker.com and look at the cues shown; the 3rd and 5th from the left are cocabola 3/4 spliced with solid turned butts, the 3rd from the left also has 4 Indian rosewood and yellow dyed maple splices. If you use the cocabola, be careful, because the sawdust can cause an allergic reaction to the skin (as I found to my cost) also depending on the genus, when cut it is orangy in colour but after finishing turns blood red after a few days, it also has perfect density to weight ratio for 3/4 long butted cues. The next cue along is a form of Lignum vitae with 4 bloodwood splices in the butt, difficult to work but finishes like glass. There are a few others, if you're interested email me and I'll give you botanical names and the best suppliers both here and in America

[trevs1]

Hi Trevs
There are some great individual woods, if you go to my web page at www.sotonsnooker.com and look at the cues shown; the 3rd and 5th from the left are cocabola 3/4 spliced with solid turned butts, the 3rd from the left also has 4 Indian rosewood and yellow dyed maple splices. If you use the cocabola, be careful, because the sawdust can cause an allergic reaction to the skin (as I found to my cost) also depending on the genus, when cut it is orangy in colour but after finishing turns blood red after a few days, it also has perfect density to weight ratio for 3/4 long butted cues. The next cue along is a form of Lignum vitae with 4 bloodwood splices in the butt, difficult to work but finishes like glass. There are a few others, if you're interested email me and I'll give you botanical names and the best suppliers both here and in America

Hi again Keith,

I appreciate your reply.

To go back to my question however, can you tell me what timbers would be superior to ebony regarding the balance and response within a cue?

I'm very familiar with the timbers you mention above, although I only use bloodwood and cocobolo to any regular degree.

Can you also define what you mean by density to weight ratio?

[MikeWooldridge]

mmm, i'm interested in the answer to that one also...

[Semih_Sayginer]

dont tell them keith. tell them its a trade secret and youd need to kill them if you told it.








(only joking lads )

[MikeWooldridge]

nice one semih

[Qubit]

What about African Blackwood (aka mpingo)? Fancied having a cue made with that for splices for some time now. I think its supposed to take a very nice finish.