Straightening Cues

[MikeWooldridge]

keith i distinctly remember you being critical of mike for being secretive about his methods!

so do i...

which is why i asked this:

mmm, didn't you say before you were happy to pass on all your knowledge?

i think a lot of people would be interested to hear how you how you do it.

as it happens keith, i'm 100% behind you not sharing your 'secret', although i find it rather hypocritical following previous posts.

or am i just being argumentative again cos i happen to remember something...

[poolqjunkie]

Actually, a piece can be kept straight for many years to come even if it was turned on a lathe. A lot of cue makers in other parts of the world do not use hand plane to turn the taper down.
I remember reading Keith's first post here about how he would be happy to help everyone here with any question.

He even posted his email address here on the forum. While other cue makers were saying they did not want to share their secret, Keith was inviting everyone to ask him anything.

He said he taught Robert Osbourn and he was glad to pass knowledge to the next generation.

Keith, may I ask you if you are not going to share your knowledge, why did you offer to help people with cue problems in your previous posts?

Also, if you do not prepare to tell anyone how to straighten a cue, why started this thread?

Wood is not that difficult to straighten. It may bend again and no one can guarantee that it will not do so in the same place again--because warpage can happen anywhere. I think this is just simple science. Besides, warpage could be a result of poor preperation of the wood before it was turned, in which case, I doubt you can do anything to prevent it from bending again and again. I do not believe anyone can offer any guarantee, since warpage could be the result of handling, and storage, which the cue maker cannot control.

I dont have nothing to compete against Keith. Unlike Trevor White, Mike Wooldridge, John Parris, Tony Glover, Will Hunt, Robert Osbourn...etc, I have never heard of his name before. I have never seen his cue in person. I do not know of anyone who has. None of my friends has heard of him. I do not know of any pro player who plays with his cues.

He said he is a famous cue maker who has been around for longer than some of the other guys that we all know. He said Robert Osbourn was his student. He also said that if he had a cue ready for Jimmy White when he was looking for a cue, he would have been as famous as Will Hunt. He also said he has been very busy with international orders. He also said he has worked on Stephen Hendry's cue on his web site. These are what I know about him from reading his posts and his web site. None of these I have tried to confirm or verify. The only thing I am sure of is that he did start off saying he was not like the other cue makers who keep secrets to themselves. Anyone can do a search to read his first few posts to verify that.

The title suggested to me that it should be about how to straighten a cue but the content is about how he will not share this secret although according to him, it is a great method, that I am sure a lot of members here would find it very helpful to know. So, is he suggesting that we need to send cues to him to have it straightened?

Coming from a guy who is too busy with international orders to do side jobs, and someone who claims to be a great teacher who is more than willing to help others, this is confusing to say the least.

[subzeer0]

What "secrets" to hide...i know knowledge is power...but it seems a shame this cloak and dagger stuff....when all will benefit of the knowledge.

knowing and doing are totally different paths of life...out of all the people reading this thread..how many non cuemakers will attempt to straighten their "Excaliber" themselves in an attempt to bring something back....not many i dare bet

[trigger666]

What "secrets" to hide...i know knowledge is power...but it seems a shame this cloak and dagger stuff....when all will benefit of the knowledge.

knowing and doing are totally different paths of life...out of all the people reading this thread..how many non cuemakers will attempt to straighten their "Excaliber" themselves in an attempt to bring something back....not many i dare bet

as a plasterer im being told you make it look so easy, its an art etc, but i could tell you the fundimentals in minutes ,
1.prep the wall ie.unibond , scrim tape
2. apply two coats of plaster then as it dries flaten and polish untill smooth paintable finish is found
basically thats it , and theres alot of you out there that have had a go , in the knowing if it all goes wrong , you can either call a plasterer to go overthe top or rub it down and fill it ,
its not the same with a cue i feel that just because somone has told you how to do it maybe you could do an alright job but it would never be as good as a professional and as subzero said who in there right mind would have a go at straightening there excaliber
(knowledge is power but practice makes perfect) AND IM NOT PRACTICING ON ANY OF MY CUES

[ADR147]

Actually, a piece can be kept straight for many years to come even if it was turned on a lathe. A lot of cue makers in other parts of the world do not use hand plane to turn the taper down.
I remember reading Keith's first post here about how he would be happy to help everyone here with any question.

He even posted his email address here on the forum. While other cue makers were saying they did not want to share their secret, Keith was inviting everyone to ask him anything.

He said he taught Robert Osbourn and he was glad to pass knowledge to the next generation.

Keith, may I ask you if you are not going to share your knowledge, why did you offer to help people with cue problems in your previous posts?

Also, if you do not prepare to tell anyone how to straighten a cue, why started this thread?

Wood is not that difficult to straighten. It may bend again and no one can guarantee that it will not do so in the same place again--because warpage can happen anywhere. I think this is just simple science. Besides, warpage could be a result of poor preperation of the wood before it was turned, in which case, I doubt you can do anything to prevent it from bending again and again. I do not believe anyone can offer any guarantee, since warpage could be the result of handling, and storage, which the cue maker cannot control.

I dont have nothing to compete against Keith. Unlike Trevor White, Mike Wooldridge, John Parris, Tony Glover, Will Hunt, Robert Osbourn...etc, I have never heard of his name before. I have never seen his cue in person. I do not know of anyone who has. None of my friends has heard of him. I do not know of any pro player who plays with his cues.

He said he is a famous cue maker who has been around for longer than some of the other guys that we all know. He said Robert Osbourn was his student. He also said that if he had a cue ready for Jimmy White when he was looking for a cue, he would have been as famous as Will Hunt. He also said he has been very busy with international orders. He also said he has worked on Stephen Hendry's cue on his web site. These are what I know about him from reading his posts and his web site. None of these I have tried to confirm or verify. The only thing I am sure of is that he did start off saying he was not like the other cue makers who keep secrets to themselves. Anyone can do a search to read his first few posts to verify that.

The title suggested to me that it should be about how to straighten a cue but the content is about how he will not share this secret although according to him, it is a great method, that I am sure a lot of members here would find it very helpful to know. So, is he suggesting that we need to send cues to him to have it straightened?

Coming from a guy who is too busy with international orders to do side jobs, and someone who claims to be a great teacher who is more than willing to help others, this is confusing to say the least.

i would agree that how the wood is shaped is not that important - it can bend if its hand planed just as easily as if it is turned on a lathe wood is a natural product and as such will do as it likes!

and i would also agree that it is not possible to state 100% that it will never bend again - however you can easily offer to straighten it again free of charge if it does which would be a form of guarantee

[Wity]

One thing is for sure, If we all knew how to do it them bent buggers on ebay would fetch double. Cheaper to buy a bent un and pay Keith to straighten it and get his g-tee in writing I reckon.

keep it a secret Keith

[ADR147]

shut up wity are you trying to put me out of business!

[keith auld]

Hi Steedee - I charge £30 to straighten a shaft and £50 to straighten the butt - the reason straightening a butt is so much more is that it can take up to 3 days to do this properly and extreem care is needed. With the butt of old cues, if not done properly, with the old glues they used to use, like pearl and fish glues, the splices can spring open like a peeled banana. Also because you're dealing with woods like ebony that have been spliced on in 4 places, you're likely to have grain running in different directions and therefore possible naturally pulling in different directions, so altering their natural structure takes time to manipulate to get to where you want it.
This is why I won't pass this on, it would be too easy for someone without the knowledge of what they're doing to make a real hash of a cue and subsequently ruin it forever.

[Wity]

shut up wity are you trying to put me out of business!

S'pose that's another tenner on me next cue.

[ADR147]

thats another £50 !!

[keith auld]

Hi Poolqjunkie - interesting post - I don't think you'll find I ever said I worked on Steven Hendry's cue (unless there was a typing error somewhere), I did say I'd worked on Steven Lee's cue and also said that it was a John Parris cue that he used.
I can't believe I ever said I was a 'famous' cue maker, if I did, I apologise to everyone on the forum, I've never been that conceited or big headed. I'm just another cuemaker trying to earn a living. I remember saying that until recently I hadn't seen cues from a number of cuemakers that had now come into my workshop for alteration, repair or straightening, also that I'd never heard of a number of cuemakers in the business and no doubt they'd never heard of me. I've never really gone out of my way to look at cues made by other cuemakers; I've always made cues my way and let others do the same, so copying designs and patterns or even old cues is an alien thing to me.
If you look at the post I've recently put to 'Steedee' you'll see the reasoning why #I won't pass this knowledge on to just anyone. I'm sure that I passed it on to Robert Osborne when I taught him so you should be able to get Robert to straighten your cues if you don't want me to do it
I apologise to anyone I may have offended with my threads on the forum - there was never any malice intended

[Monique]

Hi Poolqjunkie - interesting post - I don't think you'll find I ever said I worked on Steven Hendry's cue (unless there was a typing error somewhere), I did say I'd worked on Steven Lee's cue and also said that it was a John Parris cue that he used.
I can't believe I ever said I was a 'famous' cue maker, if I did, I apologise to everyone on the forum, I've never been that conceited or big headed. I'm just another cuemaker trying to earn a living. I remember saying that until recently I hadn't seen cues from a number of cuemakers that had now come into my workshop for alteration, repair or straightening, also that I'd never heard of a number of cuemakers in the business and no doubt they'd never heard of me. I've never really gone out of my way to look at cues made by other cuemakers; I've always made cues my way and let others do the same, so copying designs and patterns or even old cues is an alien thing to me.
If you look at the post I've recently put to 'Steedee' you'll see the reasoning why #I won't pass this knowledge on to just anyone. I'm sure that I passed it on to Robert Osborne when I taught him so you should be able to get Robert to straighten your cues if you don't want me to do it
I apologise to anyone I may have offended with my threads on the forum - there was never any malice intended

Really Keith, I don't see why you should apologize for anything! Your posts have been very well written, friendly and polite. The reasons you put forward to be cautious with making some of your knowledge public are perfectly valid. You know your own value in your craft and there is absolutely no reason you should go for a low profile and not stand your ground. I work in IT and it's exactly the same: people can do a lot of harm, including to themselves (or their computer/cue/ whatever ) by trying to fix things without the required knowledge to do it properly.
If there was some agressivity or arrogance on this thread ... it definitely did not come from you.

[garysnooker]

Robert straighten one of my cues done a good job of it sill ok

[keith auld]

Thanks Monique - you've come to my rescue again

[keith auld]

Hi Gary - that's good to know and even more so because you say it's stayed stable and straight. I'm glad Robert remembered how to do it, there is an art and particular touch needed when doing something like this. Perhaps the sceptics might now see that the knowledge has been passed on, but in a selective way, to be used by those who will do the job correctly and not damage someones pride and joy