Cue Maker + Laser Cutter... Can it be done???

[RGCirencester]

Ok i had this idea last night and i don't see why it can't be done. Back in secondary school we had a laser cutter. Basically it cuts any shape you want into a piece of wood.
Right so anyway my idea, you take a pattern that you would like embellished on the cue. And then cut this shape out on 2 different pieces of wood. For example if you wanted a flame you would maybe cut it out on a piece of Tulipwood and a piece of Ebony. This will leave you with 2 identical flame shapes and 2 corresponding flame shaped holes in the remaining wood. If you take the Tulipwood flame and put it in the hole made in the piece of ebony and glue this in place you will then effectively have one whole piece of wood. Could this then be spliced into a cue as normal? I tried making pictures but im useless lol...
Anybody like to comment if there is a problem with this idea? Because i think it would make the coolest cues in the universe... Given more time you could even have your name built into the wood of the cue.
P.S. If any of the cuemakers buy a laser cutter in the next year could i have a cut of the profits :P or at least a free cue with flames on it...

[ste bed]

i read something about flames in 1 of your other posts why the hell would you want flames on a cue maybe if i was 10 i would consider it will just look tacky and childish and a waste of a good cue.

[ChatLag]

The problem with the laser cutter is that the edges will be burnt. It is the same when laser-cut metal parts.
So it is better to use a waterjet cutter (that will not damage the wood)
or just a small milling machine connected to a CAD programme.
The first step is to mill the inlay from a piece of wood and then cut out the "hole" in the part where the inlay should go.
You can see that here:
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=oe0NiSiCuWA

[RGCirencester]

i admit im childish.. i guess your in the flaming snooker cue case is bad camp? a small piece of sandpaper and the burned edges are gone, i did a whole wooden gear set for my gcse project. and ignoring the fact i like flames would'nt you like your name in the splice of your cue? Or anything? i don't see why people who choose 10 different woods for there cue are allowed to be, but as soon as you make it resemble anything it becomes tacky. Maybe flames are tacky but it could be a small cue or anything. But do you think the idea would work in theory? I don't see any reason why not... One day maybe i'll have the cash to try it out.

ok i just watched that video and its pretty cool. But i think it would look nicer in a traditional style single splice but with the motif in the middle. So i should take up pool if i want particularly different cues....

[ste bed]

i dont know if it would work try asking 1 of the cue makers who come on here this is a thought you could try cutting out the outline of your name/flame tips what ever with a small milling drill and then filling it with somesort of coloured resin then sand smooth.

[trevs1]

There would be no reason why a number of timber pieces, effectively glued together cannot be used for splicing.

Similar things are done already, with splices being made up of differing pieces of timber.

I'm sure we've all seen the block patterns and striped effects in cue splices, yes?

The idea of flames or whatever else, is just another idea of bonding various pieces of wood together to use for the same purpose.

Don't know about doing it myself though, sounds a bit odd.

[ste bed]

do you think it would be possible to cut my name in to my cue butt and fill with a coloured resin trevor?

[RGCirencester]

What if your name was flame lol! Then nobody can say its tacky... Now to change my name...
Hmm so i save up... buy a router... buy a piece of ebony and tulipwood (or many probably), then take it to a cuemaker and ask him to make a cue with it... My minds racing with the possibilities!!! I'll probably have forgotten all about this by the time i have enough money though!!

[poolqjunkie]

With the laser cutter you can definitely cut out your name or whatever, and fill it up with some glue or epoxy with dye so it would look like some kind of inlay.

Do you need some kind of hard finish to hold it in place? I am not sure.

CNC and milling pantography has been used for many years in cutting inlays on pool cues.

[Cue wizard]

saw this thread other day and was using the lazer cutter in school today i think it is possible as all it does is burn what you want on to it it does not go to deep a depth so why not

[RGCirencester]

If you turn the beam strength up it cuts straight through, or at least the one in our school did. I've personally cut up to about a cm of wood, i suppose it depends on the laser. I've looked at lots of the american cues, most milling the butt of the cue itself, it just seems simpler to do it with the splicings as you can start with a block of wood.