My workshop

[DeanH]

My workshop

I think I have the same pair of steel-toecap slippers

[vmax]

Planed back the first two splices today, drilled with three lead plugs, which will add about 2 ounces of weight, and the 3rd and 4th wenge splices glued and clamped.
The cue will then be planed all round slightly oversize as it is now and then an amargo amargo splice will be added on top of maple and wenge veneers. The amargo amargo is like a lighter coloured wenge so should contrast nicely.
Then it's all about planing/sanding and scraping down to the final taper and finding out how the cue feels in the hand and where it needs to be balanced.

Cue will be balanced and finally weighted by drilling up from the butt and adding a 10mm threaded stainless steel bar cut to the correct length for the final weight and placed between 6/8 inches from the end of the butt for the balance that suits the length, should be about 58/59 inches and balanced round about 18/19 inches.
Bar will have a slot cut into the end and slowly screwed into a 9mm hole filled with epoxy using my Cuesmith lathe, hand turning with a flat head bit in the drill attachment until it sits in place, so no chance of moving once the epoxy sets.

Will provide pictures of the process and the finished cue unless I balls it up or something breaks, and with wenge that's quite easy so plane blades and scrapers will be sharpened twice a day during the work.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vmax4steve/shares/2322ZM

[Ninja.cues]

First two splices of wenge glued to a 60 inch ash shaft that was prepared last year down to 2mm oversize, length could and probably will change. Second two splices will be glued on tomorrow, after that will be planed, scraped and sanded and hopefully finished by friday.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vmax4steve/shares/Po6e0x

Oh and my 1988 Vmax 1200 has just been restored, vroom vroom

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vmax4steve/shares/2g8g3d

Hi vmax,

Like me you do like wenge.... When it's finished lol
Pain in the rear it get it there..
Look forward to seeing how this comes out.

[vmax]

First two splices of wenge glued to a 60 inch ash shaft that was prepared last year down to 2mm oversize, length could and probably will change. Second two splices will be glued on tomorrow, after that will be planed, scraped and sanded and hopefully finished by friday.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vmax4steve/shares/Po6e0x

Oh and my 1988 Vmax 1200 has just been restored, vroom vroom

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vmax4steve/shares/2g8g3d

[jonny66]

Finished the beech one yesterday and gave it a bash this afternoon, plays great as do the other two beech cues I made, Long BA tip as good as ever, everyone must try these

One piece beech shaft with zebrano butt with wenge veneers and an ekki splice on the mace flat
58 inches long, 16.8 ounces in weight, balanced at 17 & 1/2 inches, 9.7mm brass ferrule, 28mm diameter butt

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vmax4steve/shares/yfi797

Think I need a better camera or a steadier hand.

I really like that, surprised no-one else has said similar. Maybe the butt wood is too fancy.

[Hello, Mr Big Shot]

Finished the beech one yesterday and gave it a bash this afternoon, plays great as do the other two beech cues I made, Long BA tip as good as ever, everyone must try these

One piece beech shaft with zebrano butt with wenge veneers and an ekki splice on the mace flat
58 inches long, 16.8 ounces in weight, balanced at 17 & 1/2 inches, 9.7mm brass ferrule, 28mm diameter butt

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vmax4steve/shares/yfi797

Think I need a better camera or a steadier hand.

Surprised the shaft is that colour- was expecting it to be more red. Looks like maple.

[vmax]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vmax4steve/shares/saA8La

I'm now making a one piece beech to the same design.

Finished the beech one yesterday and gave it a bash this afternoon, plays great as do the other two beech cues I made, Long BA tip as good as ever, everyone must try these

One piece beech shaft with zebrano butt with wenge veneers and an ekki splice on the mace flat
58 inches long, 16.8 ounces in weight, balanced at 17 & 1/2 inches, 9.7mm brass ferrule, 28mm diameter butt

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vmax4steve/shares/yfi797

Think I need a better camera or a steadier hand.

[vmax]

Knocked this one out last week, an old Powerglide one piece maple that had a black painted butt. I think the zebrano looks quite good but it's a shame that the paint protected the shaft wood from darkening as there's a distinct line where the colour changes.

57 inch one piece maple with zebrano butt with bog oak veneers, 9.4mm brass ferrule, 28.5mm diameter butt, balanced at 17.5 inches and only 14.8 ounces, ideal uk 8ball cue.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vmax4steve/shares/saA8La

I'm now making a one piece beech to the same design. No pm's please as I don't have enough posts under my new name and won't be able to access them under my old one.

[Ramon]

Finished this one today in between trying to explain side on the forum

59 1/2 inch 3/4 split ash shaft with ipe tabaca butt, 29mm butt 9.3mm brass ferrule 19 inch balance point and 19.2 ounces.

As mentioned before the ipe tabaca was an absolute pig to plane so I had to sand it the last 1mm which took me four hours yesterday and I was totally knackered afterwards. The end result is really nice as it has some very subtle colours in it.
No veneers or decorative splices as I didn't want to tear the ipe tabaca with the plane again so left it as it is. The ipe tabaca is so dense that I've added no weight to get the 19.2 ounces.

forgive the pictures but the sun was in out in out and the first coat of danish has dried very quickly.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vmax4steve/shares/eYDW8N

well , not agree with you on that part .

but , as for the cue , it looks great imo . excellent job .

[itsnoteasy]

I like those stubby fingers on the shaft Vmax, always wanted a one piece spliced like that.

[vmax4steve]

Finished this one today in between trying to explain side on the forum

59 1/2 inch 3/4 split ash shaft with ipe tabaca butt, 29mm butt 9.3mm brass ferrule 19 inch balance point and 19.2 ounces.

As mentioned before the ipe tabaca was an absolute pig to plane so I had to sand it the last 1mm which took me four hours yesterday and I was totally knackered afterwards. The end result is really nice as it has some very subtle colours in it.
No veneers or decorative splices as I didn't want to tear the ipe tabaca with the plane again so left it as it is. The ipe tabaca is so dense that I've added no weight to get the 19.2 ounces.

forgive the pictures but the sun was in out in out and the first coat of danish has dried very quickly.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vmax4steve/shares/eYDW8N

[Ramon]

Nice to see an open minded players as some will not even look at something different..

I do get what you mean as my last cue was maple and guess I've been lucky with the maple I've bought to make cues with...

I think that might be luck of the draw as most of the maple cues I've played with have been good players...
Even rackers..

Clean maple can be a real pain to find and have a few to be getting on with, so will see how they come out.

The trouble with maple is that it's hard to spot a good piece in it's bare sawn state as there's no visible grain pattern to grade it by, and my local timber yard doesn't stock it, and it's too smooth and sticky to the bridge hand when finished imo.
I've found the beech cues to be a very good half way house between ash and maple as regards to smoothness of finish and has a flex characteristic that means you can have a slim tapered cue that isn't whippy and a regular tapered cue that plays very solid.

lol , that was my point .
Why do you think Maple players have a real hard time to change cues an get a new one ??

Vmax ,

Would be fair to say that beech cues have more flex and abit harder comper to maple ?

Thanks for info btw ,

[Ninja.cues]

I'm lucky as the timber yard I've been going to since I was 16 do stock it and the others I plan on using.
I can go through it and pick what I want but like vmax said, it's hard to see how it is until you've started working on it.

[vmax4steve]

[B]As for maple , The trouble with maple is that a decent piece of maple is hard to come by ,imo. .

The trouble with maple is that it's hard to spot a good piece in it's bare sawn state as there's no visible grain pattern to grade it by, and my local timber yard doesn't stock it, and it's too smooth and sticky to the bridge hand when finished imo.
I've found the beech cues to be a very good half way house between ash and maple as regards to smoothness of finish and has a flex characteristic that means you can have a slim tapered cue that isn't whippy and a regular tapered cue that plays very solid.

[Ninja.cues]

Already have !!

I found it like an similar wood to maple actually , just in a diff way. I just can'nt describe it tbh.
I know two players using it though. and they love it.

As for maple , The trouble with maple is that a decent piece of maple is hard to come by ,imo.

Lets just say , you have 100 cues made from ash. 80 of them may turns in a good player .
You have 100 cues made from maple ( not selected ) ? well, you'll be lucky if 30 of them turns in an good player.

Nice to see an open minded players as some will not even look at something different..

I do get what you mean as my last cue was maple and guess I've been lucky with the maple I've bought to make cues with...

I think that might be luck of the draw as most of the maple cues I've played with have been good players...
Even rackers..

Clean maple can be a real pain to find and have a few to be getting on with, so will see how they come out.