My workshop

[vmax]

Thanks CC, trouble is that it's a centre jointed cue, really difficult to sell these on, I'd have it if it was a 3/4.

[itsnoteasy]

Just out of curiosity was there a Bob Akers 3/4 joint? I've only seen centre joints.

[Cue crafty]

Just out of curiosity was there a Bob Akers 3/4 joint? I've only seen centre joints.

Have a read of the second link in my post mate, I think you'll enjoy it. Talks about the progression to 3/4.

[j6uk]

Nice maple and rosewood with sharp top and bottom machine splice. Did you splice over all four points vmax?

[itsnoteasy]

Have a read of the second link in my post mate, I think you'll enjoy it. Talks about the progression to 3/4.

Cheers CC enjoyed that.

[vmax]

Nice maple and rosewood with sharp top and bottom machine splice. Did you splice over all four points vmax?

Yes I did Jason, very little of the original hardwood butt left after I'd finished the second two splices, about six to eight inches but the join to the maple was very solid and all is good underneath.

[vmax]

My latest guitar kit, a Les Paul senior, only a single bridge pick up like the more well known Les Paul junior but unlike the junior it has a carved top like a standard. Not the best quality kit to be fair but I did my best with it. Had to make a scratch plate myself, glued neck, wrap around bridge, bought a brass adjustable nut to replace the plastic one it came with, neck has splashes of glue on the fingerboard so I'm giving to my mate to set the intonation, string height and overall finish on the neck, something he's good at as he's a guitar nerd.

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[j6uk]

Yes I did Jason, very little of the original hardwood butt left after I'd finished the second two splices, about six to eight inches but the join to the maple was very solid and all is good underneath.

Old maples are always enjoyable to work on, especially when you find a good piece.. I’m currently working on two machine spliced cues, one being similar to yours, it being an old Joe Davis Club cue in Maple & Rosewood.

[vmax]

Old maples are always enjoyable to work on, especially when you find a good piece.. I’m currently working on two machine spliced cues, one being similar to yours, it being an old Joe Davis Club cue in Maple & Rosewood.

I've just 3/4 split the cue and added a little more weight, mate of mine is interested in it as he likes a bigger tip. Will you be covering the machine spices with hand spices on yours ?

[j6uk]

I've just 3/4 split the cue and added a little more weight, mate of mine is interested in it as he likes a bigger tip. Will you be covering the machine spices with hand spices on yours ?

No Steve, I’m a fan of the old long sharp spice look.
And I’ve found a choice shaft machine splice can play the same as a one piece if weighted properly..

[vmax]

I rather enjoyed customising the Ashcroft one piece machine spliced maple so thought I'd have another go but the price of old cues is a bit steep considering how bad some of them are underneath so I looked at a new one from Britannia cues. Only thirty three quid including postage so I got one, what a sorry excuse for a cue it is, butt not jointed on straight, bent shaft, big hole filled on the joint, very poorly weighted and must have a big slug of metal in it as it weighs 22.8 oz's and last but not least a 'hand made' badge on it. I'm sure someone at the factory must have picked it up a some stage but that's the only hand that's been in contact with this.

Anyway I sanded off the laquer and kept it in the workshop for a couple of weeks where the damp atmosphere during this latest bout of 'global warming' has produced 150% more rain in july over the average and it's absorbed some moisture and straightened itself out. Now it's ready for customisation. I'm thinking a photo negative cue, black shaft with white grainfiller and whitewood butt, probably beech as I have a few offcuts hanging around. I've now retired, last day of work was yesterday so plenty of time on my hands as of now.

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[vmax]

Well this is what I've done with it.
Planed off the hardwood machine splices up to the tips then glued on some ash and took it back to round with the hand planes. Removed a section for a decorative splice and glued on a slip of ebony backed with a maple veneer and took it back to round again.
Covered the ebony/maple splice with masking tape and dyed the whole thing black with indian ink. After it had dried rubbed it down with 240 grade paper which removed quite a bit of the dye so and then dyed it again, when dried rubbed it down with 2500 grade paper and applied some white colouring oil, waited ten minutes and then removed the excess.
Sadly it didn't take as the grain had already been filled with the black ink so difference between the splices and the shaft couldn't really be seen so I decided to 3/4 split it, used an old centre joint that I had lying around and hid the joint within the shaft wood. Finished it with three coats of danish oil.
It's 57 1/2 inches long, weighs 16.6 oz's and the balance point is bang on the joint at 18 inches. Will add a badge tomorow.

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[vmax]

Snooker style pearwood 9 ball/chinese 8 ball cue,

59.75 inches long, 19.5 oz's, 19.25 inch balance point, 30mm diameter butt, 12mm diameter buffalo horn ferrule, pearwood shaft split at 3/4, brass vacuum joint, wenge butt with bocote decorative splices on maple veneers, mini butt.
Just dipping my toe into another market, don't know if this cue ticks all the 9 ball/chinese 8 ball boxes but it might catch someones eye and if it does and I get good feedback then all's good.

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[vmax]

9 ball cue now winging its way to hawaii, thanks Randall

[Frankthered]

What you've done to that Britannia cue looks really cool. I saw it on ebay today and am really struggling to not buy it! How does it play? The other problem is that I also really like the look of the J Ashcroft and don't get me started on the pearwood - they're a bit pricey for me at the moment though!