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Introduction
Q; How did you get involved in pool?
A; While living in Miami, Florida as a kid, my
best friend Jeff had a table and we had played pool for a couple of
months, though not seriously. My
friend and I each had one of those three-piece cues that had the
removable weights, and were hand carved!
At the time, I really enjoyed playing pool, but it was just a
phase. Years later,
while attending college full time, I was re-introduced to the game
of pool. One day, I
walked into an establishment that had a pool table.
That was a day that changed my life forever.
I soon discovered that my love for pool was greater than
anything else in my life, and shortly thereafter pool took over my
life, and playing pool as much as possible became the focus of my
life.
Cue
Repair
Q; How did you get into cue repairs?
A; About a decade after my introduction to
pool, and relocating to Ocean City, Maryland, in 1987, I took a job
as a "house man" at the only billiard establishment in
town. This would enable
me to play all the pool I could possibly play.
At this point, I started to realize that my future was going
to be in pool. So, I
decided to become the best player possible.
Since I was allowed to play while working, and practicing
many hours a day, I developed a reputation as a player and gambled
with anyone that came through to play.
One day in 1989, after visiting the shop of legendary cue
maker Tim Scruggs, I decided to take up cue repairs.
Upon my return, I immediately ordered a standard wood lathe
and began cleaning shafts and putting on tips.
In 1990, I began to venture out on the road gambling and
playing in tournaments. The
trips were short, as managing the pool hall would not let me get
away for long periods. When
not on the road, practicing and honing my cue repair skills was the
order of the day. Understanding
that this was my dream, it was something I HAD to pursue.
After returning from a series of profitable road trips, I
planned on going out on the road indefinitely, gambling and playing
in tournaments. Realizing
that life on the road is very difficult, the plan had to be more
comprehensive in the event that the money ran short.
It was this line of thinking that thrust me into serious cue
repair. After informing
the owner of the pool hall that in a years time, I would be leaving
on my adventure, and explaining the plan, set about making it
happen.
I needed a mobile machine with the capability to perform every cue
repair possible. From
shaft cleans, tips, ferrules, and wraps, to joint work and butt
plates. As I began to
become more involved in the plan, my exposure to other people within
the industry began to grow.
A few years earlier, I had ordered a couple of Southwest
cues, which I considered to be the best cues available, and I wanted
one to play with. I
then remembered that Laurie & Jerry Franklin were very friendly
throughout the ordering process, so decided to call them and ask
them for advice about my plan.
I talked to Jerry and Laurie for hours at a time over the
next several months, and they were very encouraging.
If not for their encouragement, I probably would not have
made the decision to go on the road.
My time over the next year was spread out over managing the
pool hall, practicing hard to stay in stroke, building the lathe and
purchasing a 31’ travel trailer for my housing on the road.
The trailer also acted as a mobile cue repair shop.
Prior to leaving, I had provided repairs at only two
tournaments; the New York State Championships, in Binghamton, NY,
and the East Coast 9-Ball Classic in Waldorf, MD.
My venture began on November 25, 1991. Plans had also been
made for me to provide cue repair at two tournaments; the “Sands
Regency XIV” in Reno, NV, and the “Last Call for 9-Ball” in
Las Vegas. I also played in the latter of the two, and placed in the
top 24 out of a field of about 300 players.
Johnny Archer went on to win the tournament.
Q:
What was next for you?
A: After that, I bounced around coast to coast
in the US playing in tournaments and providing cue repair.
Understanding that there was a need to elevate the level of
cue repair available at tournaments, I proceeded to do just that.
At this point, I was providing cue repair service for the
best players in the world. In
April of 1992, while at the LA Open in Burbank, CA, I met Joe Porper
of Creative Inventions. He
was very interested in the lathe I had built.
About a year later, he came out with the first mobile lathe
that was available for repairs that had the same capabilities of the
one I had designed. While
at the Sands Regency XVI in Reno in December of 1992, another
pivotal moment in my life occurred; I met cue maker Jerry McWorter.
At that time, he was a relatively new up and coming cue maker
in the Los Angeles area, with great ideas for making cues, and a
well known player in his own right.
After ending up in Los Angeles 2 months later for the Bicycle
Club Invitational to do cue repairs, I ran into Jerry again.
Well, after some conversation, I ended up over at Jerry’s
shop. Making cues up
until this time had not even been considered.
While I was there, a German player wanted to buy some sneaky
pete’s to take back to Germany.
Jerry did not want to make them, as he was making 6 pointers
at that time. Later on
we discussed it, and decided that I would make the cues.
I then proceeded to make my first cues (sneaky pete’s) in
Jerry’s shop. I made
those sneaky pete’s, and they were such a hit with players that I
continued making them out of Jerry’s shop for about 2 years on and
off and traveled out to tournaments to perform repairs.
The repairing of so many different kinds of cues allowed me
to differentiate between what makes a good cue, and what makes a bad
one. Plus, working on cues in front of players at tournaments is a
very volatile, high pressure situation, and with practice made it
possible for me to be able to solve almost any problem faced in cue
repair.
Over the next several years Jerry and I developed a great friendship
that is even stronger today. Though
I never actually did any construction work on Jerry’s cues, I
learned an incredible amount about philosophy and execution involved
in cue making. During
this time, my exposure to other cue makers and people within the
industry began to grow exponentially.
I got to know cue maker Ernie Gutierrez, of GinaCue fame, and
visit his shop as well. Jerry
and Joe Porper were friends, and his shop was not far from
Jerry’s. We often saw
Joe at the pool halls around town, as he liked to play one-pocket.
The people that I got to know in those years played a very
large role in my development as a cue maker.
In May of 1994 I purchased one of cue maker Joe Porper’s
model-A lathes, as it was lighter and more compact than the one that
I was using. After realizing
that this machine had many limitations, we then developed the
machine to the next evolutionary stage, which was the Model-B, then
came Model-C, and Model-C+. The lathe that I use today at
tournaments is the original prototype for the Model-B. Over
the next few years, a revolution in cue repair began in the U.S.
After one repair seminar I did at the College of Knowledge on
the lathe during the BCA tradeshow in Las Vegas, he sold 50 or so of
those lathes. I
traveled throughout the U.S. selling the lathe, doing cue repair,
and at times focusing on playing as well.
Most of the time, it was very difficult to maintain the
concentration level required to win tournaments and perform cue
repairs simultaneously, though I did have somewhat limited results.
Cuemaking
Q: How did you get into
cuemaking?
A: As you know, I began
making sneaky pete’s in Los Angeles in 1993.
Well, in retrospect, making sneaky pete’s does not make a
cue maker. In
1994, after doing cue repair at the WPA World 9-Ball Championships
in Chicago, I began to purchase machinery to move towards my new
goal of cue making. I
knew that one day I would have to settle down and have my own shop.
The first machinery I purchased was a shaft turning machine
from my dear friend and cue maker Joe Gold, of Cognoscenti cues.
That shaft machine had been made by cue maker Mike Bender
years earlier. I also
purchased a pantograph for doing inlays.
As time went on, and after doing repairs at hundreds of
tournaments from coast to coast, with thousands of amateur players
to the world’s best at pro tournaments, I was thinking more and
more about someday making cues.
In October 1995, I began a relationship with the love of my
life, Kathy. We had
been friends since childhood. I
had been in love with her since the first time I ever laid eyes on
her. After the pool
playing died down again, I continued to excel at the cue repair.
In 1996 and 1997 I was an official cue repairman of the Camel
Pro Billiard Series, servicing all of the world’s best players at
6 of the tournaments. I
began to come to terms with the fact that the knowledge and
experience that years of experience repairing cues was a very solid
foundation for building cues. More
machinery was purchased. After
almost 5 years on the road by myself, and one year on the road with
Kathy, I was definitely ready to have a home base.
It was time to slow things down a bit so as to make the
transition to cue making.
In August 1997 we moved to Salisbury, MD and set up shop in Action
Billiards. At this
time, we began to travel out to tournaments less and less.
The plan was to continue to develop the processes involved in
cue making until I felt all the machinery and skills required were
at my fingertips. In
December of 1998 we moved to Westover, MD, a small rural town about
20 miles south of Salisbury. Construction
of the shop began, and was 90% complete as of 11-13-2002.
It was a very slow process, as we had to continue traveling
to tournaments as necessary, remodeling the shop, and making cues at
the same time. On
January 2, 1999, Kathy and I were married in Hendersonville, NC.
In April of 2000, I began to make cues according to my plan,
and to strict rules set forth by the American Cuemakers Association
definition of a cue maker. In
July of 2000 I submitted my cues for inspection and admission to the
ACA, and was admitted as a cue making member.
Q:
Are you a one-man shop?
A:
For the most part, and literally yes. However, my wife Kathy
has worked with me at tournaments, handling the customers with their
orders and such. Then two years ago my wife began to
help with the finish work. She
does most of the wet sanding and polishing of the finish. Her
level of craftsmanship in this area is extraordinary!
Q:
How much of the cue is made in your shop?
A: Everything that goes into the cue from raw
materials, as defined by the American
Cuemakers Association Membership Requirements, except for the
tips, joint screw, and rubber bumper are made on-site at this
facility.
Construction
Methods
Q: What makes a good playing cue?
A: If you were to ask a hundred people that
question, you would get many different answers.
It is really a subjective question, but I will give it a
shot. My philosophy is
that all the parts of the cue that are joined together, whether
permanently, like in the A-joint, or where the butt sleeve joins to
the handle, or temporarily, like the shaft screwing onto the butt,
have to be assembled with the proper tolerances.
In other words, if the joinery work is good and tight, it is
going to give a good, solid hit.
I also believe that the more wood surface that makes contact,
the more like a one piece cue the hit will be.
That is the reason why I use a wood to wood joint.
To achieve the results that my cue provides, the taper, weight,
balance point, shaft diameter, tip, adhesives and all the other
materials are a major consideration.
Q:
What are your construction processes?
A: Well, there are so many, but I will speak
about the ones I think make a difference.
All woods are dipped in a liquid stabilizer between some of the
turnings, as well as all parts being turned more than a dozen times
All of the fronts of my cues are cored before the points are
cut in. Recently, I
took it even one step further, and started using laminated cores.
The points are then spliced in, and the front is turned down to
final size before the front is joined to the handle.
The coring of the fronts provides greater stability and
assures that there will be less warpage throughout the process of
making the front. This
also helps to keep the points more even.
The handles are also laminated.
I believe that the fronts being cored, coupled with the
laminated handles, will provide a very strong, stable, consistent
hitting platform to build cues from.
The consistent platform I am referring to is
that their is maple from the joint to the rubber bumper. This
bring the cues one step closer to having the same "hit,"
no matter the choice of woods. Like wise, if a customer wants
a cue that plays like ebony, cocobolo, or some other exotic wood,
and looks like something else, the cues can be cored with any wood
the customer chooses.
Q:
How do you feel climate affects cues?
A: I feel that climate is very
important in the making of cues. The climate in my shop is
consistently about 75 degrees year round, with the humidity kept at
45-50%. I have several
dehumidifiers for summers, and humidifiers for the winter when the
air is not so humid. Realistically,
all we can really do is take all the preventative measures possible
to make sure that the climate has the least effect on the cue as
possible.
Tip
& Ferrule
Q: What tip do you put on your cues?
A: Recently, I have been
putting on Triangles. I
have not been happy with the consistency in Le Pro’s lately.
However, if I can get good Le Pro’s, they are used.
I personally use a hard Moori on my cue.
Q:
What about ferrules?
A: I use a ¾” capped and threaded melamine
(linen phenolic) ferrule. I
have them special made to my tolerances.
I will also put on ivory ferrules for custom orders.
Q:
What is the standard tip diameter?
A: The standard tip diameter is 13mm to 13
1/8mm. However, shafts can be custom made to any diameter
between 10mm and 15mm.
The
Joint
Q: What kind of joint do you use?
A: Another part of my philosophy is that I
like for every cue to play as close as possible to the same hit.
That is the reason I use a concentric phenolic ring under the
visible joint material , whether it be another material such as
exotic wood, phenolic, or ivory.
If you look at the facing of the joint on my cues, you will
see a wood core, then a black phenolic ring, and then the joint
material. I believe
this is just another step to bringing all the cues closer to the
consistency explained earlier.
All of this is topped off with a 3/8 X 7.5 radial pin.
The
Shaft
Q: What do you look for in shaft wood?
A: The quality today in shaft wood is not as
good as it was years ago. Most
of the wood today has fewer growth rings, as the wood today is
harvested at a younger age. Personally,
I like heavier, denser shaft wood.
But such wood is hard to get without blemishes.
More importantly, I look for straight grain over the length
of the shaft, and straightness throughout the turning process.
After that I look at the amount of growth rings per inch.
The truth is that it really does not matter what a shaft
looks like. Everyone
out there likes something different.
Q:
How many cuts do you make on your shafts?
A: Probably
more than most people can imagine.
Each of my shafts shafts is turned over 24 times to assure
straightness. I believe that the less stress you
relieve with each pass, the straighter the shaft will stay.
This line of thinking comes from my own personal experience.
Q:
Do you treat your shafts with a chemical stabilizer?
A: Yes, they are dipped twice in a liquid
stabilizer, and allowed to dry for long periods before turning
again.
Q:
What about the differences in shaft weight, and will that affect the
balance of the cue?
A: Not all shafts are going to weigh the same.
I always put shafts of equal weight together with a cue that
comes with two shafts. Shafts
usually weigh from 3.5 oz to 4.2, with the majority falling in
between. It used to be
that everyone wanted heavier shafts, but lately, there is a new line
of thinking that a lighter shaft will cause less cue ball
deflection. Now some
want lighter, some want in between, some want heavier, and some do
not care. Most people cannot tell
the difference from shafts that have a slight difference in weight.
Variances in shaft weight are so slight, that the balance point does
not typically move in a humanly measurable amount. For those
that do, I offer a more personalized service.
Q:
What if a customer wants a new shaft?
A: All shafts are interchangeable, so the butt
is not required to make replacement shafts.
This works out really well for my Japanese customers, as they
do not have to go through the hassle of sending the cue back to the
U.S. for a replacement shaft. It
works out even better for the customer if they catch me in person,
because I usually have a case full of shafts that they can go
through and pick the shafts they want.
The
Butt
Q: What kind of taper does your butt have?
A: The taper on my butts is what is called a
compound taper. That
means it has one taper from the joint to the A-joint (where the
front and handle are joined together), and another taper from the
A-joint to the butt plate. The
dimensions of my cues are typically .842” at the joint,
1.040"-1.050" at the A-joint, and 1.245”-1.265” at the
butt plate. This allows
me to keep the front stiffer and keep the wrap section a little
thinner than if it had a straight taper.
With a compound taper, there is not such an uncomfortable
transition in the wrap area. There
are a few of my cues out there that have different measurements, as
I have experimented with different measurements at different times.
Q: What kind of points do you use in your cue?
A: At present, V-groove only, which is called
a half splice or structural point.
Q: Are you doing inlays?
A: I have had the machinery to do inlays since
about 1996, but my focus until late 2003 was on the structural
integrity and playability aspects of the cue. I believe that
the integrity and playability of the cue should come above all else,
and the journey into the artistic side of the cue should be
integrated into the cue after that has been accomplished. In
the year 2004 I will begin to explore the different aspects of
inlaying and adding more art to the cues.
The
Finish
Q: What kind of a finish do you use?
A: I use an automotive clear coat made by
DuPont that is a two-part catalyzed urethane. Each cue is
sprayed with up to 10 coats of clear coat. In between
spraying's, the cue is wet sanded to assure a smooth finish, with
the final product having a very smooth and durable high gloss
finish.
Playability
Q: How do you
like a cue to play?
A: I like a stiff, solid hitting cue, and that
is what I build. I have
never been one to offer all different types of tapers and such.
It is important for me as a cue maker to define what
the parameters of a good cue are and stick to it, artistically and
playability combined. However, a more personalized service is
offered for customers that request different tapers and such.
Philosophy
Q: What would you like people to know about your
philosophy regarding cuemaking?
A: As a cue maker, there is an obligation to
pursue the best mix of technology and craftsmanship, through
availability or invention, and to implement and execute that
obligation into the art of cue making.
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