all in all, a great project! makes me miss home, i grew up with a high quality large wood pool table in the house. nice work, adding this to my list of "must do before i die" projects!
I am making wooden snooker/pool cue boxes, solid wood, but I have got to say that I think your work is amazing, I am both impressed and inspired. Thanks for sharing
Inspirational. Imagine getting a 147 playing with a cue thats built by you. Heart and skill, people. This is for people with heart and skill. Thanks for the video. Great job.
Well done my friend! The time and passion you put into that snooker cue is mega impressive. I won a snooker cue in a tournament about 40 years ago when everyone else was playing using billiard cues. I still have and use that cue today. Control the ball...control the game! Great job!
i build custom designed wood projects all the time, both as a hobby and for work (Trader Joe's artist) and must say, this video is inspiring! i have used power drills many times as "dummy lathes", you need a bench vice to secure the drill in. screw a piece of 4x4 onto the bench parallel to your project, for your tool rest. use the drill as the spindel, and rig up a dummy tailstock out of more 4x4 or 2x4. can use just about any sharpened cone of metal for the tailstock center (i.e: a large nail)
Thanks for your thoughts. I do quite a lot of woodturning so I know the problems of wood not drying uniformly. All of the wood used for this cue were left for several years in a dry shed. If I were making snooker cues professionally I would definitely only use straight grained, well seasoned wood, but as a first cue for myself I'm more than happy with it.
Nice job mate, really great finish, I made mine using a lathe and overhand planer, plenty of sanding to. I didn't splice the butt in though, done it in one piece of Ash, just painted the points at the bottom
The best woods to use are maple and ash (straight grained) for the shaft, and ebony, rosewood or mahogany for the butt. I used hawthorn with birch veneer for the splices because it's what I had and it looks nice.
Great vid. Enjoyed it very much. I'm not currently in a position to buy the equipment needed to make cues, but hopefully in the future it can be a hobby I can get in to.
i really hope this gets alot more veiws you really deserve it, obviously spent alot of time making this so thank you, very helpfull and will defo try this :)
Is there by any chance that I could get a specially made cue from you? I see that the cues you make are quite the business, don't mind giving me a try! Happy to buy one :D
amazing skills. Can you tell us how you ensured the 2 pieces combines were perfectly straight? I always imagined a 2 or even 3 or 20 piece cue all started as a 1 piece.I just dont think you could get straighter thn that, by using your technique...
You could use the lathe for turning the cue round, but with a long thin workpiece you will get a lot of vibration. Do a google search for a "spindle steady rest", I just didn't feel like making one. About glues, wood glue is cheap, and what I had on hand. Thanks for your interest and good luck if you decide to make a cue.
If the wood surface is smooth and dust-free, the oil gives a really good finish.I made the cue about a month ago so I'll have to see if the finish holds up.
Very cool video. I like the idea of making my own cue. Even if it isn't "perfect," there's something nice about it. Still, when you ask if there's a better way, I can't help but answer that there is. It's likely that an average cue from any store would be better in just about every technical respect to what an individual could do these days. I also think that's very cool.
great work and dedication, but how does it play?? and how long before it warped if ever?? wood is tricky to treat to keep from warping, especially using free wood, but if it didnt and it plays well please built me one : )
Thanks for watching. Some pool cues are actually made on a lathe, the problem with turning it on a lathe is the cue tends to "whip" in the centre because it's so thin, so you would have to make up a steady rest to keep it running true. It's just easier to hand plane it and check by eye.
I was watching a of a Peradon being made, it seems like they do the splicing after making the shaft round... so if you look at the bottom of the cue, instead of seeing all right angles, you can see round curves.
Great job. I wouldn't use sand paper for tipping though. The small particles of sand could get into the tip and scratch the balls (no jokes here please). I am surprised you achieved such a great result with basic tools as well. How come you didn't use the lathe to shape the shaft? Is planing the only way? Seems very slow and arduous. Still, great result. How does it play?
U did a great work with the splices... I made 2 cues... but not good as urs... just 2+2 splices... Now thinking to WOrk on Single peice Cue... Can U help by How Can i add more weight to Butt for making it heavier... Seen some cues with cracked butts & they hv some metal in the Butt... Y? is it good to have a heavier cue?
My lathe is long enough to turn the cue, but I would have to make a spindle steady to stop the long thin piece of wood from flexing. It's just easier to plane it by hand and keep checking for straightness by eye.
Hey man, great video! Quick question, for the layman, if I go to a hardware or lumber store/yard, to pick up some ash or maple, what dimensions would I ask for? Would it be something like a 2x2x36 and another piece 2x2x21? thanks again!
I've just finished making my 5th cue and when i get Ash i get them in 2x2x60 for a 1 piece :) ALOT harder than it looks a lathe is almost a must unless you got a lot of free time on your hands
Hi, nice work! I have two question about cues and hope you can help me to get the answer. 1, as far as my understanding, most cue we bought are fitted with lead in the button, why is that? 2, what different will it makes in play when you adjust the balance most forward/backward?
16 OZ As a finished cue would be rather light for me personally, how would you go about adding weight to the cue? absolutely fantastic little video here, the cue is stunning to look at
Making the splices from ebony or african blackwood rather than mahogany would add some weight, and the butt could be hollowed out and filled with lead or something before gluing the splices on.
I have made a pool cue manufactured entirely from red head match sticks!!! the case is also constructed out of match sticks. the cue is counterweighted at approx 18oz. the weight and a bamboo chopstick in the tip end and redgum inlays are the only odd materials. YES REDHEAD MATCH STICKS!!! HAS ANYBODY OUT THERE SEEN ONE BEFORE?
that was a great video, now i know the rough process i think i might have to try myself, although i have one question - on the first part of the cue espescially - why did you not use the lathe to round it? Also, did you pick wood glue over other glues, like Polyurethene (sorry for the spelling!) for a reason, or was it just what you had to hand?
What wood was used? I was thinking of getting a 160cm length of ash and working with that, then adding in splices of ebony or some really dense wood on the butt to add some weight.
Great vid on how to make a snooker cue, have you thought of doing it for money if people are willing to pay you to do it for them? also, I was wondering if you are from the UK? if so could you make me a cue if I was to pay you to do it with a certain spec?
Hello. Just got a cue from a very reputed brand of uk. I found the shaft of the cue very soft. It swivels a lot. Is there any cure or a process I can do to make it a little stiffer? Even over a period or time.
Mughees Mohiuddin soak it in linseed oil by rapping an oil soaked cloth down the shaft leave it for a week that should help somewhat. Thats the only way other then replacing the shaft I know of
Enjoyed watching the video, you must have some patience to do it by hand. I must be missing something here, why did you not turn it on the lathe?? Drill your hole for the threaded connector first and mount this at the revolving centre end and turn it down to your required taper, it has to be true and central. You could also fit the connector and mount it in a Jacobs chuck fitted in the headstock.Sanding will be much easier in the lathe, and you will find you have made a more accurate cue. Dave
Well done,not as easy as you made it look,very time consuming and you don`t get many chances to mess up and correct.thanks for showing. There were a couple of points I would suggest to others out there to get a little better finish,if working with grainy wood. Slightly dampen a cloth with water and wipe over the cue to raise then grain,once dry,lightly sand,repeat ,then let dry again,then sand again,then wipe with white spirits to remove dust, White spirits will not raise the grain like damp watered cloth, Then go over with grain filler and allow to dry over night, Then lightly rub down with very find sand paper and wipe over again with white spirits,then coat with the oil,but be advised,you get linseed oil and boiled linseed oil. The idea for this method is because, when sanding wood certain softer parts of the wood sand down quicker ,exposing the grain more,which gives the grain a higher peak.as the grain is usually harder than the surrounding softer wood and the grain peaks above the rest,but when using my method it eliminates grain raise later when the cue goes through different temperature conditions, This will also leave you with a cleaner and smoother finish for years,I would advice any one using a grainy wood, would benefit with the method I have advised and you will notice the difference once completed.but each to there own,
It's difficult to say, decide how long you want the splices to be (I wanted mine 18" long) then start planing from about 19" from the butt, this taper must be slightly longer than you eventually want because the whole cue will be tapered down. at the butt end it is best to plane down to almost nothing, see 3:34 The most important thing is to keep all of the splices even. I hope this all makes sense.
music of bang out of order loud and totally irrelevent. but the video was good. drilling the hole into the shaft needs to be extremely precise as you will end up with a bent cue when you put the two pieces together. what tool do you use to fit the joint in without scratching the brass joints?
dnbmania Lol don't say a word about the things you know nothing about. Russian Pyramid also have great players, but they are less popular that does not make them less skillfull
+Simon snooker ball is small, that is why it does not needs more complex engineering for a better cue, Russian Pyramid ball is 70 mm diameters and 300 grams. Therefore it needs more then 18-24 layers.
Irakli Meparishvili I can tell you've just made that up. There's no need for any complexities in the cue making process, it only means that there's more things to go wrong.
all in all, a great project!
makes me miss home, i grew up with a high quality large wood pool table in the house.
nice work, adding this to my list of "must do before i die" projects!
I am making wooden snooker/pool cue boxes, solid wood, but I have got to say that I think your work is amazing, I am both impressed and inspired. Thanks for sharing
Hi Chris
Do you sell the cases you make ???
Inspirational. Imagine getting a 147 playing with a cue thats built by you. Heart and skill, people. This is for people with heart and skill. Thanks for the video. Great job.
Very good video. Very clear instructions and no really special tools. Thanks.
Well done my friend! The time and passion you put into that snooker cue is mega impressive. I won a snooker cue in a tournament about 40 years ago when everyone else was playing using billiard cues. I still have and use that cue today. Control the ball...control the game! Great job!
i build custom designed wood projects all the time, both as a hobby and for work (Trader Joe's artist) and must say, this video is inspiring!
i have used power drills many times as "dummy lathes", you need a bench vice to secure the drill in. screw a piece of 4x4 onto the bench parallel to your project, for your tool rest. use the drill as the spindel, and rig up a dummy tailstock out of more 4x4 or 2x4. can use just about any sharpened cone of metal for the tailstock center (i.e: a large nail)
Thanks, before I made the cue I looked on youtube for a good step by step but couldn't find any interesting ones, so I made my own :)
For basic hand tools you did a great job.
Seems like a perfectly acceptable method for making a budget cue. Well Done! Thanks for sharing your work and good luck with your games!
Thanks for your thoughts. I do quite a lot of woodturning so I know the problems of wood not drying uniformly. All of the wood used for this cue were left for several years in a dry shed. If I were making snooker cues professionally I would definitely only use straight grained, well seasoned wood, but as a first cue for myself I'm more than happy with it.
I would be proud to own that cue. Nice job.
Nice job mate, really great finish, I made mine using a lathe and overhand planer, plenty of sanding to. I didn't splice the butt in though, done it in one piece of Ash, just painted the points at the bottom
The best woods to use are maple and ash (straight grained) for the shaft, and ebony, rosewood or mahogany for the butt. I used hawthorn with birch veneer for the splices because it's what I had and it looks nice.
Great vid. Enjoyed it very much. I'm not currently in a position to buy the equipment needed to make cues, but hopefully in the future it can be a hobby I can get in to.
Snooker and billiard table fitting and repair and installation Nasarullah mahmood in Oman from Pakistan punjab 0096897724320
i really hope this gets alot more veiws you really deserve it, obviously spent alot of time making this so thank you, very helpfull and will defo try this :)
Great video man, good to see the patience and craftsmanship in this day and age. Music was getting a bit too much though ha ha!
best cue making video on youtube, good job
Great job with the tools available to you sir!
very nice,, is there any more videos out on this please.
Is there by any chance that I could get a specially made cue from you? I see that the cues you make are quite the business, don't mind giving me a try! Happy to buy one :D
wargghh! all by hand! thank you for teaching us. now we seriously believed we can make a toothpick!
amazing skills. Can you tell us how you ensured the 2 pieces combines were perfectly straight? I always imagined a 2 or even 3 or 20 piece cue all started as a 1 piece.I just dont think you could get straighter thn that, by using your technique...
You could use the lathe for turning the cue round, but with a long thin workpiece you will get a lot of vibration. Do a google search for a "spindle steady rest", I just didn't feel like making one. About glues, wood glue is cheap, and what I had on hand. Thanks for your interest and good luck if you decide to make a cue.
Muy buen trabajo. Gracias por mostrarlo.
If the wood surface is smooth and dust-free, the oil gives a really good finish.I made the cue about a month ago so I'll have to see if the finish holds up.
Great stuff! A tough job made to look easy!
Very cool video. I like the idea of making my own cue. Even if it isn't "perfect," there's something nice about it.
Still, when you ask if there's a better way, I can't help but answer that there is. It's likely that an average cue from any store would be better in just about every technical respect to what an individual could do these days. I also think that's very cool.
great work and dedication, but how does it play?? and how long before it warped if ever?? wood is tricky to treat to keep from warping, especially using free wood, but if it didnt and it plays well please built me one : )
Awesome work. That late has to be pretty long to fit the cue. I dont understand how you could put the thin part in the chuck and get it to spin right.
im starting to make my cue tomorrow, the wood has now settled fully. How do you know how much to plane off for the splices?
Well done, great skills.....how does it play?!
Thanks for watching. Some pool cues are actually made on a lathe, the problem with turning it on a lathe is the cue tends to "whip" in the centre because it's so thin, so you would have to make up a steady rest to keep it running true. It's just easier to hand plane it and check by eye.
I was watching a of a Peradon being made, it seems like they do the splicing after making the shaft round... so if you look at the bottom of the cue, instead of seeing all right angles, you can see round curves.
Great job. I wouldn't use sand paper for tipping though. The small particles of sand could get into the tip and scratch the balls (no jokes here please). I am surprised you achieved such a great result with basic tools as well. How come you didn't use the lathe to shape the shaft? Is planing the only way? Seems very slow and arduous. Still, great result. How does it play?
are you referring to trigonometry? that one has to plan what angle to cut the wood, in order to determine the length of splice fingers?
Great video, thanks for sharing
Ignore all the moaners, it is very educational and helpful, as it was meant to be, top work mate :0)
Awesome Job! .....also a FSX fan ;)
How did you plane it tapered so well?
U did a great work with the splices... I made 2 cues... but not good as urs... just 2+2 splices... Now thinking to WOrk on Single peice Cue... Can U help by How Can i add more weight to Butt for making it heavier... Seen some cues with cracked butts & they hv some metal in the Butt... Y? is it good to have a heavier cue?
My lathe is long enough to turn the cue, but I would have to make a spindle steady to stop the long thin piece of wood from flexing. It's just easier to plane it by hand and keep checking for straightness by eye.
really good job, very interesting..
Nice job! How did it play?
very cool ! i like it and i want one of this !
Hey man, great video! Quick question, for the layman, if I go to a hardware or lumber store/yard, to pick up some ash or maple, what dimensions would I ask for? Would it be something like a 2x2x36 and another piece 2x2x21? thanks again!
I've just finished making my 5th cue and when i get Ash i get them in 2x2x60 for a 1 piece :) ALOT harder than it looks a lathe is almost a must unless you got a lot of free time on your hands
Amazing...good 👍👌
Hi, am thinking about building my own cue. What woods did you use besides Maple and Rosewood?
ขอชมทุกรายการ
bravo ....fatta a mano davvero .....
Very good vid and good effort. Bt if u had listed all tools required and also all the number of splices used etc! Then would be awesome!
Hi, nice work! I have two question about cues and hope you can help me to get the answer. 1, as far as my understanding, most cue we bought are fitted with lead in the button, why is that? 2, what different will it makes in play when you adjust the balance most forward/backward?
16 OZ As a finished cue would be rather light for me personally, how would you go about adding weight to the cue? absolutely fantastic little video here, the cue is stunning to look at
Making the splices from ebony or african blackwood rather than mahogany would add some weight, and the butt could be hollowed out and filled with lead or something before gluing the splices on.
Sean Johnson you can use fishing sinkers aswell before gluing on the design timber
Well done. How long is it take from the first step to the last?
I don't remember exactly, I made it over a week or two
I suppose I could give it a try, thanks for the tutorial; cheers! :)
Hi, what plane did you use. Looks like a STANLEY NR 5
Hi I was wondering what measurements to use and what lengths I should cut the wood. And also how many pieces of wood should I cut.
Sultana Ali
Depends
On preferred size and if you're making a one piece or using a 1/2 or 3/4 joiner
OK .. i ll buy one.
I have made a pool cue manufactured entirely from red head match sticks!!! the case is also constructed out of match sticks. the cue is counterweighted at approx 18oz. the weight and a bamboo chopstick in the tip end and redgum inlays are the only odd materials. YES REDHEAD MATCH STICKS!!! HAS ANYBODY OUT THERE SEEN ONE BEFORE?
that was a great video, now i know the rough process i think i might have to try myself, although i have one question - on the first part of the cue espescially - why did you not use the lathe to round it?
Also, did you pick wood glue over other glues, like Polyurethene (sorry for the spelling!) for a reason, or was it just what you had to hand?
What wood was used? I was thinking of getting a 160cm length of ash and working with that, then adding in splices of ebony or some really dense wood on the butt to add some weight.
Did you look at the captions on the screen?
pretty rustic, but awesome job all by hand, if you had some more equipment I'm sure you would make an awesome cue.
Great vid on how to make a snooker cue, have you thought of doing it for money if people are willing to pay you to do it for them? also, I was wondering if you are from the UK? if so could you make me a cue if I was to pay you to do it with a certain spec?
Hello. Just got a cue from a very reputed brand of uk. I found the shaft of the cue very soft. It swivels a lot. Is there any cure or a process I can do to make it a little stiffer? Even over a period or time.
+Mughees Mohiuddin If it's really a reputable brand if you let them know I'm sure they'll do all they can to fix it for you :)
+TheFsxmad the thing is I got it in Pakistan not U.K. Otherwise I would've asked them to change or replace it.
Mughees Mohiuddin soak it in linseed oil by rapping an oil soaked cloth down the shaft leave it for a week that should help somewhat. Thats the only way other then replacing the shaft I know of
Hi, can you please tell me what kind of wood glue you use? Titebond?
Just regular PVA wood glue, nothing special
what type of wood was the start square piece ?
Where do you buy the joint hardware?
sir?i want to ask you how many mm is the joint and the ferrule..
Enjoyed watching the video, you must have some patience to do it by hand.
I must be missing something here, why did you not turn it on the lathe??
Drill your hole for the threaded connector first and mount this at the revolving centre end and turn it down to your required taper, it has to be true and central. You could also fit the connector and mount it in a Jacobs chuck fitted in the headstock.Sanding will be much easier in the lathe, and you will find you have made a more accurate cue.
Dave
Well done,not as easy as you made it look,very time consuming and you don`t get many chances to mess up and correct.thanks for showing.
There were a couple of points I would suggest to others out there to get a little better finish,if working with grainy wood.
Slightly dampen a cloth with water and wipe over the cue to raise then grain,once dry,lightly sand,repeat ,then let dry again,then sand again,then wipe with white spirits to remove dust,
White spirits will not raise the grain like damp watered cloth,
Then go over with grain filler and allow to dry over night,
Then lightly rub down with very find sand paper and wipe over again with white spirits,then coat with the oil,but be advised,you get linseed oil and boiled linseed oil.
The idea for this method is because, when sanding wood certain softer parts of the wood sand down quicker ,exposing the grain more,which gives the grain a higher peak.as the grain is usually harder than the surrounding softer wood and the grain peaks above the rest,but when using my method it eliminates grain raise later when the cue goes through different temperature conditions,
This will also leave you with a cleaner and smoother finish for years,I would advice any one using a grainy wood, would benefit with the method I have advised and you will notice the difference once completed.but each to there own,
Where did you get the joints? Can't seem to find em
Ebay, search for 'brass cue joint'
What is the distance between the snooker balls from the cushions in centimeters
That's awesome
I love hands made things. 😙😙😙
I would do all the rounding using a lathe, using sandpaper to finish it off.
nice job, looks pretty damn good for doing most of the work by hand.
How would you make it without the joint in the middle?
Enjoy watching ur video,but y don u use ash or maple?anyway if u want to make a cue ,do it the best .u r great!!!!!
Wow this looks great.You've done a really good job. But I don't think I'm able to do this =D
how does one determine length of splice fingers?
Why not use lathe instead of hand plane? Tradition?
Very Nice
You have to design the cue before you start building. The splices can be as long as you want.
very difficult to make 1 cue can u tell me how many days it will take
Depends on your skills and tools, took me a bit less than a week I think
couldn't you use the lathe for all the work you did with the plane?
thats awesome
It's difficult to say, decide how long you want the splices to be (I wanted mine 18" long) then start planing from about 19" from the butt, this taper must be slightly longer than you eventually want because the whole cue will be tapered down. at the butt end it is best to plane down to almost nothing, see 3:34 The most important thing is to keep all of the splices even. I hope this all makes sense.
well done
where did you buy the joint?
Can't remember, probably eBay, just search for 'snooker cue joint'
thanks
Amazing!
music of bang out of order loud and totally irrelevent. but the video was good. drilling the hole into the shaft needs to be extremely precise as you will end up with a bent cue when you put the two pieces together. what tool do you use to fit the joint in without scratching the brass joints?
thanks, very interesting.
i tried this and ended up with a beautiful... pile of firewood.
if I wanna buy this than what should I do
Find someone who will sell you a handmade cue, I'm happy with mine
I used a 22mm centre joint and 9.5mm ferrule but this is only my personal preference
Qual nome da cola que você usou
I've seen Russian billiard cue making process its so much complex, snooker cues are relatively simple
+Irakli Meparishvili The better cueists are using more simple tools
dnbmania Lol don't say a word about the things you know nothing about. Russian Pyramid also have great players, but they are less popular that does not make them less skillfull
+Irakli Meparishvili He said nothing about your players.
+Simon snooker ball is small, that is why it does not needs more complex engineering for a better cue, Russian Pyramid ball is 70 mm diameters and 300 grams. Therefore it needs more then 18-24 layers.
Irakli Meparishvili I can tell you've just made that up. There's no need for any complexities in the cue making process, it only means that there's more things to go wrong.
hi i have a crack in my cue can it be repaired ?
I'm no expert on cue repair, but it depends where the crack is and how large, if the cue is already unusable then it's worth having a go
put a wet tissue on the crack for 12 hours
then dry it
Why plane down the shaft when u have a lathe ? Could you just complete the entire process on the lathe ?
Why did you watch the full length or better still turn the sound off?
It depends where you want the joint, best to get it longer just to be safe.
Budget cue?