Building custom cues is an art that must be developed over years of experience. The cues themselve are as unique as the billiard player using them. Here at Ernie Martinez Custom Cues we make every effort to match the custom cue made with the player using the cue.
It all starts by understanding the player and designing the cue both aesthetically and physically to meet their needs. There are an amazing number of customizations required required for every pool cue.
The making of a custom cue has been mastered over many years of cue building. With advances in machining tools we are now able to create cues with incredibly precise tolerances. The design options are now amazing.
Design Considerations for Making a Custom Pool Cue
Aged Wood Shaft
The important thing to remember with the shaft is to let the wood age. The wood must be at least one year old to avoid any issues with warping.
Selecting Wood for Pool Cue Making
There are hundreds of different kinds of wood that can be used for pool cue making. The key is to have wood with straight growth lines and no imperfections.
My 5 favourite kinds of wood to use when making custom pool cues are listed below…
- Birdseye Maple
- Brazilian Rosewood
- Pink Ivory
- Zebra Wood
- Macassar Ebony
Grade of Wood
The grade of the wood can make the biggest difference in price and quality of the cue. For all my custom cues I only use Grade AAA Superp
Grade AAA Superp – Perfect shafts with straight growth grains and tight growth rings
Design
There are many design options for creating custom pool cues. If you are looking for a one of a kind pool cue than have a look at the process I use to create my cues below.
Custom Pool Cue Maintenance
Follow these general cue maintenance guidelines to get the most out of your custom pool cue.
Tip
You must maintain the domed shape and rough surface of the tip for correct chalking. Keep your tip chalked and dont let it get to damaged before repairing it. You can get replacement tips relatively inexpensively, typically $20.
Ferrule
Keep the Ferrule clean by not chalking using chalk with too deep of a hole. When you use chalk with too deep of a whole the result is a blue ring of chalk on the Ferrule.
Shaft
Keep the shaft clean, when you are playing you will generally build up sweat on the shaft, it is important to keep the shaft clean to allow for a nice looking shaft.
Joint, Butt
If the custom cue is built correctly there is minimal maintenance work required here. The only thing you need to ensure is that your cue is stored in a clean and dry place. You dont want to store your cue in a moist area as this can lead to warping.
