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I receive several emails weekly from people asking everything from what tip they should use to how much is their pool cue worth. I thought it might be helpful to build this web page and share some of the questions and answers with anyone that cares to read them. I don't profess to know all the answers......But I know where to go to find the answers I don't have.

New...Question: From P.H., St Louis, MO:...I recently purchased a pool cue from a store here in St Louis for $49 plus tax. After using it for only 5 weeks the joint came apart and the wood split at that same place. I think I got took. What do you think?

Answer: Sorry my friend, but you got what you paid for. If you're serious about your game, spend a few dollars and buy yourself a decent cue.

New...Question: From D.M., Honolulu, Hawaii:...I have been playing pool since I was a kid and have asked this question of many players and cuemakers alike. To date, I have yet to hear what I consider a correct answer. Let's see how well you do. My question is, "what determines the hit in a pool cue". I have been told it is the tip, the ferrule, the joint, the taper of the shaft. One guy even said it was the way you hold the cue. Yeah, right!

Answer: D.M., :-) Sounds like you been through the mill in your search for this answer. The correct answer is "at least all the above". Look at your question in the same manner as you would a simple addition problem in math.

A portion of the "hit in a pool cue" is generated by every single component in a cue. If one were to take the characteristics of each component (the tip, the ferrule, the shaft, the joint, the species of wood the cue is made from, the weight of the cue) and add them all together, the sum of those components would equal "the hit". In other words, each individual part of a cue contributes to the hit.

There are several things a cue maker can do to a cue to change the hit such as a harder tip, a more firm ferrule, different tapers to the shaft, etc. Obviously I'm not going to divulge all my little trade secrets or how to accomplish them, but the aforementioned are a few. Hope this helps.

Follow up: From D.M., Honolulu, Hawaii: Makes sense to me. Thanks.

Question: From J.L., San Diego, CA:....My husband recently purchased an original "George Balabushka" pool cue and made a rather feeble attempt at re-finishing it. In doing so, he inadvertently sanded off part of the original signature. My question to you is, what effect will this have on the value of the pool cue? I am very angry over him attempting to do this. I feel like he has destroyed a very valuable work of art.

Answer: J.L., Don't be too hard on him. I suspect it was not a genuine "Balabushka" anyway. None of the information available to me indicates that George Balabushka signed his pool cues. There are "licensed reproductions" made by a cue manufacturer that does have the signature on them, but they are definitely not originals. It would seem that re-finishing a pool cue would be a fairly simple job ... Truth is, it takes a lot of skill, patience, a good working knowledge of the materials. I do not recommend it be attempted by untrained persons.

A WORD OF CAUTION: MANY OF THE FINISHING MATERIALS ARE VERY HAZARDOUS. IF YOU INSIST ON RE-FINISHING YOUR OWN CUE, FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURERS SAFETY PRECAUTIONS, ESPECIALLY CONCERNING VENTILATION AND RESPIRATORY PROTECTION!

Question: From G.T., Louisville, KY: I received the new cue Monday and wanted to write to thank you for doing such a great job on it. The way the birds-eye-maple shows up against the cocobola is truly something to see. What causes the birds-eyes in maple anyway. I was told it is a fungus that attacks the maple tree. Is that true?

Answer: No, that's not true. I'm certain it's not a fungus. Your source may be thinking of Spalted Maple. A very good friend of mine that's been in the timber business all his life tells me the "eyes" in Birds Eye Maple are limbs or branches that did not develop. That seems logical, but I wouldn't bet my last pool cue on it. Jim tends to stretch the truth sometimes :-)....He once told me he had a blue ox that hauled logs for him :-).

I posed the question to a gentleman at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he states "research by universities has not been able to uncover the cause of the birds-eye characteristic".

Maybe someone reading this will be kind enough to help out. Please email me if you can shed some light on this subject.

Question: From D.O., Jacksonville, FL: I have heard several different opinions about breaking with the same pool cue you shoot with. What is the real "skinny" on the subject? Does it hurt a cue to break with it. Will it cause the shaft to warp. Will the glue break loose.

Answer: Dale, in my opinion, breaking with the cue a person shoots with is the same as going 4 wheelin with a Mercedes. A person can do it, but why would they want to? If a pool cue is made properly, it'll take the abuse alright, but why subject it to that kind of treatment? Grab that $12 house cue off the wall and punish it.....Please don't punish that beautiful cue you worked all week to pay for (or 2 or 3 weeks).

Question: From C.P., Newport News, VA: I just bought a new pool cue and every time I hit the cue ball with it it has a clicking sound. I brought it back to the place I bought it from and they told me they couldn't fix it. It sounds like something is loose but I can't figure out what it is. What do you think?

Answer: First, I think whoever you bought it from should either fix the pool cue or replace it. When trying to find a "click" in a cue, assuming the cue was built properly, my "check-list" goes as follows: #1: The tip. #2: The ferrule. #3: Check to be certain the shaft is mating up perfectly with the joint collar. If by then I haven't found the problem, I check the joint collar, then the joint at the Forearm/Wrap area. Yes folks, there's usually a joint under the wrap where it joins the forearm! I strongly recommend you bring it to a reputable cue maker and ask him (or her) to check it out for you. If you have trouble finding one in your area, email me and I'll hook you up with a friend of mine in Norfolk. Good luck.

Question: From L.L., Scottsdale, AZ: Why does it take so long to make a custom pool cue? Ive heard of some cuemakers taking 6 months or more to make one.

Answer: The most important phase in making a good pool cue is the time that is spent not working on it. It's called "stress relief". If a piece of shaft wood for example was turned from a 1" dowel down to the final size of a shaft in one turning, it would surely warp, (if not right away, certainly in time to come). I keep a good supply of shaft wood turned to within 10/1000" of the final size. The shaft wood is aged for over one year before I begin working with it. On each turn I remove 10/1000" of material, then let it "rest" for 30 days before doing the next turn. By "turn" I'm referring to placing it on the lathe and removing material. After each turn the wood is sealed with a lacquer base material and stored in a climate-controlled environment for another 30 days awaiting it's next trip to the lathe.

If a cue maker doesn't keep the wood turned ahead of time, it certainly could take 6 months (or more) to make a cue.

If you have a question you would like to share with everyone, send it to me. I'll be more than happy to post it here if you ask me to.

or call me at: 1 877 843-1888

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