# Introducing myself



## qbilder (Aug 10, 2010)

Hey folks. My first post here. I have been lurking the site for a bit but never joined until today. I am a wood nut & hobby miller/woodworker. The closest I am to being anything professional is billiard cues. I cut & mill a lot of the woods I use in the cues. I specialize in incredible figured & oddity woods. I recently bought my first band mill, a small Lumber Smith portable. It was enough to hook me on band mills. It was a relatively inexpensive way to find out if i'd like band milling. I'm now considering a much larger Linn mill. I'll probably get it this fall so to start the season with a fresh mill. I have read lots of threads on the forum here & have picked up some pretty handy tricks, but most of all just enjoyed the reading. Anyway, here's a few pics of what I cut & what I do with it. Nice meeting you all. 

Redbud slab: 






Burly mystery tree, old timers call it tame sumac:





Hickory burl:





Desert ironwood:





Cue I built using east indian rosewood, koa, & birdseye maple:


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## BuddhaKat (Aug 10, 2010)

Stunning dude, totally stunning. The pool cue is a work of art.

Welcome to the AS forums. I hope you continue to dazzle us with your work.


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## houtworm (Aug 10, 2010)

great job


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## betterbuilt (Aug 10, 2010)

Really nice work. 
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## BobL (Aug 10, 2010)

Welcome to AS and love your work.

Post some more pics of any cues you've made.


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## smokinj (Aug 10, 2010)

Nice skill set!


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## mtngun (Aug 10, 2010)

That's neat that you have an application for small trees that would otherwise not get utilized.


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## Stihlofadeal64 (Aug 10, 2010)

The work is absolutely beautiful. Welcome to AS site. Keep posting the pics of your work, it's nice to behold. I spent quite a few of my younger years in pool halls, making money and wasting time. Enjoyed your post, keep us updated.


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## isaaccarlson (Aug 10, 2010)

Dang...


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## qbilder (Aug 10, 2010)

Thanks guys. Yeah, I can utilize a lot of the smaller disfigured trees & brushy stuff that folks never really see in the lumber market. It's a lot of fun. The cues actually pay for all the saws & tools, so it's kind of a self supporting hobby. Here's a few more pics:

Maple burl slabbed & a cue handle blank rounded from it:





Cue made from birdseye maple & mun ebony:





Cue being made from gabon ebony & redheart:





Tulip rosewood and ebony:





And my favorite so far is ebony, narra, & ivory:


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## fatjoe (Aug 10, 2010)

*Hi*

Hello, that is awsome work you do.Really very talented. Nice stuff.Welcome from one :newbie: to another :newbie:


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## bsearcey (Aug 10, 2010)

Incredible! Welcome to AS.


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## BobL (Aug 10, 2010)

WOW! - keep posting those pics!


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## qbilder (Aug 10, 2010)

And here's some wood nut pics of stuff I have either cut & milled or got in rough form & resawn & milled into pieces for my cues. Not much but a little insight to what I do. I'll post more pics as I go. And I hope to tap yall's brains for milling advice & such. I'm considering a CSM for wide slabbing. I also make rustic furniture from time to time. This site is great. I'm not the only wood nut LOL There are others like me. 

White oak burl split center so I could slab each half:





Curly red oak salvaged from the stumps left over by loggers:





Mulberry from some logs I milled. They came from people's yards in the town I reside:





Desert ironwood being slabbed:


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## Stihlofadeal64 (Aug 10, 2010)

fatjoe said:


> Hello, that is awsome work you do.Really very talented. Nice stuff.Welcome from one :newbie: to another :newbie:



YEAH, what he said! (Hey Joe, you aint no newbie, it says by your name you're a "senior member" --how bout dat!) LOL!


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## scattergun13 (Aug 10, 2010)

qbilder said:


> Hey folks. My first post here. I have been lurking the site for a bit but never joined until today. I am a wood nut & hobby miller/woodworker. The closest I am to being anything professional is billiard cues. I cut & mill a lot of the woods I use in the cues. I specialize in incredible figured & oddity woods. I recently bought my first band mill, a small Lumber Smith portable. It was enough to hook me on band mills. It was a relatively inexpensive way to find out if i'd like band milling. I'm now considering a much larger Linn mill. I'll probably get it this fall so to start the season with a fresh mill. I have read lots of threads on the forum here & have picked up some pretty handy tricks, but most of all just enjoyed the reading. Anyway, here's a few pics of what I cut & what I do with it. Nice meeting you all.
> 
> Redbud slab:
> 
> ...


Absolutely beautiful work. For guys like me who are not nearly talented enough to do art work like that it is always stunning to look at. Welcome to AS and good job being respectful and seeking advice. There is truly a wealth of knowlege here. Speaking for myself only, I am very adept at taking a tree and turning it into perfect chunks of firewood. That is the extent of my talent, so if you ever need help there just PM me.
Seriously, you have immense talent. Rep on the way.
Stew and K9 partner Ajo...


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## huskyhank (Aug 10, 2010)

Fine looking work!


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## discounthunter (Aug 10, 2010)

man sweet work. keep posting your work. post some pictures of you rmill set up too look pretty neat.


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## qbilder (Aug 10, 2010)

Thanks for the warm welcome & kind words, fellas. I humbly offer anything I have learned if it helps anybody. And i'll sure be asking for opinions & advice. Again, thanks. 

I'll get pics of my mill set-up shortly. It's not much to look at, pretty simple, but it does a neat job & is very versatile.


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## BuddhaKat (Aug 10, 2010)

There's several folks here that are into knife building. You might consider getting into making knife handles.


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## qbilder (Aug 10, 2010)

BuddhaKat said:


> There's several folks here that are into knife building. You might consider getting into making knife handles.



I have a friend in Alaska who makes knives. He's pretty good at it. I used to give him wood but haven't been in touch with him in several years. I don't know if he still does it or not. I'd certainly be interested in trading wood for a nice custom hunting knife, though. I got some killer exotics.


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## BuddhaKat (Aug 10, 2010)

qbilder said:


> I have a friend in Alaska who makes knives. He's pretty good at it. I used to give him wood but haven't been in touch with him in several years. I don't know if he still does it or not. I'd certainly be interested in trading wood for a nice custom hunting knife, though. I got some killer exotics.


Guaranteed he's still doing it, unless he's lost both arms or is dead.


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## Rookie1 (Aug 10, 2010)

Nice pics. Welcome.


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## PA Plumber (Aug 10, 2010)

Wow. Great pics.


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## Brmorgan (Aug 10, 2010)

Awesome stuff. 

I'd be interested to see pics of the rough assembly and glue-up before turning it round.


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## betterbuilt (Aug 10, 2010)

Brmorgan said:


> Awesome stuff.
> 
> I'd be interested to see pics of the rough assembly and glue-up before turning it round.



I'd be interested also.


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## qbilder (Aug 11, 2010)

Here's one with tulip rose, ebony, ivory & topped off with a black dyed elephant ear leather wrap. This cue was built for Joe Rogan, the host of Fear Factor & UFC, and comedian.


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## qbilder (Aug 11, 2010)

More of the cue:






























Sorry for so many pics. It's a complex job, lots of steps but these pics give a general idea. Thanks for looking


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## Walt41 (Aug 11, 2010)

Awesome work, really like the idea if putting wood to use that would otherwise be compost.


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## BobL (Aug 11, 2010)

Great pics!

One question - how do you get these tapered grooves so consistent, I can't see a motorized cross feed of any kind?


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## fatjoe (Aug 11, 2010)

*Price???*

Hey gbilder, whats your price for building a custom stick?I know materials must play a big part, but if a fella wanted a decent stick that wasn`t too fancy, what would be an average price? You can send me a private message if you don`t want to reveal your prices.Thats if you even sell them.Let me know either way. I`m sure some of the other members might be interested in prices as well. Thanks, fatjoe.


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## qbilder (Aug 11, 2010)

The cross slide is spring loaded & has a bearing that rides against a taper bar. You can see the bearing against the bar in the pics. Without CNC, it's the only way I can get a high level of accuracy & exact repeatability.


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## qbilder (Aug 11, 2010)

fatjoe said:


> Hey gbilder, whats your price for building a custom stick?I know materials must play a big part, but if a fella wanted a decent stick that wasn`t too fancy, what would be an average price? You can send me a private message if you don`t want to reveal your prices.Thats if you even sell them.Let me know either way. I`m sure some of the other members might be interested in prices as well. Thanks, fatjoe.



They range in price due to complexity & materials. I'm actually booked indefinitely. I'm pretty lucky about that. I will say that they go for enough to buy me lots of fun toys for sawing & such!!! This cue here would cover the cost of just about any entry or lower mid level band mill. However, it takes me many months to build one, sometimes longer due to the stability of the wood. Everything has to be very straight and stay straight and that takes time. Basically, I do a little bit then let it sit for a few weeks, do a little more let it sit, etc. If it moves or warps at any point, it's trash & I start over. It's not uncommon to build the cue 2-3 times before getting acceptable results. It's a PIA but I enjoy it & it funds all my hobbies, including itself. 

One of the things I love about milling wood is that I get to use some of the most bizarre, figured, and/or unknown woods and i'm in control of every aspect so I don't have to wonder about where it came from or how long it has cured. With the exotics, I have to let them sit for a minimum of one year just to be sure they are going to be worthy of use. Using poorly seasoned wood in a pool cue is counterproductive because it'll likely have lots of internal stress, which causes warp. I'd like to eventually get enough obscure domestic woods cut & seasoned that I can do a run of cues made entirely of USA wood. That's where the milling comes in to play


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## BobL (Aug 11, 2010)

qbilder said:


> The cross slide is spring loaded & has a bearing that rides against a taper bar. You can see the bearing against the bar in the pics. Without CNC, it's the only way I can get a high level of accuracy & exact repeatability.



Clever! I'll have to remember that idea.


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## qbilder (Aug 11, 2010)

BobL said:


> Clever! I'll have to remember that idea.



I wish I could take credit for it, but it's actually a standard option on that piece of equipment. Taper bars are pretty typical jigs in a cue making shop.


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## BobL (Aug 11, 2010)

qbilder said:


> I wish I could take credit for it, but it's actually a standard option on that piece of equipment. Taper bars are pretty typical jigs in a cue making shop.



Yeah come to think of it I use tapered pieces on other WW machines, like table saws and routers, I just didn't think about using them on a lathe. The last time I used a taper was to cut the tapered ally leg for this tool.


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## Leroy in Kansas (Aug 14, 2010)

This is fantastic. Looks like you have an investment in machinery, as well as time. 
I don't post much on the A.S., just read and learn. Fantastic place for that. Thanks for sharing your craft. Leroy


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## BIG JAKE (Aug 14, 2010)

Hey qbilder-those are some gorgeous sticks. You have a good eye for contrast and figured woods. How did you get started making que sticks? Anyway, thanks for giving us a look into your life. It was a pleasure and hope to see more posts from you in the future.


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## Frank Boyer (Aug 14, 2010)

Sorry for so many pics. It's a complex job, lots of steps but these pics give a general idea. Thanks for looking [/QUOTE]

Keep the pics coming. The more detail, the better. Awesome work!


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## jimdad07 (Aug 14, 2010)

Incredible work, that is some major talent.


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## qbilder (Aug 15, 2010)

Thanks a bunch, fellas. It's not so much talent as it is I just love working with wood, and love playing pool, so it kinda works out. I lose a lot of beautiful woods because of screw ups & such, so the only things I have pics of are the successes. What you don't see is the trash cans full of mistakes that fuel my fire pit LOL

Here's a couple more pics to show my little shop.

My 4yr old son working with his own tools:






Rack for all the various rosewoods, ebonies, etc. :





Rack for all my domestics like maples & oaks & walnuts & cherries, plus the top half is where I hang pieces in various stages of cuts. The gravity helps keep them straight and 360 degree air circulation:


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## qbilder (Aug 15, 2010)

Here's some pics of woods I use. The figure & colors have to be extremely bold & evident in order to show well in a small turning like cues. So here's some more extreme examples of figured & vibrant colored woods from around the globe.

Madrone burl, afzelia burl, pyinma, bubinga, maple, koa:





Goncalo alves, amboyna burl, teak burl, quilted bubinga, brown mallee burl, curly redheart, maple burl:





Curly purpleheart, curly chechen, curly olive, camphor burl, tambootie, B&W ebony, curly narra:





Crazy cocobolo:





Curly maples:





Birdseye maples:


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## qbilder (Aug 15, 2010)

And last is pics of a couple of pretty girls to cap off the wood (pun intended lol), if you can ignore the ugly dude next to them (me). These two girls are friends of mine. They are both professional pool players whom are sponsored by the same cue manufacturer(not me, i dunno why they hang out with me). We all frequent the same tournaments & trade shows, etc. I use my good looks to help them sell their products from their booth. The customers love coming over to see me, then it's bait & switch where I dump them on the girls for the sales pitch  LOL Ok. Maybe that last bit was a stretch of the truth :monkey: People actually swarm the girls & ignore me. The billiard industry isn't large so it's a tight nit group of friends. It's a lot of fun. 

Miss Caroline:





Ms. Jennifer:


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## gemniii (Aug 15, 2010)

qbilder said:


> :
> My 4yr old son working with his own tools:



CHILD LABOR!!!


How do you like your BS? Do you move it much or mainly saw in one place?

I've looked at the RipSaw, your type mill, and the $2,200 entry level HudSon.

Yours looked like a good portable trade off from the HudSon.

/edit no sooner had I replied than I ran across this sale on router bits

http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=xs_gb_b...HJQS8XVA5X4B3XSVZ8&prv=forums&cur=forums&ses=

for what it's worth.


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## qbilder (Aug 15, 2010)

I move it a bunch. Last weekend I took it to an old trailer park that had been abandoned. There's no longer any trailers but the trees are still there and some have died over the years. I milled up a few of the dead mulberry trees on site because the logs were simply too large & heavy for me to load & transport easily. I cut the tree, bucked the logs, then rolled them over to a concrete sidewalk that was level & smooth. I ran the mill with no track over the concrete & got beautiful slabs. The first cut is awkward because the round log has a tendency to roll around with dogs holding it still, and that puts lots of strain on the blade. But once I get a flat, I can roll the log over to the flat & it stays flat while I continue cutting. 

I'm considering a CSM for the initial slabbing from log to cant, but only have a Stihl ms390 & i'm worried about wearing it out before it's time. I love that saw & it's beautiful for felling & bucking, but i'm not sure about milling. I can get a 28" bar & run a 24" Alaskan no problem but i'm not sure the saw is butch enough to last. I suppose only one or so slabs per log wouldn't be bad, but I saw almost only hardwoods. By hard I mean very hard. White oak is on the softer side of the things I mill. Maybe i'll ask the forum in a new thread. 

But anyway, I was eyeballing the Hudson, too. But it wasn't quite portable enough for me. With my saw, I can take it into the woods ANYWHERE on my 4-wheeler and haul lumber out. No moving or loading logs, just cut them where they lay, within reason of course. It's actually pretty flimsy but it's deceiving because the lil turd makes some hardcore clean cuts in very tough wood. I sharpen my own blades, too, with a dremel. For super hard & gritty woods like ironwood, mesquite, etc. I use a blade with an alternating grind much like a tablesaw blade and it just hogs through. However, on long grained wood like hickory & pecan, those blades dull within seconds. It's weird but it is what it is & i'm still learning. If you wanted a more permanant stationed mill, you would be best, IMO, to spend the extra few hundred & get the Wood Mizer LT10. Very nice lil saw. My next saw is gonna be a 36 incher with a heavy rack & some good dogs. I have some awesome trees to cut in Ohio for a cabin and i'm going to need a "real" saw for it. Going to be lots of oaks & hicks & poplars & maples, some really big cherries. That'll be in October. Will post pics


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## isaaccarlson (Aug 15, 2010)

The 390 is a great saw, but I would be hesitant about using it for milling wood so hard as yours. I rave about the MS390 and will continue to do so, but milling HARD wood would be pushing it IMHO. If the cuts were only 3-4 feet and you took a break or two sure. Just don't use it for 8+ foot cuts. WONDERFUL WORK. I love seeing that level of quality, please continue to post pics if you are not too busy.

Ike


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## TJ-Bill (Aug 23, 2010)

Great work. Those cues look incredible. do you build your own shafts aswell or do most people use Predator shafts?

Do you have a website? I have a friend how likes to buy cues every year or 2. His last 2 were custom made and I think he'd be interested in a new cues after I show him these pictures.

Thanks

Bill


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## qbilder (Aug 23, 2010)

TJ-Bill said:


> Great work. Those cues look incredible. do you build your own shafts aswell or do most people use Predator shafts?
> 
> Do you have a website? I have a friend how likes to buy cues every year or 2. His last 2 were custom made and I think he'd be interested in a new cues after I show him these pictures.
> 
> ...



Yeah, I make my own shafts. I try to mill my own maple trees when possible. Plan on quarter sawing 3-4 trees this winter just for shaft wood. 
http://www.sugartreecues.com/


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## ropensaddle (Aug 23, 2010)

Man, nice work, welcome and your bait and switch tactic is priceless


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## qbilder (Aug 23, 2010)

ropensaddle said:


> Man, nice work, welcome and your bait and switch tactic is priceless


 Thanks. Bait & switch???


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## ropensaddle (Aug 23, 2010)

qbilder said:


> Thanks. Bait & switch???



Your girl joke makes you human !


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## qbilder (Aug 23, 2010)

ropensaddle said:


> Your girl joke makes you human !



LOL:biggrinbounce2: Yeah. Most certainly human.


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